*** Equestrian SAR: Pro's & Cons ***

Subject:         Re: SAR equestrians
  Date:         Mon, 05 May 1997 17:31:59 PDT
  From:         "David White" <sarspec@hotmail.com>
    To:         kovar@WebNexus.COM, sar-l@islandnet.com

>From: David Kovar <kovar@WebNexus.COM>
>Subject: Re: SAR equestrians
>To: sar-l@islandnet.com
>Date: Mon, 5 May 1997 17:16:09 -0700 (PDT)
>
>  Saltuations,
>
>  I'm strictly a ground pounder at the moment, though I have owned
>a horse for going on seven years now. I'd tend to agree with Todd's
>points and would like to elaborate on them a bit, in light of some
>experience gained during a search this past Saturday. (In fact,
>Todd may have been out on the same search.)
>
>> Advantages:
>> - relatively quick way of moving around in rough terrain.
>
>  Until the terrain gets too rough. I can lower myself with my
>rope kit. I'd have a hard time lowering my horse down some of the
>slopes I had to deal with this past weekend. But this is really
>an ops matter, not a searcher's problem. You assign the right
>resource to the right task. I've seen horses negotiate some
>very difficult terrain with apparent ease....
>
>> - Horse mostly steers itself while a motorcycle (for example) requires
>> more attention from the rider, thus less attention for looking around.
>
>  This is a major plus in my book. 
>
>> - horse is strong and may be used for pulling things or carrying loads.
>
>  I'd agree with the former, but not the latter as much. I can carry
>upwards of 70lbs while searching for a fair duration in my pack. I
>have very little experience packing horses, but I think I'd find
>it difficult to comfortably pack all my current gear onto a horse
>I was riding, along with the gear I'd want for the horse. (Pick,
>easy boot, water scoop, etc.) How much gear do you regularly carry?
>
>> - Mounted searchers have a better view as they are up higher.
>
>  A well known author, who's name slips my mind at the moment, said
>that one's appreciation for the intricacies of the environment 
>varies in inverse proportion to the speed one travels through
>it and the height that one travels over it.
>
>  Again, this is more of an operational issue. A rider can see
>farther, and over more obstacles, but has a harder time seeing
>the clues immediately at their horses' feet without stopping
>and dismounting.
>
>> - Horse is pretty quiet (compared to motor) and we can still listen
>>   for the subject to make sounds.
>
> And sometimes the horse will detect things itself - sight, sound, and
>smell.
>
>> - Horse tracks might not destroy tracks as much as vehicles or
>> pedestrians.
>
>  Even if a horse's print is superimposed on a footprint, the footprint
>is generally recognizeable and many of it's characteristics survive.
>We could easily tell that an equestrian team had been through our
>area. Trying to sort out other ground team's tracks for potential
>subject's tracks was a whole different issue.
>
>> Disadvantages:
>> - Sometimes takes us longer to respond as we have to go home to fetch
>> the horse before responding.
>> - Harder to track from horseback.
>> - Access to remote areas depends upon ability to get a horse trailer
>> there.
>
>  I'd add in that the horse requires more support than a ground team.
>This addresses what you've noted about transportation, but also food
>and water. Search bases generally provide food and water for the humans
>involved, but equestians generally have to bring their own food. Ditto
>for the dog teams, I suppose.
>
>
>-David Kovar
> Cal-ESAR

Another question for all of you EQS SAR units out there:

What is the best type / breed / breed combination of horse to have used
in an EQS SAR Unit?

David White


-todd secoy

Almaden Search and Rescue Mounted Unit
Santa Clara County Sheriff Dept. Mounted Search and Rescue
San Martin Horseman's Assn.

secoytc@ssvax1.ssd.loral.com
San Martin, California

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