Mounted Search and Rescue (mis)adventures

I have been a volunteer with SEASAR (South-Eastern Search and Rescue) for the past 2 years and it is a very worthy organization to donate time and energy to.  I have learned so much from the training and from other members on a whole range of skills that I never would have attempted otherwise (for example: who knew that knot tying would be so difficult!)  Luckily we don't get many call-outs for actual searches so we mostly do training, community service, fundraising and the occasional mock search to stay ready.  This year is the first year for a mounted/equine search and rescue team so naturally, being the aspiring 'horse whisperer' that I fancy myself to be, I want to be involved!

Last night was the first ride I have been able to attend with my gelding, Cash.  He and I had a little disagreement last year in which I ended up in the dirt and since then I have been slowly trying to regain my confidence.  Its coming but its nerve wracking at times and frankly, I get intimidated by him more easily now and he knows it / plays it!  We did attend the "bomb-proofing" session where I lead him through the obstacles and the "scary stuff", he did very well at that! 

This ride was an eye opener in some good ways and in some not so good ways:

Good:  I left in plenty of time so I wouldn't have to be rushed.  I was quite nervous about the whole thing, wasn't sure I should be doing it.

Not so good: As it turned out, I did not arrive early.

Good: Cash was awesome to catch when I went to get him.  He likes to play the "you can't catch me" game.  But when I take away his "gelding shield" the game is less fun and he submits much more easily.

Good: I am getting more organized for these outings regarding the trailer, what tack I need, what my search pack needs, driving with a trailer in tow and not panicking anytime I need to back it up.

Not so good: We were conducting our mock-search excercise on a public trail and a guy on a bike came up behind us quite quickly and was not terribly sensitive to the horses.

Good: I couldn't get Cash turned to face the biker quick enough and he spooked a bit as the guy whizzed past.  But it was not a huge spook, just a hop and some fancy footwork.  Since I knew it was coming, it was manageable.  We also passed dogs and a lawn mower and crossed a wooden foot bridge, he wasn't afraid of those.

Not so good: Long story short, my saddle was not placed correctly and when I tried to dismount on the trail towards the end of the ride, he hopped sideways (which is unusual for him.)  Instead of heeding the warning, I tried again to dismount but this time I was nearly off when he hopped and I fell the rest of the way.

Good: I now know the consequences of poor saddle placement and will be more careful of this in the future!  And I wasn't hurt ... except for my pride.

Bad: After I came off, Cash took off and was not about to be retrieved easily (his favorite game!) which was really a dangerous situation for the other riders.  Luckily some of them managed to corner him (albeit along a barbed wire fence!  It was a bit hairy!) and I was able to get him back under control.  We were nearly back at the campground where we started so I elected to walk him the rest of the way.  The reason I was dismounting was to avoid what I perceived to be a dangerous situation coming up ahead and instead I caused an even bigger one :-(  I was embarrassed and humbled but it was a valuable "teachable moment"!

The situation I was trying to avoid was two Arabians in a pasture right next to the trail.  I suspect they were stallions because they were absolutely gorgeous animals and on our first pass, Cash spotted them from a long way off and was extremely interested to the point where he was acting kind of studly himself, arching his neck, prancing.  Cash can be dominant but as far as I know he is properly gelded.  I got off and walked him past the Arabians and on the way back, I was trying to be proactive and get off again to avoid a 'confrontation'.

Good: Of all the places that could have happened, that was probably the best one could hope for.

Good: The run-away Cash incident would have been much worse if I had been using split reins.  Thankfully I had decided to use my closed reins.

Not so good: I had my truck and trailer keys on me and my cell phone in my back pocket.  In hindsight, that was really dumb!

Good: My phone stayed in my pocket (although it started ringing at the exact moment I was running after my runaway steed!)  Another astute rider happened to see my keys laying on the ground (Phew!  I kinda need those!)

Good:  I feel like I made the right judgement call by dismounting when I felt trouble was looming.  I probably looked like a loser walking so much but I honestly think it is better to do that than to risk an accident (even though that particular incident didn't turn out that way.)

Good: Cash did not poop on the trail :-)  Since we were in a public area, we had one gracious volunteer following us on the mountain bike who was scooping up behind us.  She deserves a medal for that sh!tty task!

Not so good: Cash has decided he doesn't like to load into the trailer again. 

Good: Another SAR member asked if she could work with him to get him loaded for the ride home (cuz I wasn't yet winning that battle!)  I was a little skeptical and rattled and tired by that point but I begrudgingly handed him over.  She was amazing!  I learned so much just watching her in those few minutes and I have to say, once he was securely tied off inside, I breathed a huge sigh of relief, everything else from then on was easy.  I was very thankful and a little sheepish for my resistance to letting her try.  I may have another option for riding instructor now, she obviously knows a thing or two and is eager to share!

Neutral: My super light synthetic saddle doesn't fit Cash.  Not even close :-(

Good: My knees sometimes hurt when I am in my big clunky roping saddle for too long.  Yesterday that wasn't the case (possibly because I got off and walked quite a bit.)

Good: Overall this training ride (mini-mock search) was really well organized ... with the exception of some ambiguous wording in the email that sent some of us to the wrong starting point.  Once that was sorted out, everyone seemed to enjoy it and I got to know a few more of the other members.  For the most part the other riders were patient and supportive with this "newbie".

Good: For as much (or as little) as Cash has been ridden this year, he actually did pretty well.  I am quite sure that my nervousness was making him nervous.  There was a lot of new stuff, people, horses, etc. and his reactiveness was not over the top (except when we first encountered the Arabians.)

Harsh reality: I am still too green to be a productive mounted search and rescue team member.  And Cash's natural tendency is to be antsy and forward so I'm not sure he will be the best candidate for MSAR.

Good: I now have a much better idea of what kinds of things I/we need to work on in order to make the grade and what the expectations are for this group.   

Good: The weather was fantastic!  The mosquitoes were minimal.  The views from that trail are spectacular (I did not take pictures but the SEASAR website might have some I can use).

I debated about not going last night, it is foolish to take a horse that's hardly been ridden into that situation. But another member convinced me to give it a try, take it slow, see how it goes.  Cash and I went on several rides last summer and he was pretty good on those so I know he has done them before and done OK.  I'm glad I went and my colleague was really good about looking out for me as best she could!  I learned so much and I challenged myself which I have not done much of lately! But I will have to see how much progress we make between now and the next training ride and then decide if we are ready for more challenges (assuming we are not asked to not come back.)  Although the training rides are a good place to learn, I felt I might have put the other riders in more danger than I intended.

I was pretty calm and 'together' through the whole evening, I didn't show my nerves and anxiety, not even to myself.  But on the drive home by myself in the dark, all the stress that I had obviously been holding in just came bursting through.  I was tired and humbled and weepy ... but not sad.  I had succeeded in getting out there and doing it, for whatever that's worth.