Search and rescue horses go out in all kinds of weather and all kinds of terrain searching for missing people, police evidence, drug plantations and almost anything else emergency services need found! As a member of a mounted search and rescue unit, some of the searches we’ve been on have involved missing children, murder investigations, police evidence, locating drug crops, & missing people (often feared suicides).

Why do they use horses?

Horses have many advantages in search & rescue situations. Some of these advantages include:

• The ability to cover large areas of ground in a short space of time.
• They provide the rider with an elevated view of the surrounding country side enabling them to cover a much larger area in one ‘sweep’ than someone on foot.
• Horses have much better hearing & sight than people, so will usually hear or spot something different or out of place before the

Sometimes a person’s efforts to rescue another person in danger can result in injury to the rescuer. Illinois courts have long recognized the rescue doctrine, which allows the injured rescuer to bring a lawsuit against the person that caused the situation requiring rescue. For example, if a dog-owner lets his vicious dog roam the streets, he can be held liable for bite injuries sustained by a woman while she was trying to protect her child from the dog.

But what happens when a rescuer is hurt while trying to save a person who puts himself (as opposed to another person) in danger? Does the rescuer have the right to sue? In a recent decision, the Illinois Appellate court held that the answer to that question was “yes.”

Under the facts alleged in this case, Mrs. A called her sister, Mrs. C, because Mrs. A couldn’t find her husband (Mr. A) … Read more