Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

RESPONDING TO: Message: 2
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:00:06 +0000
From: una.smith@att.net
Subject: Re: [MSAR] ARNETTE SEARCH FOR LOST MOM
To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID:

<092520071700.29521.46F93E960003CA33000073512160280741089B07039CD20E029A@att.net>



Karen Nesbitt wrote:
> We are not able to go  My mare is fully retired now

Why not go without her then?  Or maybe someone else will go, and can
report back to us.

Irv is asking for an after report.  What scenarios are being
considered?  What are the search strategies?   What are the search tactics?  What
resources are available and how are they deployed?  What are the
results?  Etc...

   Una

------------------------------------>>>>

 

Una,

Our volunteer unit is retired now and I have a disability and my disability prevents me from a walking search. I still ride as with a horse, I have better FEET and with a horse I have other greater abilities. 

 

Another reason we can't go is FUNDNG.  Funding has also prevented us from our other works on getting a hippotherapy program going for physically and mentally challenged riders.   So no funds... no go and for others no hippo-program.

 

With MSAR, we tried getting more involved in prior times, however the major issues then and now have been also a chronic lack of funding and lack of co-operational support of the local firedepartment, or law communities to get horsemen involved be they private or otherwise and if there are other horsepeople involved in MSAR in my county, I am unaware of it in our location.   I have been away from this forum though for many many months.

 

Now, of the animals we personally and privately own, we have none that are available at this time especially for MSAR due to various ages and training levels so all of our horses are out.   And what we could do with a horse had we had the right one available, we cannot do on foot or ATV...as I repeat, the right horse has a special role as would the right dog.

 

We are doing everything we can otherwise in our stituation to still try and help and right now that remains to get the word out and anyone that can get on the Sadorus search are asked to contact the Sadorus Firedepartment and go to THAT website given previously on this subject.  I have no further information that I can give you.

 

As for followup, since Irv is the one asking for the end status report, I suggest he contact the Sadorus Firedepartment and chat with the folks there and maybe make a report to this forum for the benefit of others.  He has a lot to offer adn is good in that type of thing..  I am sure the result of the search will be in the news, but the strategies etc he is asking are something to ask there.  Here again, check the website earlier given and watch the news.

 

I would like to comment, that as a retired volunteer unit, in the past and now, EVERYTHING WE OFFERED CAME OUT OF OUR OWN POCKET. Our horses, our time, time away from work, our equipment, our skills etc and including our own funding and our energy. We gave our all. We did not get as far as we wanted, but it was worth every moment, every penny and every breath and we never asked anything in return.  Now I have a personal request....

 

I have nearly a dozen equines, initially they were brought into this world for one thing in mind and that was primarily for riders with disabilities and P or M challenges and now, because too many other things have gotten in the way of getting things going, we have absolutely no funding or any hay to get these animals through this winter.  The mare I had that was good for MSAR is no longer able to perform her service to me.  Even with hay at her age, she is not likely to make it through this winter and if she does, that will truly be another miracle and if not, she deserves a decent burial as would any of the rest.  There again, no funding.

 

In her younger day, she had the ability to find what some searchers might be looking for and could do it all.  We could not search without a horse like her. I could not ride if it was not for a horse like her.  Fact of that matter, we could not do a lot of the things we did do if it was not for her.  For us and these horses, winter is going to be a mighty  cruel rough and miserable call and beleive me, I have had enough nuisances to muck up the works, but I see literally two programs going down the tubes and literally dying in a hurry along with the horses themselves.

 

Before winter is all said and done, I probably will be looking for a volunteer out there with a backhoe and not just for one.  If you can help us, let us know, knowing full and well this will be a debt we cannot repay.  The amount of hay we have is possibly for two -maybe three weeks if the pasture holds and that is all.  What happens after is anyones guess.

 

And guys as miserable as the end of the trail and winter is looking for us, the one thing more desperate on our minds TODAY are ABOUT the children and family of that lost MOM in SADORUS, so take our place and get out there and give it your all.   We have gone as far as we can get and may you all ride, walk, atv and search safe.   GO LOOK FOR NAOMI.

 

I have my plate too full of things that seriously take me out of this search.  But I am not giving up.  DON'T YOU!

 

K. Nesbitt

Iroquois County - Illinois

VMSAR - RETIRED

spanishequines@yahoo.com

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