By Sandra L. Lee
The Lewiston Tribune
LEWISTON, Idaho — When Betty Barnes joined the Nez Perce County Mounted Sheriff’s Posse four years ago, it was historic, and to some, devastating.
A few people left the posse over a woman being allowed to join, Barnes conceded Tuesday.
“It’s been an adjustment I think for some of the members, but it’s been good.”
Initially, she said: “I think it was just change. Not everybody likes change. It’s just always been an all-men organization.”
Now there are not only a total of four women posse members, but Barnes has been elected chief of the 51-year-old organization.
She was named top hand, the equivalent of a board member, two years ago and was asked to be foreman, similar to vice president, last year but didn’t have time, Barnes said. This year, she is leaving the Winter Spirit board after 10 years and can devote the time necessary for the job.
She and the other members of the three volunteer search and rescue organizations -- mounted, air and all-terrain vehicle posses -- will be sworn in at noon Jan. 12 at the new county jail in North Lewiston by Sheriff Dale Buttrey.
From that point, she will be the posse’s main contact with the sheriff’s office and work with the other officers on training exercises and community activities that range from parades to the annual Operation Challenge in May, a riding day for handicapped children and adults.
The organization has a ride for members each spring and also conducts mock searches to be prepared in case they are called out, Barnes said. One last summer was in coordination with the ATV posse. Sometimes a team approach is needed, because ATVs are good for covering a lot of country, but it takes horses to get into steep, brushy areas where the trails are too narrow for machines.
Members have been called on to transport animals being taken into custody because of concerns over their care, but that hasn’t happened this winter, she said.
“I’m really surprised that we haven’t had a call to do that.”
The last actual emergency call-out was soon after she joined, but it was canceled before the group was fully mobilized, she said.
Barnes, 48, is chief loan officer at a credit union in Lewiston. She is active in the community and got her first horse when she was 10.
She rides almost every weekend, frequently in the Craig Mountain area to familiarize herself with the terrain “because more than likely that’s where we’ll end up getting called to.”
Her husband, Tom Barnes, rides with her occasionally, and sometimes she rides with a friend who dates back to their years growing up on Asotin Creek.
She’s active in the local chapter of Backcountry Horsemen and was in the Asotin County Fair Royalty while in high school in Asotin.
The couple lives on 17 acres on the edge of Lewiston with their two horses, two dogs, two guineas and several chickens.
The mounted posse has about 30 members, some of whom have reached lifetime status and don’t ride as much as they once did, Barnes said. Members have to have access to their own animal and horse trailer, pass a background check and provide their own gear, including the hats, shirts and chaps for ceremonial occasions. They also have to pass a riding test to show their proficiency in the saddle.
“And we’re always looking for new members,” Barnes said.
Copyright 2009 The Lewiston Tribune