Mounted search and rescue

["Jorene Downs" <Jorene@CEOates.com>]

From: "Una Smith" <una.smith@att.net>
> It depends on the footing.  In deep soft dust or sand, the horse may
> drag its toes through the surface layer, obliterating all other tracks
> in its immediate line of travel.  But in that footing, most searchers
> on foot will do the same.

In soft dirt / sand you have granny tracks to follow and anyone with even 
fundamental tracking training - hopefully everyone in SAR / MSAR - should be 
capable of following those ... and also be controlling the mount to ride to 
the side and NOT obliterate those tracks.

As an aside, trackers are more likely to complain about the unshod mount 
than the shod mount, because the unshod hoof would normally have more 
surface contact with the ground than the horseshoe and therefore has more 
potential to cover sign that the rider didn't see.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jorene Downs
Tulare Co SAR - Hasty Team ICP Team
www.ceoates.com/sar
Tulare-Kings CERT
www.tk-cert.org