|
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
|
| |
|
 |
Growing up in Columbia, South Carolina,
Steve Boyles started working with horses at a very young age. That’s
no surprise, given that Boyle’s father sold horses. What is surprising,
though, is that Boyles began his “training” career at the
age of five.
According to Boyles, his job as a young boy was to help gentle his
father’s horses and get them ready to be sold. He was also responsible
for riding the sale horses around the auction ring. Although Boyles’
early days in the saddle were often more hair-raising than heartwarming,
they nonetheless forged his lifelong love of horses and led him to
his passion, working with Mustangs. |
| One of Boyles’ most
rewarding experiences with wild horses has been his work with Wild
Horses in Need (WIN). Spearheaded by Jean Marie Webster, and other
Santa Ynez Valley residents, WIN is an all-volunteer grassroots organization
dedicated to saving hundreds of horses seized in 2003 from a private
ranch in Santa Barbara County. According to a county hearing officer,
the horses had been living in “concentration camp conditions,”
which resulted in malnutrition, illness and even death for nearly
1,000 animals on this 2,000 acre spread. |
|
|
|
Boyles was enlisted by Webster to
help with the massive task of rounding up hundreds of horses so they
could be taken to facilities to receive food, water, medical attention
and care. For nine weeks, seven days a week, 16 hours a day, Boyles
helped round up hundreds of wild horses from the ranch.
He accomplished all of this on foot, carefully herding the wild horses
into barricades and cages by using a plastic bag on a stick and influencing
their movement through what he calls “energy work”. “The
horse doesn’t begin and end with its flesh and coat,” said
Boyles.
“It begins long before that. By pushing your energy out to the
horse, with a certain look or body movement, you can get it to turn
and face you, move forward or back, or step its leg under-all without
touching it. Mustangs taught me that.” |
|
|
Boyles’ approach
resulted in hundreds of wild horses being safely removed from the
property. “Jean Marie wanted it done slow and right,” said
Boyles. “We rounded them up and didn’t have any injuries
whatsoever.” Webster valued Boyles’ skill at handling the
wild horses. “Steve was BLM-approved. He’s an excellent
trainer and has been invaluable to us. He’s calm and that’s
important because these horses were starved and malnourished....they
were virtually walking skeletons.” |
Boyles’ road to WIN began in
the early ‘90s when he attended a Bureau of Land Management Wild
Horse and Burro Adoption at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. He
was immediately captivated by the sight of the mustangs. Even crowded
in their sales pens, the horses struck Boyles as something special.
“I liked the spirit they had,” he said.
Boyles was so taken with these wild horses that he adopted his first
two mustangs at the sale. Since then, he has been committed to rescue
efforts such as WIN and is typically recommended by the BLM to transport
and train wild horses. |
 |
| |
|
| Boyles credits his experiences with
wild horses with enriching his overall understanding of horse behavior.
According to Boyles, getting a mustang to approach a person and allow
itself to be handled takes patience and perseverance, but the rewards
are well worth the effort. “Finding the horse’s aura, his
energy, and blending your energy with his......it’s an amazing
thing once you do it”. |
| |
|
|
|
Boyles’ passion for the mustang’s spirit
has led him a long way from that auction ring in South Carolina.
“I wish I knew then what I know now,” he said. “The
horse is the most majestic animal on the planet. With time and patience,
you can touch his spirit.....and gain his trust and respect.”
|
|
