A carniverous horse with high prey drive - Got one!!
Funniest dam thing i have ever seen is her hunt down a sheep and bight it's wool and throw it! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />
She will also ground track where i have walked when i have come in with treats just in case i droped some on the way!
Ok So i know that if i realy thought about it there would be other explanations but i like my GSD - Quarter Horse and her pick pocket foal!!!

Julie
Glad to finally hear from a true horsewoman. There is a major difference between horse people and horsemen or horsewomen. Horsemen and horse women truley understand horses and know how to train them. Horse people merely like horses and never really learn to understand horses. The majority of true horsemen or horsewomen will tell you that at times they have seen horses do actual scenting. Usually they scent wild life but throughout history and modern times there are documented cases where horses have scented people for search and rescue and similiar circumstances. Another example is if you talk to cowboys who spend a lot of time horseback hunting stray cattle in the western states. Some will tell you that they have seen horses scent out cattle and lead their rider to the lost cattle from diatances of up to a half a mile at times.
I hope that I have helped some people understand that horse are smarter and capable of more than most people think. And yes, I too have seen horses do actual scenting.

HORSEMAN

This is serious, I know its a weird topic, but these guys are either onto something very incredible and useful, or they are full of crap.

I'm sure they can smell, but can they be reliably trained to scent for lost people? It's a question, I'm not necessarilly saying they can't, but I have doubts. BIG doubts. . .

I'm not a horseman, but I've been around horses all my life. I think the key is when you said "Can they be reliably trained". I think individual horses have done some remarkable things, but I really can't see it on a regular basis. I'd love to be proven wrong cause a horse could be an awsome tool in the right situation. I still go back to my other post,"A horse with hunt drive, Naw".

I've been staying out of this because horses are something I know very little about. However, I'm leaning toward the "I'll have to see it to believe it." end of the spectrum.

The equine schnoz is a multi purpose tool. It is a major part of the respiratory system, it helps to protect the horse from infection by filtering out harmful airborne particles, and the olfactory system is designed to help the horse find food and avoid danger. Any smell that they associate with something pleasant is a smell that they will move toward, and any odor that they associate with danger, they will move away from. We know that horses are creatures of habit and routine, and that they are trainable.

All that being said, from a search manager's point of view, the most logical approach to deploying so-called "Air Scenting Horses" would be to go ahead and put them out there along with all of your other resources, as a mounted posse. Don't rely on them to find the subject, as you should not rely on any one particular resource to find the subject.

For someone who knows nothing about horses, that was quite a description of the equine olfactory system. Sounds more like a description of general mammalian olfactory usefulness than being equine specific.

Just to let you know that I am not looking at this subject from a one sided point of view, besides being a horseman I am also a dog handler with a certified S and R air scenting dog. We also have experience in showing dogs in obedience and we have earned some AKC legs.
In my previous post I said that I to had seen horses scent, I was referring personal experience
where I have seen horses locate people by scenting but I also have been on searches where a
horses special abilities have saved the day. I was on a major four day missing person search a
few years ago. Involved were S and R teams and dog teams from all over the state along with
helicopters ( with heat seeking devices) even the national guard was called out. Guess what? It
was a horses scenting ability that helped bring the search to a successful happy ending.

I believe that everyone should keep a open mind and like a previous post said , use every resource
available. After all when it comes to saving lives I dont believe we should let our own personal
preferences get in the way of using another useful search tool.

One more side note on a comment that some one said about horses not being very smart. Being a
professional horse trainer, I can tell you that over the years I have seen horses out smart people a
number of times. They are defiantly intelligent and trainable, it is just that most people do not
truly understand them.
Dog handler/Horseman

Horseman wrote: "In my previous post I said that I to had seen horses scent, I was referring personal experience where I have seen horses locate people by scenting but I also have been on searches where a horses special abilities have saved the day. I was on a major four day missing person search a
few years ago. Involved were S and R teams and dog teams from all over the state along with
helicopters ( with heat seeking devices) even the national guard was called out. Guess what? It
was a horses scenting ability that helped bring the search to a successful happy ending."

If that is so then there should be incident reports and other factual information that is public record and available to people for research purposses. What state did the search take place in and what year? Who is the administrative body that certifies search teams and K9s in your state and maintains records? What search group/groups were involved? Do you have a link to their website/s? Tell me the state and I can most likely find the info out for myself.

What specifically was it that the horse did? Did the hores locate the lost subject? Was it documented that it was the scenting ability of the horse that directed searchers to find the subject?

How about some more information? I'd honestly like to see it, I'm not slammin you here.

You can PM me with specifics if you don't want to post them on the open board.

Ive got horses and dogs and have spent a bit of time around both. There isnt any comparison between the intellect of horses and dogs, dogs have it all over the nags. Why is this so? because grass dosent run away when you decide you want to eat it where as deer, elk, rabbits or buffalo etc. Horses dont need a lot of brain power so nature dosent give it to them.
Sure horses will scent on people as you ride by. They have excellent eye sight and hearing as well.Plus all thse senses are mounted high off the ground. The horse might turn his head and have a look or prick his ears up but hes not going to lead you there time and time again with real reliability like a good dog will.
Horses are good at what they do best, carry and pull heavy loads over long distances.Dont try and reinvent the wheel, if you want to find lost people get a dog.
I can understand that good stock horses will find cattle, thats because they get such a thrill off working them.Whats theyre thrill if finding some lost person? Some other lard ass to sit on their back and lug home?