Mounted search and rescue

[Naturalhorse101@aol.com]

Air scent rescue training is really fairly simple.

 

From classical/operant conditioning and Learning Theory, we know that Positive Reinforcement has a much longer lasting effect than Punishment and/or Negative Reinforcement.

 

And we know from scientific documentation that food is an excellent motivator, (more so than tactile interaction).

 

And that the horse's olfactory senses are extremely sensitive, (and vastly underrated). My own personal experience was riding Able, (then a stallion) when he asked to go a particular direction and I acceded to his wishes. After several hours of 'zig-zagging through the countryside, his motivation turned out to be a mare in heat over a mile and a half away upwind from where he initially 'asked.'

 

Perquisites:

 

#1. Determining the horse's favorite treat. This is all important. Each horse has different taste selectivity/desirability and as such, each will be the MOST motivated by one type of treat more than any other.

 

#2. Depending on the individual horse, up to several dozen children may be needed that are willing to hide one at a time in various wooded or dense underbrush areas. I used a 70-80 acre parcel of scattered groves of different sized cedar trees mixed with some underbrush.

 

At the start, I would let the horse smell a piece of the child's clothing, (and even gently rub it on their nose) and then mount up and use a specific cue word or phrase that would in essence mean, 'find them.'   

 

In the very beginning,'we' would start zig-zagging back and forth crosswind / downwind of the 'lost child' and soon I would repeat the 'find them' cue and completely 'give the reins' to the horse.

 

Once 'found,' the child would give the horse his favorite treat and I would dismount and give the horse tremendous 'Good Boys,' rubs on his favorite 'itchy spot' and an ABNORMAL amount of his favorite treat.

 

I would assume trailering the horse each time and duplicating as much as possible preparing for a legitimate SAR mission would be essential even if the 'training area' was nearby.

 

As we know, each horse is an individual. Boss was a 'natural.' The last several hundred feet he would break into a trot or canter to 'find them.' Able was just as accurate, but was a bit more 'laid back' in the initial search. It was also no fun playing mounted hide and seek and kick-the-can against Boss.

 

*Some horses may initially need 'slight guidance' from the rider until the association is firmly imprinted.

 

*Some degree of success may be attributed to the previously established relationship between horse and rider.

 

*Once the imprint pattern has been established, (again depending on the individual horse) 'refreshing' may be needed once or even several times a year.

 

Chuck & Kids
Lady, Able, Sundance & Combustion
(and Boss, Rebel & Nikki)