Mounted search and rescue

["Marie Lester" <marie.lester@gmail.com>]

We were very lucky in the case, Una.  The officials found a farmer who also had horses, and he provided a good sized pasture with good fencing, so we turned all out together.  We do not normally have these four horses together, but felt that their mind sets and the space provided were adequate for their safety.  Additionally, these horses have ridden together many times.  

In other cases, we picket our horses.  I have never hobbled and would need some coaching in that department. 

 

We did not ride in the dark.  The search was called off by 7:00 each night.  This was our first overnight mission.

 

While we were able to utilize the knowledge from our various trainings (GPS, tracking, search pattern techniques, radio protocol,documentation), it is clear that there is always more to know.  We were the only trained unit there, and the other local volunteers on horseback looked to us for advice and leadership.  All were very cooperative and had good mounts.  That was not the case for one of the experienced riders, who led a group the day before we arrived.

 

Searches are not very common in Ohio, however the three in which I have been involved have left me with different impressions of how operations work. 

Sounds like Chris has had a busy year, and that may be the case for many of you in the west.

 

Marie

COMSU

 

On 6/30/07, una.smith@att.net <una.smith@att.net> wrote:

Marie Lester wrote:
>                       asked to stay a second day, and agreed to do so if
> there was a pasture where our horses could rest overnight.

Tell us more about this.  Does your field team routinely turn the horses out
together, for practice?  Or do the horses live together?  Do you stake tie or
hobble them?  Or simply turn them out loose?  Was this your first "overnight"
mission with horses?  Did you ride in the dark?

I stake tied my mare this morning on one of those light-weight screw anchors
for dogs.  In some ground I suspect the screw will hold better than a picket
pin, but the screw probably is not nearly as strong as a picket pin intended
for horses.

   Una
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