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Archives for February 2021

The Sand Pounders

February 14, 2021 by Horse Tales Nevada 2 Comments

By Kim Harris

The-Sand-PoundersAs a youngster in the 1970s, I recall my granddad speaking of individuals he told to “go pound sand!” Well, even I understood it to mean “Get Lost!” Then a few months ago, a friend of mine asked me what I knew about the history of the “Sand Pounders”? Me, I wondered if these individuals were famous for being interlopers and annoying? So, naturally I was intrigued and I had to find out more about these notorious “pounders of sand”.

Imagine my surprise to find this was a little-known military maneuver which took place all along the U.S. coastline, as well as where my own father grew up – on the Pacific Coast in the state of Oregon … and it had to do with horses! During WWII there was understandable concern amongst Americans regarding their coast lines. Beach patrols became increasingly important as they upheld three important functions: they looked out for suspicious ships, they reported and prevented any enemy landings, and stopped communications between ships and people on shore. In 1942, in Florida and New York, two Nazi saboteur teams were discovered being put ashore by German U-boats. Off the Oregon Coast, the enemy was already active sinking merchant ships, shelling Fort Stevens and trying to start forest fires with bombs! Oregonians feared what could happen if a submarine quietly slipped into one of their tiny inlets and sent a few dozen Japanese soldiers ashore. The threat was answered when the U.S. Coast Guard launched the Coast Guard Beach Patrol – which quickly became known as the “Sand Pounders.”

The Sand Pounders patrol was staffed with recruits drawn from both the Midwest and from east of the Cascades which was horse country. Anyone who has ever strolled an empty beach knows, walking isn’t an easy or fast way to cover distance. Then add a 35-pound “portable” radio transmitter that was state-of-theart at that time. Amounted patrol seemed the only viable option. The horses came from the U.S. Army and Army Remount Service who provided all the riding gear, while the Coast Guard provided the uniforms. The patrol was made up of stunt riders, rodeo riders, jockeys, show jumpers, Army Reserve cavalrymen and any other rider to volunteer. In using horses – equipment, radios, and rifles were more easily carried than by a single person, and horses were much faster at running down a suspect. Mounted patrols worked in pairs and often a dog was included in the team. The dogs wore canvas shoes to protect their paws from oyster shells on the beach. Throughout the early war years, the “Sand pounders” carried .38 revolvers and Reising M50 submachine guns.

They were mounted (one with a backpack radio transmitter) and made their way along the beach during every kind of weather the Oregon Coast would produce, ever on the look-out for Japanese submarines. They initially had only the authority to report suspicious occurrences. However, by late summer in 1943, the governors of Oregon and Washington issued a proclamation giving them full lawenforcement authority. Although Sand Pounders did not experience combat action, their job was still very dangerous. They could be swept out to sea if they became too close while rounding one of the capes or outcroppings; patrolmen were frequently soaked up to the bridle in spray from the waves. The horses themselves could be unpredictable.The-Sand-Pounders

One patrolman was thrown from his horse when he was riding near the Southern Pacific railroad track and the passing engine fired up its boiler burner, startling the horse – which threw the rider and galloped off into the night. A declassified report read: “Despite the many difficulties encountered and overcome, the morale of the men was universally high…Where horses and dogs were used, consideration of the animals was often more important than the comfort of the men. Upon them, as much as upon the welfare of the handlers, depended the sustained vigilance of the patrols…The methodical tramp of weary feet plodding their beats back and forth, amid fair weather and foul, stood as a constant reminder that the military duties on the home front are often as essential to victory as the more exciting activities to the far-flung battle line.” And in early 1944, as it became obvious that Japanese invasion was no longer a threat, the beach patrols were cut back drastically. Young patrolmen were sent off to combat duty to help the Navy deliver the D-Day invasion force.

At the Tillamook Fairgrounds, 49 of the horses were sold for an average of $117 each. The dogs were often kept by the Coast Guard to be used for sentry duty. And when the war ended, so did the Beach Patrol. Now, you may be thinking to yourself the Sand Pounders were not really a success. I think they were. I realize they never caught an invasion or infiltration force. Had one be dispatched, I believe they would have. They also had a profound effect on morale. The nervous Oregonians felt a lot safer with them on patrol. And there’s this… perhaps after the German U-boats were discovered on the east coast, causing the Beach Patrol to be organized in the first place, the enemies then knew that the Americans were ready for them and no sneak attack or infiltration of enemy spies would make it past our country’s shoreline. The Sand Pounders never saw a single enemy combatant. That’s fortunate for them too, because they were never meant to be a combatant force. I think that in itself is what made them very much a success!

Kim Harris Western History ALIVE!

