Testimonials
Sylvia Scott Is One of the Best Teachers I Have Ever Had! Sylvia Scott is one of the best teachers I have ever had! She knows how to bring out the best in horses and people. To improve my own training skills, I set out to purchase a really messed up horse. Well, I didn't have to look long nor far but I found a six-year-old mustang captured in Nevada that had been in captivity for four years. Basically, however, this mustang was simply a pasture ornament. You couldn't get near him without feed in your hands. When I had asked about how much handling the mustang previously had, the owner told me that he had managed to get close enough to touch his right foot, but that was it. Well, I paid them the little they were asking and left my stock trailer there so they could catch him. Little did I know that it would take two days just to catch this wild guy! For a mustang, this guy was big....better than 15 hands, and long. He was about as wildly feral as horses come! I'm very much ashamed now of what we did to get this mustang loaded for the first time, but let's just say it was a really bad experience for everyone involved, especially the mustang. Before loading, the mustang managed to destroy a brand new nylon halter. He actually sheared the metal buckles! It was then that I got this sinking feeling in my stomach while asking myself, "Are you sure you really want to do this?" When we got the mustang to my place, we turned him loose into my round pen. By the next morning, the mustang had managed to rub himself raw trying to get his halter off. He was actually bleeding under his chin. Truthfully, I was really not comfortable taking his halter off because if he escaped I knew I would not have a chance of catching him. I called on Sylvia and asked for some advice. After giving me a good lecture on sound Natural Horsemanship principles, she then managed to convince me that getting that halter off was the first thing I needed to accomplish, because you don't want the mustang to associate haltering with pain. Well, after listening to her advice I decided that I would just go take his halter off. Though Sylvia had prewarned me that this was a bigger issue than it probably sounded like, little did I know that just taking the halter off would take over an hour. He wouldn't let me get near him. When I finally got near him, I grabbed the halter and held on until he got still. I managed to do a lot of stroking until I could get my hand near the buckle. I started to unbuckle the halter and he just bolted off. We did this a few times until finally...the halter was off. I just stood there looking at his wounds. You could even see old halter marks where he had been wearing a halter for months. I wasn't sure what this poor guy had been through in the past. I only knew that I had just put him through a very traumatic experience simply getting him loaded on a trailer. I promised him and myself that we wouldn't go that route anymore. Truthfully, from all I've learned in this process via Sylvia's help, I now know there is a better, more humane way. Little did I know how far and how fast the Natural Horsemanship principles and techniques would work with a feral horse. In just a few weeks time we were actually riding! Sylvia coached me through this entire training process step by step. And when I say coach I mean COACH. A good coach praises you lavishly when you get it right and is not afraid to tell you kindly when you are doing it all wrong. Several times Sylvia would remind me kindly but insistingly, "Chris, that's too A to N an approach, and sooooooo not Natural Horsemanship!" I was always up front and honest with Sylvia even when I knew she might not be happy with me. Sylvia was coaching me via e-mail, telephone and from videos I sent her, and I knew that she couldn't help me unless I was up front and honest with her at all times. You know, I just have to say how truly grateful I am to Sylvia, for all her coaching and assistance. You don't often find people out there willing to mentor others as she has for me. It really helps to have someone encouraging you from the sidelines and saying you can do this! Thanks, Sylvia, for having immense patience with me and helping me find patience and empathy for this mustang and all horses now. Without your help, there is no way we would have come this far this soon! |
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