Teaching a horse to lay down. This is his fourth time to lay down.

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Article by Douglas County Herald 

Sue Curry Reporter

International travelers have discovered a hidden treasure in the Ozark hills of our community –– Bucks & Spurs Guest Ranch. The guest ranch, owned and operated by Cecil and Sonny Huff, has become a destination point for vacationers from around the world, horse enthusiasts interested in gaining hands-on experience at a working ranch.

Lodging at the ranch, guests have the opportunity to participate in day-to-day operations as a part of the vacation adventure. For some, the stay is a serious learning experience, they come to Bucks & Spurs to fine tune their horsemanship skills and gain knowledge on how to train horses using positive reinforcement.

Located approximately 12 miles south of Ava, and offering true Ozark hospitality, Cecil Huff takes the guests under his guidance and demonstrates a technique for working with young horses that builds a bond with the animal, quickly and effectively.

This approach to training young horses is actually why many international guests select Bucks & Spurs Guest Ranch as their vacation destination point.

According to Sonny Huff, her husband has cultivated the training method through hands-on experience and a strong desire to have well-trained, gentle horses at the ranch. She also readily admits that he has gleaned information from other trainers, although most of his approach has transpired and matured naturally.

During a training session, Huff sets out to keep the horse calm, he does not use a whip or raise his voice. He also maintains slow and deliberate body movements while in the corral with the horse. Using a light-weight line attached to the halter, Huff allows the young horse to explore the corral, around and around, for venues of escape. Once the horse discovers flight is not possible, the process of building a relationship between the trainer and young colt begins.

As the young horse is gently led through the steps, Huff constantly watched for signs of communication from the colt, movements showing trust, such as the horse moving toward Huff and away from the fence; the horse dropping his head; chewing at the mouth or licking actions; or movement of the ears. These actions from the young colt were noted as signs of compliance, but Huff's keen awareness to the horse's body movements were key to the success of the session.

Working with this horse from start to finish, Huff spent less than one-hour gaining control of the 2 year-old colt named Reddy. In 49 minutes, the young horse was accepting a bridle, saddle, and a rider on his back for the very first time. A little wary, the colt was compliant to the rider even though stubborn tendencies were exhibited from time to time.

Huff said he has had excellent results with this non-adversarial horse training technique, which has "just evolved over the past eight years." And now, international travelers come to the ranch intent on learning this trust-building method of breaking horses.

In fact, Connie, a visitor from Lake of Zurich, Switzerland, was in awe after witnessing the training session. Visiting the ranch with her daughter, she was excited about learning natural horsemanship methods, and looking forward to using the techniques at home.

Additional guests of the ranch, also observing the session, were from Finland, England, Switzerland, South Chicago, North Chicago, St. Louis, and Kansas City. In August, a group from Denmark will be staying at the ranch.

The young colt, Reddy, was a two-year old fox trotter sired by Cassey's Missouri Traveler, a horse owned by Ralph Hedrick.

According to the Huffs, the guest ranch has been booked all summer, and they have already booked a stay in February 2005 for a gentleman from England, who wants to experience ranch life during the winter season.

The ranch experience is a rare treat for international guests, and a vacation they will most likely talk about for years to come. And, it was obvious this Ozark haven had captured the hearts of several guests, because they were already discussing plans for their next visit.