Client Testimonials
Read up on the many successes our clients have had through attending our clinics. These are real stories from people who have experienced our methods first hand.
Paddi Sprecher, Devon Alberta
I took 2 horses for very different reasons to the Bar 3A. I feel I need to write 2 testimonials.
Canadian Chinook is a very large 1/2 Arab 1/2 Canadian gelding. Where Sid is very reactive, Chinook is the opposite. Very little gets a reaction out of him.
Chinook would load in a trailer but it would take some doing. He would lock on the brakes as you walked towards the trailer, stand looking into the trailer and then if he felt like it get on the trailer. Rarely did he feel like it often or quickly. He would climb in 1/2 way look around and back out. I always managed to get him to load but not always in a pretty fashion. I have a permanent long line in the trailer just in case. We had all kinds of loading rules for my friends. No one could be in eyesight when I walked him to the trailer. No horses tied to the trailer. No one could talk to him at the trailer. I had to lead him into the trailer. Sometimes he would back out of the trailer (He unloads beautifully) so someone needed to be there to close the door when he got in the trailer. Let me tell you this was getting old. I have just started working him and I did not want this to carry on.
Chinook is stubborn. Really really stubborn. He is more like a mule then a horse. I made the comment to Carol (who recommended Scott) that it would be hours maybe days before he could get Chinook to load on his own. The entertainment value would be there so I packed a lawn chair for the show. If you pick a fight with a Canadian horse it is usually a long battle.
To say I was amazed is an understatement. Scott had Chinook loading by himself in short order. He was loading him from a 20 foot line around his neck in very short time. Scott is kind but firm. The horse knows what is expected of him. I have been loading Chinook a couple times a day for the last 3 days. He only backslid once. Chinook now steps right up and into the trailer by himself. Much safer for me. Thank you Scott for your skill and patience in working with my horses.
My endurance horse LDJ Pressident (Sid) has had a continuing problem with plastic bags. As a 4 year old he had a bad experience. Six years later he is still reacting. Sid is a big, very athletic horse that can react faster then any horse I have ever rode.
Scott spent time discussing how he works with the horse which made me feel very confident in him and his methods. The round pen session went very well with Scott explaining what he was doing and why. I really enjoyed the communication. He allowed Sid to become comfortable with the situation, setting it up for his success. At the end of the session Sid was calm and accepting of the bag anywhere on his body.
Scott was very helpful with what I needed to do at home to continue. He said Sid will backslide a bit but will take less time to come around each time. It took about 1/2 an hour. Sid now stands and lets me rub him all over with a bag. I can shake them on the end of a stick, drag one on the ground and do just about anything I want to. Very good for a horse you couldn’t get within 5 feet with if you had a bag in your hand.
I came away from my day at the Bar 3A with a better understanding of horsemanship. Scotts interactive methods with the owner and horse work much better then just sending a horse to the trainer. Thank you Scott. Sid and I are on our way to a better partnership. I look forward to more days at the Bar 3A.
Laurie Clark, Edson Alberta
I acquired a morgan gelding in July 2001. His feet were in dire need of a good trimming. A farrier came and managed to trim his front feet. The back feet were a different story, however. There was no way that farrier was touching those back feet! Unfortunately, I knew a lot less then than I know now and allowed him to tie his back leg up. As my horse stood there so scared, sweat pouring off his whole body like rain, I thought, “There has to be a better way than this”. Especially since this torture did not even work, and he still could not trim the horse’s back feet.
A month later another fellow came out: same thing. He could trim the front feet but not the back. However, I have much to thank this fellow for, as he was the one who recommended Scott Abeyta. I phoned Scott and explained the situation. He was confident that he could help my horse. He came to my place with his portable round pen and worked with my horse for less than an hour. He then proceeded to trim ALL 4 of his feet as the horse calmly stood there without anyone even holding onto him! Scott accomplished all this without hurting or scaring my horse and the horse has been excellent with his feet ever since. This is just one example of how well the methods used by Scott work. This man definitely has a way with horses.