Judy Hill Nelson, Silver Creek Farms
October 10, 2002, Equine Times
"To ride a horse is to borrow freedom"
She's not Dr. Doolittle. She's not the Horse Whisperer. I refer to her as "the Horse Listener". Nancy Butler is perhaps the best horse communicator that I have ever met. She works from the premise that when you are not getting the results you want from your horse, you are not asking correctly. She says, "You are simply not asking in a way that your horse can understand."
She reiterates that horses do not react on emotions as people do and that they do not do things on a personal level. Instead, they respond to us on instinct. They speak a whole different language, and since we are the ones that have the intellect, we must be the ones to make the effort to be understood.
Nancy Butler, born and raised in Ohio, has lived in Texas for the past twenty-one years. She loves Texas and expresses with a wide smile. "I love the land….. all the dead trees and cactus…… it's real. It just is what it is."
In her youth, she got her first job at age fourteen. At fifteen, she bought her first horse for $300.00. "It was running wild and not broke but I just felt a special connection with him. I broke him bareback and barefoot. I never even put a bit in his mouth. Now I do the same thing but the difference is that I know why I do it," she explains.
She proclaims that what she does with horses is not magic. It is a case of being aware. "It's a true gift from God that I have…. I feel things. I sense things with the horse while they're happening. I have finally realized that what I have is a very special connection with the horse."
Early on, people around Nancy recognized this connection and began to ask her advice regarding their own animals. She would say, "just bring your horse to me and I will have a look at him." Thus, her work with training horse began and she has never looked back. Today, where she really excels is with the young horses, the "babies" as she fondly refers to them. "They do something that touches me, and my life is full because of that."
When asked how she finds her clients, Nancy is quick to reply that she wants her work to be by word of mouth. She takes each new horse in as an individual. And she says that the horse is the one that determines the pace at which she works.
This Strikingly lovely lady with ocean blue eyes, a golden tan and blonde hair (pulled back in a pony tail most of the time) quickly flashes a smile that lights up any room. She declares that she does have another passion, barrel racing. She admits, however it is mostly a hobby… "Something I do when I'm not training little ones."
She loves the speed and control that it takes, both of which she is a master. Thus, her free evenings are filled with flying dirt, mud and barrels. She consistently places with a top score on her favorite horse, Starr.
When asked how and where she sees herself in 10 years, she revealed she does have a plan but doesn't think about it much. She says, "It's just that I feel so complete right now."
Indeed, she should feel complete. Nancy is an accomplished barrel racer, a horse trainer extraordinaire, and a mother of a 28-year-old daughter, whom she raised essentially by herself. She was divorced when her daughter was only 2. Nancy simply took the bit and ran with it, raising her daughter as a single parent. Her daughter currently attends UNT and has maintained a top grade point. One could say that Nancy is, perhaps, a good listener of children as well.
Nancy, likewise, is no average bear. She has been a certified Vet. Tech for over 19 years. She also has her Masters Degree in Metaphysics/Holistic Theology and has completed a self-help book for women entitled, "Awaken Your Butterfly Within", and she is currently writing a Basic Training/Communication book with horses.
Through the wisdom and teachings of this accomplished horsewoman one is able to experience horse training on an entirely different level… an instinctual one. She teaches that horses do not work on an emotional level, they are a conditioned response animal. "Often they do extreme or disruptive things simply because they are confused or scared. If a horse is in a bad mood, something is going on and we need to listen for it. There is a basic instinctive reason behind what they do."
"Be raw and real with them. Leave your emotions and pride at the door." Is her steadfast advice. She says, "Know what you want from your horse then ask it with understanding and knowledge." You must teach the lesson, not force it, is her philosophy. "Remember to only teach one lesson at a time. Ask it slowly and stay consistently correct with great respect." Along with teaching the lesson you will teach and instill trust and confidence. Then you will have the horse of your dreams, which will give you his whole heart and soul even when his isn't up to the challenge just because you ask for it.
Today, Nancy has a teaching motto, which is, "Stay Consistently Correct." She says, "In return you will have a deeper trust, a better understanding and a more satisfying relationship with your horse."
So listen to your horse and if you cannot understand his language, find the lady with the ocean blue eyes and quick smile. She listens and understands.
