What in the world is a scent detection horse? Scent hounds are a common sight in search and rescue efforts and in contraband detection. German Shepherds locate illicit drugs, Bloodhounds search for lost persons, and Labradors sniff airport luggage, but can a horse do the same job?
Horses serve mankind in many capacities including the ponies recently involved in seeing eye work, so why have we questioned their ability to do scent work? Perhaps it's because we have not realized that the only traits necessary, according to Terry Nowacki, are natural scenting instincts, play and prey traits, trainability, drive and incentive. Catching a scent on the wind as well as on the ground is a natural ability for the horse. In the wild, in order to survive, they must be able to pick up the scent of water sources and food, and detect the scent of danger, up to a quarter mile away.
Mr. Nowacki, who has also trained dogs for scent detection, has trained the first known narcotic scent detection horse, cadaver scent detection horse, and certified air scent detection horse. Using his 25 plus years experience observing mustangs and studying equine body language, the Minnesota farmer and founding member of the sheriff's mounted posse, has trained horses for search and rescue, cadaver search, and drug detection since 2001. His training with the horse begins as simply a game with plenty of positive reinforcement. He compares his training to playing hide and seek with a three year old. An advantage of a scent horse is that, due to its natural ability, it can learn scent detection in only a few lessons and a matter of months, however, the handler must also learn the silent signals of horse language.
Other advantages of a scent horse are its endurance and ability to catch scents six feet in the air which a dog could miss. However, a dog is better suited to searching in rubble or heavy brush. He admits that horses will never take the place of dogs in searches but can actually complement them.
Storm, Terry's registered quarter horse and scent detection horse, won an individual patrol horse obstacle competition with a perfect score of 180 points. A yearling miniature horse also tested successfully according to K9 cadaver standards. During a real search, Mr. Nowacki rides the horse but when giving a demonstration, he turns the horse loose in a field to search with no help from a rider.
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