Mounted search and rescue

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

Una Smith wrote:
>A New Mexico SAR mission 6 weeks ago ended in a tragic accident
>for one MSAR pair:  the rider injured and the horse dead.
>       http://www.ibiblio.org/msar/dox/Adams2006.pdf

Contributing factors to this accident:

1.  Rider and horse not a well-established pair. 

The rider, an older man, is uniformly regarded by his 
experienced MSAR teammates as an accomplished rider.  The horse, 
Huey, was a mature, experienced working ranch horse.  The rider 
had acquired the horse a few months earlier.  They had not yet 
established deep mutual trust and understanding.  Although the 
rider's wife says both horses panicked when they encountered the 
backpackers, what Carolyn said to me the day after the event was 
different.  Carolyn said both horses were deeply startled by the 
backpackers, and Huey became increasingly frightened but did not 
panic until the moment when he decided to turn around.  Both 
riders tried to calm their horses.  Carolyn's mare (Airy, short 
for Airhead) was frightened more by Huey's fear than by the 
backpackers.  Airy knows backpackers and Carolyn told her 
"you're okay" (a cue Carolyn and I both use to tell our horses 
that the excitement around them does not involve them) so Airy 
began to relax.  She stood still throughout.

Airy is becoming an exemplary MSAR horse.  I have ridden perhaps 
15 SAR missions with Carolyn and Airy, plus spent many other 
days riding with them.  Airy is a leopard Appaloosa Arab cross, 
beautiful and extremely reactive.   Carolyn and I made a great 
MSAR field team in part because my elderly polo mare Whitney has 
as much "go" as Airy yet is rock steady and always has a 
profound calming influence on Airy.  Now Airy is learning to be 
rock steady for others.  On this occasion, she faced a severe 
test of her nerve and probably saved her own life and Carolyn's 
too.


2.  Rider and horse not experienced re trails traversing steep 
slopes.

Although both rider and horse were experienced in many other 
riding activities, neither was experienced in mountain riding.  
The trail was very narrow.  The horse tried to turn around by 
turning into the canyon wall.   To clear the wall the horse was 
forced to rear high and step back.  According to Carolyn, he 
stepped back onto the soft outer shoulder of the trail, and it 
collapsed beneath him.  At that moment his rider bailed out.  
The horse proceeded to summersault down the canyon wall.

Turning into a canyon wall in this way is a common trail riding 
error.  It may feel safer, but it is far more dangerous because 
it puts the full weight of the horse on the often precarious 
outer shoulder of the trail.


3.  Horse not experienced nor trained (despooked) re common 
wilderness trail spooks such as backpackers.

The backpackers were resting on a ledge above the trail, 
screened by some vegetation.  When they saw the horses startle, 
they did what many people instinctively do:  they kept quiet and 
held still.  Even when both riders called to them to say hello.

The backpackers later told some of the SAR responders on scene 
that they were waiting for the horses to smell them and realize 
they were people.  The horses probably could smell them, but the 
horses also saw forms and behaviors that were not normal for 
people.  At least, not normal in Huey's world view.  The 
backpackers are not at fault:  this is normal human behavior, 
and something for which MSAR horses should be trained, if they 
will be deployed where backpackers are likely to occur.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico