Mounted search and rescue

["Irvin Lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>]

I have never been a peace officer but the ones I do know who got to retirement unscathed never let a suspect get closer than about 20 feet. 

This area has a very high fatality rate for police officers and an even higher one for crooks. 

All our trails are narrow and heavily forested, often with a creek on one side as well to limit escape routes. One has a cliff on both sides, it is on a shelf.  

 

In one case I am personally aware of a 20 something lady exercising a lame horse was approached by a group of late teens on bicycles.

She ran straight through them and outran them back to our barn where we called the night shift ranger.  The horse suffered no injury but we believe

a few of teens might have been bruised a little.  

 

If you can’t see what is going on the side of the trail, trust your horse’s senses. Even when not working a task a good search horse is always alert and

talking to you.  If he tenses up or starts paying attention to the woods, get ready to run away.

 

Irv Lichtenstein

---

From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of pennbo@verizon.net
Sent: Tuesday, February 09, 2010 10:46 PM
To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Self Defense from the saddle

 

Yes, Irv- but if you are just trail riding, on a narrow and very well treed trail- you might need to know this stuff. Not all of us are, or were, cops! :-) 
Chris