Mounted search and rescue

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

MSAR-Riders,

On another list today, in a thread about deciding when to use a
helicopter for SAR subject transport, there was the following
contribution offering horses as an alternative.

        Una Smith
        New Mexico


On Thu, Jul 02, 2009 at 06:24:54PM -0700, Jorene Downs wrote:
>As Tim mentioned earlier, we in SAR - particularly management - need to
>remember there are "other" resources that may be a viable option, or perhaps
>a better alternative. For those developing a decision tree for transporting
>a patient, there may be local alternatives to the helicopter or litter
>carry. Helicopters are expensive to operate, have inherent hazards, and may
>not be available or able to fly. Litter carry can be very labor intensive
>and you may need time to acquire a large number of personnel to accomplish
>the task. 
>
>Another option for transport - in appropriate terrain - may be use of
>all-terrain quads rigged for litter carry. If you're near water, a boat may
>be a good option.
>
>IF you have Mounted SAR available and IF they are *trained* to do a
>rescue/evacuation in the saddle, you have another alternative to consider.
>Assuming an injury and situation that qualifies (some are not suitable for
>transport in the saddle), 3-4 Mounted SAR can normally travel the trail
>about twice as fast as SAR personnel hiking in - faster, if the terrain
>allows riding in faster than a walk - are mobile in most weather conditions
>if access is suitable for equine, and can return faster (at the horse's
>walk) than a litter carry team if MSAR brought a spare saddled mount to
>carry the patient. 
>
>For "speed examples" of expedited access in appropriate terrain, consider
>the ridden horse might travel 8-10 mph at the trot, and where a canter is
>feasible that terrain might be traveled at 10-17 mph. The hustling ground
>SAR hiking at 2-3 mph might take 20-30 minutes to travel 1 mile. That same 1
>mile moving out with the horse might be performed in 5-10 minutes. The
>litter carry return at perhaps 2 mph would compare to the horse walking at
>3-4 mph ... or faster if the riders are all on gaited (particularly smooth)
>or naturally long-strided horses.
>
>If horse trailer parking is a space issue, consider doing a "drop off" of
>the horses and riders and parking the truck and trailer elsewhere until
>needed to pick up the riders and mounts.
>
>Or, it may be advantageous to use a combination of resources. For example,
>the technical team gets the patient up (or down) to less technical terrain
>and hands off to the [trained for this process] Mounted SAR team with an
>extra mount to transport the rest of the way in about half the time ... who
>then transports to meet an ambulance, to a safe helicopter LZ, etc.
>
>For those not aware, the "transport in the saddle" capability and training
>has historic origins, including in the mounted military, and is still in use
>in NPS. This process is also taught to US Marines who attend the mule
>packing training course at the USMC Mountain Warfare Training Center near
>Bridgeport, CA. (Earlier this year a Marine packing instructor sat through
>one of my classes and confirmed the same processes and methods are used, and
>even demonstrated how to rig a pack saddle to be more like a riding saddle
>for transport.) There are some in MSAR who already have the basic "transport
>in the saddle" training. I've also been teaching the class to some
>backcountry riders and packers around CA so they can self-help if/when the
>situation is appropriate, and the modified class (non-deployable resource)
>also teaches how to coordinate with other responding resources.