Mounted search and rescue

["Patty Montoya" <riverrider@bak.rr.com>]

Jorene mentioned the advantage of pasturing SAR horses, which I agree with. 
I'm curious about opinions regarding feeding SAR, or other horses when 
traveling.
Our callouts have required anywhere from a 30 min. to a 2 1/2 hour drive. 
(I;m in Kern County, California) I always toss in plenty of hay for my horse 
to eat while traveling.  Some horses will eat a lot, some just nibble.  Then 
whenever my horse is standing around waiting for us to be sent out, I hang 
up a hay bag and allow my horse to continue eating at will.  Some of my 
colleagues do not provide feed in the trailer and/or while standing around. 
I'm curious about any other opinions.
Patty
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, January 02, 2006 1:41 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] FOAL WATCH!


> From: "Karen Nesbitt" <spanishequines@yahoo.com>
> > I found the best and healthiest foals were the ones that hit the ground in
> > the spring when the grass was green.  [...] struggle breaking ice and the
> > possibility of foals and mares getting pneumonia.  <
>
> That sounds like a good plan in your environment. A lot of folks in colder
> weather prefer to wait until spring for foaling, to avoid the ice and 
> snow.
> Those of us in more temperate climates often have green pastures all year,
> particularly on pastures like mine where I irrigate as needed and the
> pastures are also seeded to provide forage year round. We have a couple of
> foal blankets but I only recall 1 year when it was cold enough for a few
> days that we blanketed the newborns at night as a precaution.
>
> Our barn is set up with run-in stalls so we have the option of closing in
> the mare for monitoring, or leaving the gate open to the large turnout 
> with
> winter grass. When foals are about a week old and obviously doing well,
> unless the weather is particularly cold and wet the dams and foals go out 
> to
> pasture. We also supplement the pasture feed to ensure the dam has good
> nutrition with a foal at her side.
>
> We find running horses on pasture is also advantageous for MSAR ... we can
> pull them out of pasture at a moment's notice and not be concerned 
> regarding
> when they last ate, because they graze. And the horses most likely to be
> ridden in the backcountry are normally in the pastures where there is
> terrain. They routinely climb up/down the steep creek banks, which helps
> keep them fit. We also run the youngsters in those pastures so they learn
> something other than moving on the flat. We also make sure they get some
> time in pastures with mules and cattle across the fence to help 
> desensitize
> them to other livestock.
>
> ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
> Jorene Downs
> Tulare Co SAR - Hasty Team ICP Team
> www.ceoates.com/sar
> Tulare-Kings CERT
> www.tk-cert.org
>
> CEOates Ranch
> www.CEOates.com
>
>
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