Mounted search and rescue

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

First off, I think it is way out of line to use the accident
report I posted as a point of departure for a discussion about
training both horse and rider in the finer points of lateral
movement.  The horse and rider in question cannot be faulted
on those grounds.  Their deficiency was in not being a well
established partnership and in having little (no?) experience
*specific* to the trail situation at hand.

Terilynn Oliver wrote:
>I trust my horse in any situation.

Terilynn has the right idea:  a great MSAR mount is a rider's
*partner*, and between partners there exists a profound mutual
understanding and trust.


Personally, I am all for the horse and rider knowing (and the
rider using) cues for lateral movement.  But I do not accept
"side pass" as a synonym for any and all lateral movement.
That is a very particular movement, which in my experience is
of little value in MSAR.  Nice to have but not necessary.

Despite many discussions here over the years re lateral control,
I am not yet convinced that cues for lateral movement in general
are *necessary* for all MSAR.  The example of moving sideways
so your horse does not step on a clue does not require lateral
movement per se, only basic steering.  If you only notice the
clue when the horse is on top of it, too late to steer around
it, then I think the fault lies in your clue awareness, not in
your horsemanship.

Re opening gates.  One point that some in this discussion are
trying to make is that locally there may be no opportunity to
open gates while mounted.  Rarely do I have the opportunity to
use a nice pipe or bar gate that is free swinging, hinged on
one end and latched on the other.  More often, it is a broken
down mangled thing that has to be carried.  *I* usually can
lift and carry it while mounted, but only because my horse (a
polo pony) is very, very comfortable packing a rider hanging
way out off her side rather than sitting square in the saddle.
Often, the gate is nothing more than a segment of barbed wire
fence beside a cattle guard, with one of several home-brew
methods to get it open.  Trappy and dangerous.  Some riders
I know will open and close these while mounted, but as a rule
it is smart to dismount and tie the horse well away from the
gate while you deal with it.  That is because the remains of 
old barbed wire gates tend to litter the ground, and sometimes
they hide under the dust, waiting to catch you.  Sometimes the
bottom wires aren't even removable;  we have to step over them!
Or, cut them and then repair them after we're through.  Often,
such gates are right beside a cattle guard, sometimes between
the cattle guard and an erosion ditch.  Very tight quarters,
no room for error.  Using wire fence gates, particularly with
a shod horse, always involves a big element of risk.

To me, an appropriate MSAR requirement would be to negotiate
a gate safely and efficiently, mounted or dismounted as the
rider deems appropriate.  If dismounted, then evaluate what
the rider does with the horse in the meantime.  Does the 
rider control the horse appropriately for *that* horse and
*that* surrounding environment?  Or does the rider depend on  
luck?  Eg, I may fault simply dropping the reins on a horse
not thoroughly trained to ground tie.  Here, the rider may
be hoping the horse is sufficiently tired or interested in
snacking that the horse won't decide to leave.  Given some
circumstances, I would allow hoping for the best;  given
others, I would not.  Eg, I would allow it when the horse is
tired and we are miles from the nearest road.  I would not
allow it when the horse has been the least bit uncooperative
and/or we are close to a busy road.

If gates encountered in the field on MSAR missions in your
area usually are a cable or chain strung across a road, then
that is the kind of gate on which you should evaluate your
new candidates.  In my area, we should evaluate on barbed
wire fence segments.  Forget those lovely pipe fence gates
that are commonly used around horse facilites, unless they
are what you encounter in the field.

I don't consider an evaluation complete until I have asked
the rider some questions about how they decided to negotiate
the gate.  What factors did they consider before they began,
and how did their actions address each factor?  I want to
see evidence of a basic understanding and application of
risk assessment and mitigation.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico