Mounted search and rescue

["Lila Corey" <Caballera@embarqmail.com>]

Thanks for your input.  I did put a call through to the Brunswick MSAR 
today.  Maybe that will help.  My horse has ALWAYS from the day I got him 
let me know if he smelled a human - at first I thought it was weird. 
However, he has always been consistent with it and it has served me well on 
trails- especially when I have been riding by myself and he has allerted me 
to a human nearby- he omits a low grunt- and stops and looks in that 
direction.  Once I walked up on a man in the woods relieving himself - after 
3 warnings by my horse.  I have always rewarded that behavior in him.  Folks 
have thought it weird that he does that when we are on trail rides- so 
hopefully he will be a big help.  Dead animals scents don't seem to affect 
his behavior, will need to find some way to figure out how a human one would 
cause him to respond.

Lila
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Una Smith" <una.smith@att.net>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, October 27, 2008 1:11 PM
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Overview of the MSAR training course in Cook 
CountyheldonOct.18, 2008


> Lila Corey wrote:
> > I emailed the Brunswick SAR and got no response from them.
>
> Try the telephone?
>
> NC SAR Advisory Council had a March 2008 training on its calendar
> that sounds great.  And I think the SAR community in NC is pretty
> well developed.  Look out for another training (mock search) next
> year;  watch http://www.ncsar.com/.
>
> > Many of these searches in our area are becoming homicides, so
> > crime preservation is a must.
>
> Yes, crime scene preservation is a must, but it is also pretty
> simple for a SAR field team:  the primary job is simply to
> withdraw.  Also, there is no particular MSAR angle, except that
> you may want to know how each horse responds to cadaver scent.
>
> Do you anticipate doing body recoveries?  Would slinging a body
> over a horse be acceptable in NC?  It is acceptable in NM, for
> some families (eg ranching families, elk hunters), but for urban
> families it can be beyond the pale.
>
> Have you considered air scenting training for your horses?  To
> begin, your human team members would need to be scent aware.
>
> Does your team require its own SAR management?  In some areas
> SAR management is provided by the AHJ (sheriff's office, state
> SAR system, state wilderness management agency), so volunteer
> SAR teams only need to train their own field team members and
> field team leaders.
>
> Una Smith
> New Mexico
> _______________________________________________
> MSAR-Riders mailing list
> MSAR-Riders@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/msar-riders