Mounted search and rescue

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

Not everybody can work as a team member or a MSAR member of a team that has
developed as methodology over the years.  
Several things to keep in mind: You never have enough volunteers. Not all SE
PA SAR members are riders, some ride but don't have trailers or tow vehicles
at the moment and somebody always has a laid up horse.  You need critical
mass at an assignment.  Even horse holders are needed and definitely
administrative and fund raising types (unless the Sheriff is paying the
bills).

There are old pilots and bold pilots both rarely both, unless you are
talking to a naval aviator.  Everbody has a different style if they ride
alone and have to get into the rhythm of riding in a 2 or 3 rider task team.

You will always loose riders to other activities.  The typical volunteer
lasts 3-4 years in a fire company, just long enough to be trained. Kids will
go to college, parents will have transfers and job loss or change, the
number of calls will not be enough or be too much. Just the cost of keeping
a horse ready for search can be enough.

If you do use a training program and horse certification make sure it is
unbiased and objectively judged.  One of the greatest difficulties in
developing standards is that they must be lowest common denominator and not
region or even worse, organization specific.  If your recruits are all
working cow hands maybe specifying tack and style is not a problem but in an
area where the volunteers ride endurance, ride western, some in period garb,
hunt foxes with hounds, reenact various cavalry periods, and just ride you
cannot specify what to wear or use.  Can I specify that a current cavalry
rider (real US ARMY) whose unit wears historic 18th century garb ride the
same way as a re-enactor from the 1870's 9th US Cavalry does? Of course not.
Each must adapt and improvise to accomplish the mission.

Limiting yourself to 12-15 riders is not a good idea.  It is not sufficient
to put a meaningful response in the field.  Unless everybody shows up all
the time you will be lucky to get one or two task teams in the field (4-6
members).  If you are in an OSHA state you have to have a backup for each
member you put in harms' way.  You will also need to put a MSAR subject
matter expert on the plans and possibly the operations staffs to advise as
to the proper use of the resource.  This costs you 2 responders and somebody
has to watch the left behind trailers and horses as well.  

As to aggressive, you have to define aggressive. Is it a rider who takes
fences without seeing what is on the other side? That is called normal by
fox hunters.  Is it pushing into areas that may have difficult footing or be
a little tight? That is called searching.  How fast you go depends on what
you are doing.  I work search at the walk on my long striding mount at about
5 MPH.  He works well at that speed for detection and alerting. At other
times he is at the trot or even canter.  I don't gallop because 40 MPH
across high grass is a little too exciting for me.   But I will push him to
go where I want to go if needed, even if he is smarter about terrain than I
am.  Is this aggressive? Most people I ride with think I am timid in the
saddle.  

You have to remember that MSAR is not about riding it is about searching.
Searching is a vocation, a calling, and it may take a while to find out if
you have been called. 

Irv Lichtenstein      

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Lila Corey
Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009 9:18 PM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: Re: [MSAR] New member requirements