LAKE SAN ANTONIO ANNUAL QUALIFICATION

October 18-20, 2002

We hope you are planning to attend. Your participation and effort will be greatly appreciated by the Mounted Unit Board, all members and the Sheriff's Department. As you can see from the attached Itinerary and Qualification checklist/requirements, the weekend program has stayed the same as last year, with a few minor changes from the Training Committee. We have elected to eliminate the equitation portion from the line-up.

The Board and Training Committee felt this would allow more time to be focused on qualification and sensory issues. For all members interested in. participating, in equitation training, the Training Committee is already planning an entire day devoted to equitation (with a professional trainer).

In regards to our sensory training. Captain Jim Barrett from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department will be here again. Captain Barrett did a fantastic job with the sensory training/qualification, portion. of the.weekend last year. If you have any items/props that may be good for horse sensitization, please bring any and all. Items such as foam swimming noodles., cavaletti's, tarps, "orange" type safety-cones, child strollers, backpacks, empty gallon milk containers (small rocks inside), and trash bags. If you have something that spooks your horse, chances are it will spook other horses..bring..it!!

Everyone is strongly encouraged to participate on all three days. Friday evening's events, as well as Sunday morning's "mock search" are just as important as. Saturday's Qualification. Remember, we are still a Mounted Search Unit and capable of getting a "call-out" at any time. Sunday's mock search, will present members with. dealing with the Incident Command System, asking the I/C pertinent questions and setting-up the actual search for mounted riders. We will have actual "live bodies" either lost or injured in the general area of the Los Robles Equestrian Trail of Lake San Antonio. This search will be similar to the August 24th training, but on a larger scale

Lake San Antonio's North Shore Horse World has graciously been made available free of charge-(saves-the-MU $300.00) to us by Monterey County Parks. If anyone has a question about the Horse World Facility, please fell free to call Ron Willis at home (see home telephone number in Mounted Unit Handout or e-mail) Please do not call or contact the County Parks Staff with any questions regarding qualification weekend. Ron is our unit liaison with the Park's Staff.

Horse World-facilities include a commercial kitchen-with walk-in cooler, restrooms with showers, picnic area and a few permanent corrals outside the arena. Please bring portable corrals (electric fence) or be prepared to tie up or "highline" between, trailers. There, are very few trees at the facility and the Park Staff discourages tying to any of them. As you will see on the itinerary, Friday night is a potluck and Saturday night is a BBQ.

The Training Committee