Doma India

Oscar Scarpati Schmid is a great horseman from Argentina. He trains in the ways of the Native South Americans from his country. Because he does not speak English, few people know of him, but Rick Lamb wrote about him in Revolutions in Natural Horsemanship after he met him at the Brazilian Horse Congress. Oscar astounded and confounded Lamb and Lamb wrote of Oscar in his book, but not by name.

My friend Antonio Castro, of Portugal, also met Oscar at that point in time. Equally astounded, but with total dedication to his personal horsetraining education, Antonio went back to South America and spent a month with Oscar, then toured with Oscar when Oscar put on some demonstrations in Spain.

Antonio and I exchange horsetraining stuff, so he sent me Oscar's DVD, which unfortunately was in European format and so could only be watched on a computer or an x-box. Oscar chooses to ride in the peasant style of the indigenous peoples of his country. He trains barefoot. His riding looks a little bit crude, but his horses are so willing and yet docile that it's hard to fathom.

Antonio is trying promote a match between Oscar and any American horse trainer in the style of "The Road to the Horse". I ran into Rick Lamb at Clinton Anderson's Down Under Horsemanship tour and told him I wanted to talk to him about Oscar Scarpati Schmid. Lamb looked surprised that I knew his name. I asked him if what Antonio wanted to do was possible... Lamb said the participants for The Road to the Horse are chosen by their ability to draw a crowd, something that Oscar couldn't do no matter what kind of horseman he is. I told Rick I had Oscar's DVD and he was keenly interested. I asked him to see if he could try and get it on his new TV show, but he looked doubtful about that. The cost of interviewing Oscar would be prohibitive. He wanted to see the DVD, so I said I would loan it to him.

I doubt that I will ever get it back since Rick is a busy guy, too busy to remember to send it back. I have a feeling that if I want to learn something about Oscar's methods, I will have to go to Argentina.

Doma India (Indian Style)

The Hinny Whisperer approves of Oscar Scarpati Schmid for:
• teaching deep trust,
• for making a show of support for the traditions of indigenous peoples; and
• dedicating himself to a true revolution in horsemanship.