Mounted search and rescue

[Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>]

philip easley wrote:
>We did a massive mock search.  Every mounted posse member
>that went by the roll players that were just sitting in the brush just off
>the trail said each horse would try and look at them and the rider would
>scold the horse and yank the head back around to the trail and would spur
>them on.

Meaning, the hiding search subjects saw the horses spot them?
But the riders were oblivious?  That has been my experience too,
on multiple occasions.  Being a search subject, you *know* when
you've been spotted:  it raises the hairs on the name of your
neck.

I think every MSAR team should get basic training in both scent
theory and alerting (noticing) behavior of both dogs and horses.
Contact your local K9 teams for this.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico