Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

[Deleted HTML duplicate.  -Una]


ALLEN SNYDER <allendana1@sbcglobal.net> wrote:  Karen, I will look at this 
soon and wish my older EPM horse could do MSAR, but the conditioning/modified 
would help him when it cools off.  Thanks for your help and keep in touch.  
My next goal is to find a horse that I could own/lease and our beginner 
daughter can learn hunters on and show a bit.  Dana Snyder RN, CAP NCCS, 
Gardner, KS 

Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com> wrote:    Hi Dana, no problem...I 
happened across the endurance site in a search I was doing on other 
information and the timing was impeccable to make a post of it to MSAR....
   
  .>>>
  AS FOR MSAR AND GREEN  - I am a firm beleiver if we get too sticky in  
certain regulations that we will find ourselves losing what little riders are 
out their that actually do get out and go on a real search and when the call 
comes and it would be all hands on deck, you will be thankful for those out 
there regardless of their green horses as it is entirely possible also they 
might be be the only ones there with you.
  .    
  They just might be the ones helping in other ways too that can be so 
detrimental in helping someone else.  Considering you are a nurse, who might 
hold your animal while you are the one with more experience or knowledge to 
give better care??  It is little things that can mean a lot and to me to say 
keep green horses and  green riders or even young people out, WE ARE ALL 
GREEN  in one respect or another so who you gonna call?  For every call, 
there is experience  and knowledge to be gained.  And us old folks are 
getting older and so maybe that young sprout on the horse next to you might 
be able to do a little faster running for you while you are doing also 
something he cannot do.  MSAR is a community  and TEAM effort not just the 
efforts of one.   
   
  A WORD ON LEASING  - ...always there is risk when you have use of any horse 
that someone will get hurt.  That is life with horses period.  I have seen 
even the most seasoned horse fly off the handle on occassion...and you being 
an RN I am sure you have seen your share of injuries of various types.  I am 
a firm beleiver though, if you are not comfortable with the mount you have, 
you will never ride your best.  I can also give you an example of when I took 
another filly I had only 10 days on to go round up someones cattle.  The 
filly had no fear of cattle, where my seasoned ridng horse of all time was 
too hot to do the job...so to expect any horse to "do it all"  most of us are 
dreaming.  So my "green" filly was by far the better choice for that job of 
the day and it was her first ride out of the arena being only saddle broke 10 
days before.
   
  ON SHOWING - 
  Showing can be a great experience and can also be a cutthroat business.   I 
hope you will find a way to keep showing safe and fun.  It is not the ribbons 
its the experience.  It is one of those places I know of when sometimes when 
you win you lose and sometimes when you lose you win....You just simply 
cannot always take it to heart and that is being realistic.  It can often be 
a very unhappy place in the ranking.  
   
  MORE ON LEASING - 
  I have leased horses before and it is far easier to own....when you own, 
you have full control of everything includuding how your animal might have to 
be put to sleep in the event of a serious injury.  When you lease, you make 
serious consessions that might go against your normal moral fiber.  People 
rarely think of having an instance where the animal gets injured and might 
die or have to be put down.  If the horse gets injured and you lease it and 
it needs to be put down, read carefully the rules and regulations before you 
sign the lease paying attention to how any claim will need to be handled.  It 
is no fun standing there watching an animal suffer while you have to make all 
the calls to every party involved to get the go ahead for vet care or worse 
case scenario of having to put the animal down.    The animal can suffer 
prolonged pain and for what, because somebody wants money for the part he or 
she has lost.  When it is your own,  you can do what is right by your
 animal quicker and with more peace of mind.
   
  Consider that too, if you use the horse for MSAR..things can get awful 
sticky in the what if the animal gets hurt and you are on a search?
   
  Getting back to the issue of red ribbons....it is just far better for 
everyone to ride a safe distance from the other.  Some riders have no clue as 
to what that is though and loss common sense.
   
  Thanks and best wishes in your endeavors.
  
Karen Nesbitt
  Illinois - Unaffiliated
  Iroquois County
   
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