Mounted search and rescue

["IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>]

Almost all volunteer mounted units use rider owned mounts. SE PA SAR owns no horses of its own, all are “owned” in one way or another by their riders. We include leasing, and in family owned, or share boarded, etc.  as rider owned.  We carry primary liability insurance for the riders and horses as members of the unit.

In the past volunteer park rangers in Philadelphia’s Fairmount System and the volunteer patrol at Valley Forge National Historical Park not only rode their own horses but had to trailer them in to the park each day.  The only turn down I know of is similar to your position however.  The boarding barns around Tyler State Park proposed to furnish mounts to state DCNR rangers who could ride for their use in Tyler.  The Superintendent turned the offer down because riding patrol was not in the law enforcement rangers’ official skill set.  He was afraid of injuries not being covered by comp. 

 

What you need to investigate is what would be the status of the mount and the rider.  In Pennsylvania a horse, regardless of ownership, used by a recognized SAR group is a police animal by law, 24/7, and so protected from harassment, deliberate injury, etc. just like a patrol dog is.  Would these horses be commandeered or borrowed equipment to the department or do they need to lease them for duty to make them department “owned” property wile working? There are a great many differences between the East Coast and the West Coast on this issue.  For instance, a fire chief can commandeer anything during a fire but must pay for it later, including any damages.

 

Do you have policies regarding using private cars or impounded cars (which are somebody else’s after all) as undercover or detective vehicles? This would seem to be the place to start.

 

By the way, only a few police units buy their horses and most spend under $2000 if they do. Philadelphia wants to revive the mounted unit and has access to all the horses they want, just no money to feed them so it is on hold for the moment.

 

Irv Lichtenstein

SE PA SAR

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From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Doug Reynaud
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 9:28 AM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Important: institutional memory

 

Una, I've been on your list for quite a few months. I am employed by Santa Clara County Open Space Authority In California. As a Generalist Ranger I have a wide range of duties not limited to land management . I am in the creation of programs and policy. I have formulated and started a volunteer trail patrol that emphisizes the multi use phylosophy . I have also put together a within agency mounted program  and manual in which I would be happy to share. My question for you is, are there any agency msar and or mounted patrols that allow the use of rider owned mounts. This is a problem that stands in the way of our agency getting a mounted unit in servce. Our agency cannot afford the purchase of mounts, yet we have staff who own good mounts and are willing to use them. Thank you for your consideration -Doug Reynaud