The-Sand-Pounders

Filed Under: Horse Tales Blog

Fear Not!

February 14, 2021 by Horse Tales Nevada Leave a Comment

By Kim Chappell

Fear-NotOne of the scariest things for kids is when they fall off the horse. And rightfully so. Sometimes the fall is a plop to the ground, a slide off the saddle, a bit of a launching in the air, or some dramatic aerial where the kids actually land on their feet. And, then of course there are the more serious ones where injury occurs. While I have seen all of the above, it is a shaky moment for any student regardless of the type of fall. We have all heard that you have to get back in the saddle. This is true. But beyond just getting back in the saddle there are some steps the rider has to take to regain their confidence.

Inevitably when the student does get back in the saddle they are still experiencing some level of fear. This is natural. What else is natural, is the fact that the horse is picking up on that fear and in turn responding to it on some level; potentially making matters worse. It is a cycle that looks something like this: the student falls and is apprehensive about getting back in the saddle but does it; the horse senses a change in the rider and responds to the riders internal anxiety in one way or another; the student reacts to the horse by grabbing a tighter hold of the reins as that ball of anxious energy inside the student is transferred to the horse; thus making the horse a little nuttier; and the cycle continues. That is, until the student learns how to control the fear while regaining their confidence.

Again, it is not enough to say get back in the saddle. There is more to deal with here. And once dealt with properly the student has the potential to become a far better rider than they were before the fall. Once the first fall occurs several things can happen. The student will quit riding or make excuses why she can no longer ride; the student becomes a reluctant rider where fear becomes her constant riding partner; or she becomes a better rider because she has committed to moving beyond the fear by taking the necessary steps to do so. In my experiences the kids I work with choose to commit to carry on in a confident manner.

Recently, a student of mine, Dani, (11) had her first fall and off of her favorite horse Skid. She and I had talked about Skid previously and I reminded her that she had to remain alert and confident because although Skid is a very good horse, she also needs to know that the rider is a capable leader and one she can trust. To which Dani responded with the typical kid “yesses” while reminding me how much she loved Skid and how cute she was.

As it happened Dani was happily going around the arena when a big snow truck drove by. As Dani moved her horse to the center of the arena she (Dani) began to panic at the site of the truck. This in turn caused Skid to spook a bit and pick up a lope. This startled Dani who in turn abruptly yanked on her reins causing Skid to crow hop and ultimately pop Dani out of the saddle and onto the ground! While the fall wasn’t bad the feeling that lingered after the fall was what she struggled with most. Her confident ride changed to a very apprehensive ride. It is not enough to say “suck it up”, “cowboy up” and all of that business; but rather it is key to teach the student how to meet fear head on and work through it in an effort to move beyond it. It is foolish to assume that just
because the student is in the saddle that the problem is solved. It is not. As was evident when Dani got back in the saddle. But rather than give up or settle for riding with fear, Dani did a brilliant Fear-Notjob in identifying her feelings as she began her ride. The following are the steps Dani took to regain her confidence. 1) Know what you’re dealing with. In this case the thought of getting back on the horse and riding created instant anxiety. 2) Know how to handle the anxiety. She learned to take deep breaths in and big blowing breaths out, which reduced her internal anxiety as evidenced when Skid dropped her head. 3) Know why you are getting back in the saddle. Dani knew that quitting was never an option because of her love for riding and in particular her love of Skid. This “why” outweighed any fear. 4) Know that there is always help. With solid coaching Dani was able to move through her experience. In fact her ride for the rest of the morning was some of the best riding I have seen Dani do. 5) Know that between now and the next ride, you may experience some anxiety. This is normal. By letting students know this is normal, they instantly feel better.

With these tools in hand Dani was not only able to regain her confidence that morning but she now has some tools which will aide her in upcoming rides. “I learned I needed to roll with it when Skid began to lope verses panicking. Accepting the fact that much of the problem was rider error, I learned how not to panic, how to take deep breaths, and when to whoa my horse when I need to regroup. Quitting is not an option and Miss Kim was very helpful because she didn’t get emotional when I fell off. She just helped me without any drama. That helped me regain my confidence. After she knew I was ok she made me laugh which is always a good thing.” (Dani, age 11). Unfortunately fear has a way of setting up shop inside of us if we let it. Whether it is riding or something else in life, it is important to face fear head on verses letting it take center stage in your life.

Kim Chappell, M.Ed., Instructor and Equine-Facilitated Life Coach. For further information on programs, riding programs, and Equine-facilitated life coaching, you can contact Kim at  kkc827@aol.com or go to www.chappellranchllc.com

Filed Under: Horse Tales Blog

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