Mounted search and rescue

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

Lila Corey wrote:
>I will be going on my first "mounted search" this weekend.  Any advice of to 
>do's and not to do's???

The big mistakes I see new MSAR folks make:

* Dressing for a 2 hour pleasure ride.
* Going home after just 2 hours, without finishing the task assigned.
* Stopping for a lunch break.  You can eat your lunch while you ride.
  Save stops for calls of nature and doing SAR tasks that need to be
  done on foot.
* Leaving their map and gear at the trailer.
* Putting their notebook and pen and map where they can't be bothered
  to get them out again to use.
* Loading all tasks on one person on the field team:  all note taking,
  radio communications, navigation, leading, tactical thinking, and
  on the job coaching of the rest of the team
* Not stopping to write notes (if your horse won't stand still enough
  for you to write clear notes on horseback, you need to dismount).
* Not insisting on being debriefed, if told to go home before that
  has happened.  Debriefing means you tell SAR management if and how
  you did your task, what the result was, any problems you had, etc.

There are other common mistakes that novices make, but these are the
ones that need no practice, experience, or training, only awareness.

Take a deep breath, relax, and remind yourself that as a novice your
main objective is to learn.  Mistakes are part of learning.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico