WOODBURY- NHS’ agriscience has forever prided itself on educating students with the skills necessary to take on the world outside of campus. From engineering to veterinary medicine, working hands-on with the equipment and animals on campus is what makes Woodbury FFA a nationally recognized program. The program’s efforts to create a community organization that doesn’t just allow students to work alongside animals but empathize with them is something that’s especially powerful.
For nearly two decades, NHS agriscience students have worked with an animal that embodies the program’s beliefs and values when it comes to caring for animals in need. “Scottie”, the program’s adopted Dutch Warmblood horse, has been a program cornerstone for years.
For those visiting Scottie and seeing students work with him, one attribute is especially evident. As a young horse, Scottie was diagnosed with a rare eye infection that resulted in having the eye removed.
Today, Scottie is a healthy member of the equestrian program, though he does face a series of restrictions due to his disability. For example, students can only use him for lunging exercises facing one direction and classes are always aware of startling the 25-year old horse.
Scottie’s arrival to campus in itself is an inspiration to equestrian students.
“Scottie was a rescue foster and then we decided to keep him here,” said Marissa Bedron, the horse management teacher in the agriscience program and has seen Scottie’s impact on students first-hand following his arrival. “The Fairfield vet decided it was best to just remove [the infected eye].”
For some students, meeting Scottie for the first time wasn’t exactly what they expected, but more came to mind than his looks.
“When I first met Scottie my freshman year, I was impressed with his height and also movement,” says Caitlin Johnson, a senior in the horse management class. “I never felt intimidated by the fact that he only had one eye, but rather sympathetic.”
“My favorite thing about Scottie is his missing eye, it gives him an almost uncomfortable background that most people are unsure of,” says Chase Knapp, a junior in the horse management class. “But his eye also gives him so much personality, and funky characteristics.”
There’s more to Scottie than his missing eye, he has many great characteristics that lead to some unforgettable memories with one of campus’ most celebrated animals.
“My favorite memory would be lunging him,” says Pyper Dillaine, a senior in the horse management class who practiced lunging Scottie, an activity designed to keep horses active and fit. “He is a beautiful, big mover and it is amazing to watch him go around.”
Similar to Dillaine and Johnson, Keira Zupan, a junior in the horse management class, is also in awe of Scottie’s abilities and movement considering some of his obvious limitations.
“My favorite thing about Scottie is his size and the way he moves when he’s trotting. He’s just a good looking horse,” says Zupan. “My favorite memory with him is when he decided to smash his head into me, always having fun times with that horse.”
Regardless of activity, students have enjoyed their time with Scottie.
“My favorite memory with Scottie is when my sophomore year, we hand-walked and trotted the horses over ground poles. This was when their current pasture area was just an arena,” says Johnson.
Scottie is loved by many despite his differences. He brings a lot to the horse management class such as compassion, knowledge, and empathy. He’ll continue to help ag students learn these skills and volunteer his time to students for the rest of his life at Nonnewaug.
