msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Mounted search and rescue
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- From: "irvin lichtenstein" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
- To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
- Subject: Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions
- Date: Sat, 25 May 2013 19:26:24 -0400
It is your unit’s responsibility to examine the assignments and provide feedback as to their appropriateness, doability, and safety for both searchers and mounts. If you do not routinely have members of your unit on the command staff to review plans and operations I hope your safety officer does when they are given to you to implement. Ignorance is curable with education, failure to follow the law by discriminating against volunteers you can accommodate is also curable, with fines and debarment. Anyone who is unwilling to learn is an impediment to furthering the cause of MSAR and SAR in general. The first drafts of the ASTM standards insisted on Western tack, as if any other style was not acceptable. The fact that many riders use other designs or even treeless saddles effectively took a while to get across, as did the concept that the tack should fit the horse. I do not reject another’s opinion out of hand, but they must support it with facts. Since 1986 I have disqualified one applicant for style. She wanted to ride bareback and was quite good in the ring, but went off a few times in the woods. Everybody else uses a saddle of some kind, with stirrups and a place to hang gear. I have had friends with chronic diseases that rode well, even supervised trail building crews, but they had to be lifted onto their mount and usually rode gaited horses to ease back pain. One laid out over 55 miles of public trails from the back of an Icelandic, as she was partially paralyzed. Irv Lichtenstein From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of pennbo@verizon.net I agree with most of what you have to say. We have one 84year old member who couldn't walk a long section but is valuable in the saddle and several others whose length of time riding the local wilderness makes them absolutely invaluable resources! However the way our structure on call-outs is the ops/plans/ICS may not know our unit and individual restrictions or capabilities nor the terrain we are being asked to search. So the "safe, efficient, successful" part must come from within our own unit. Deciding when, and HOW, to tell a member that you do not think they should search with you can be difficult at the best of times. We can accommodate almost any skill or capability level in the field. It is up to the plans or ops section chief to ensure that the proper resources are assigned to tasks that must be done so that searcher is safe, efficient, and possibly successful in locating the subject. If you think you are a competent searcher and cannot accommodate a rider who prefers a different style or equipment you are still ignorant of the basic principles of volunteer emergency service. Irv Lichtenstein From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Richard Lynch It is not what the rider prefers, it is what is appropriate for SAR. The real question is: are you performing SAR or out for a glorified trail ride? Jackie Kennedy was dignified and rode astride!! If someone is injured to the extent that they can only ride side-saddle, they have no business in the field where a life may hang in the balance. If you want to wear a dress and top hat and look like a Victorian Lady, fine but, it has no place in SAR. Aren't there more important things to discuss? I have a feeling the American Side Saddle Association is a little biased. With that said, I personally think that it certainly has its place among the various styles of riding, just not in SAR. Dick On May 24, 2013, at 5:04 PM, irvin lichtenstein wrote: There should be no difference for a rider who prefers sidesaddle either because of training and culture or because of injury (to the hips or pelvis would be first thought) precluding the astride position. Females have ridden side saddle for centuries and have ridden to hunt and stadium jump. I have met several ladies who consider it undignified to ride astride as they took 4-5 foot fences. The basic question is whether they can stay mounted, dismount and remount in the field. Ill fitting tack ruins everybody’s day. Irv Lichtenstein pennbo@verizon.net wrote: Interesting. Can someone help explain what type of injury would make riding astride uncomfortable but would still allow side-saddle riding and the amount of hiking, climbing, lifting, etc we are sometimes called upon to do? I'm not being critical nor am I being facetious. Print is hard. I am truly curious as every year when we update our standards and requirements I like to have a broad mind that will include many possibilities. However if I submit an idea without the necessary facts to back it up it's an exercise in futility! On 05/23/13, T'mi Finkle<tfinkle@erols.com> wrote: Thanks J- I am wondering if anyone will address, the age of most side saddles, could the lack of mounting and dismounting be an issue on the off-side and how a poor fitting saddle will injure a horse's back
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions
, (continued)
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
Ruthie Franczek, 05/24/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
ceberan, 05/24/2013
- [MSAR] How to unsubscribe, Una Smith, 05/24/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
irvin lichtenstein, 05/24/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
Richard Lynch, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
irvin lichtenstein, 05/25/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, Richard Lynch, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
irvin lichtenstein, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
Richard Lynch, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
ceberan, 05/24/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, Jyaniro, 05/25/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, Jyaniro, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
pennbo, 05/25/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, irvin lichtenstein, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
pennbo, 05/25/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, T'mi Finkle, 05/25/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
Jorene Downs, 05/26/2013
- Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions, mikerobin, 05/26/2013
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Re: [MSAR] Side Saddle Questions,
Ruthie Franczek, 05/24/2013
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