Touch Minded and Committed Dedication Building Winnes
By Ingrid Edisen © 2006
Lifelong trainer Scott Willett with over forty years of saddle time under his belt is based at Double Spear
Stables in New Braunfels, TX. Randy and Carol Nunez own the budding three-year-old facility.
Willett primarily specializes in Quarter horses and trains, shows and coaches events such as Western
pleasure, Working Hunter, Hunt Seat Equitation, and Western Horsemanship. Several of his clients have won entire
scholarships to colleges and various top titles.
He is a no nonsense type fellow—wiry, with well-muscled hands. Having grown up with a father who loved
horses and was in the Air Force allowed Willett to learn from places all over the world. During WWII, before his son
was born, Willett’s father rode polo ponies in places like New Guinea and Singapore.
“Horses were always there,” Willett said about his life. Born in Wiesbaden, Germany, Willett later spent his
childhood in Florida and remembers his first riding teacher as Pat Barrientos. He rode hunters back then. When he
turned thirteen his parents bought him Super Spoof, an Interstate Cutting Champion—a horse that did it all—reining,
cutting, etc. He’s been in the horse business all his life.
As an instructor, he keeps an even keel and uses different words to say the same thing if a student doesn’t
quite get a particular concept. “I might use different adverbs and adjectives until it finally clicks.”
With a student who is fairly new to riding he might put that person on a really broke horse and work them in
the round pen on a lunge line until the person finds their balance and seat, he said. A new client who brings him a
horse to work with is usually advised that Willett would like a month of working with the horse during which time the
client may come observe and after that Willett will work with the mounted pair. Willett prefers students “that are
driven, that love the sport for the sport and because of the horse, and that they try to do their best. It’s not just about
going and showing,” he said. “It takes being tough minded and being committed. You’ve got to be methodical and
have a work ethic.” Many of his clients work with him side-by-side three to four times a week. While Willett rides
another horse, he observes them on their horses, offering constructive comments as everybody schools. He is careful
not to have a horse peak too early either, saving its brilliance and spot on attentiveness for the show ring.
You don’t want to have a horse do everything perfectly on Wednesday when you really need him to show
later in the week on Saturday, Willett said. It is an art to keep the horses “interested and happy. You keep them
wanting to work without stressing them out.”
The one big difference between Willett and his clients is that he works twelve hours a day at this, and
currently has eighteen horses in training.
On the horse business in general Willett said, “it’s huge--big business. The horses are becoming more
expensive but there’s still room for anybody to get in.” He likes the structure of the top shows that give a more definite
time frame during which a pair is expected in the show ring since it allows him to plan better warm ups. He considers
mentors such as John Hoyt, Nancy Cahill, Joe Farrin, and Chuba Vedlick to be influences. Vedlick was a Hungarian
gold medallist.
Scott’s favorite horse book is The Noble Horse. He only owns one horse himself, which was a 16th birthday
present for his daughter, Taylor. “George” has a home with the Willetts for the rest of his life.
Some of the notable clients that have come through his barn are folks like Amy Scott who won a full
scholarship to Oklahoma State University via her horsemanship. Leigh Newton Slaughter was eleven when she started
with Willett and still rides with him as a twenty-five year old. Tonya Soans won the scholarship at the San Antonio
Stock Show Quarter Horse Show while under his tutelage. Summer Morgan also rode with him and won a scholarship
at the San Antonio Stock Show Quarter Horse Show. Patricia Stone is one of his select riders who shows Vail Two
Eyed Dude. Betsy Barton is a notable contender as is Faith Newton, Leigh’s mother, who shows It’s Czech Out Time.
Needless to say, client Kristi Albin was thrilled to have Willett take her $650 Appaloosa Noble Silver Star and
transform it into a $20,000 sale horse that won two reserve national championships and world championships and is
now being campaigned in Florida. “That was a special horse,” Willett noted.
While I visited Double Spear Stables, I got to see Willett ride a mare who was new to the barn for some
women who wanted to photograph her under saddle. Willett’s seat was so quiet, balanced and light that it was totally
understandable why a horse would perform its best under him. There was absolutely no tension and it seemed that his
body was merely an extension of the horse’s own, as if his pelvis fit the horse’s back like a glove. I’ve seen the French
great Phillipe Karl ride like that and Texas’ own, Francine Dismukes, an Arab trainer out of Luling. Or Daniel Bedoya
of Austin who’d won seven Bolivian national titles when I watched him one morning as he rode a large school horse
over a triple. Willett had the same fine finesse of balance. It did not matter what gait the mare performed. Willett
remained with her, soft but not floppy. There were no blunders in his balance. His innate and much experienced sense
kept him so aligned that he did not err even a fraction of an inch with any segment of his body. This allowed the mare
to concentrate on her work. Naturally I was jealous. Naturally I wanted to have a body transplant. But then again, I’m
not the one riding six days a week, more than fulltime, having paid my dues and following my dream.
Scott Willett can be reached at (830)708-3367.
Randy Nunez, owner of Double Spear Stables along with his wife, Carol, described the physical pluses of the
facility that Scott Willet uses as a home base these days. The barn has been up and running for over three years now.
Its New Braunfels location is ideal as it is just 20 minutes from San Antonio and approximately 40 minutes from
Austin. Board is $400/month for full stall care and $325/month for paddock/outdoor care. Twice-a-day feedings of
hay as well as grain are included. Shoeing and worming services are also available, if the owner so desires. Originally,
Nunez pursued the barn operation dream because his son, Ryan, rides and trains roping horses. Now the business has
taken off and Ryan, a former University of Texas football player, manages the boarding end.
Double Spear Stables is located on a quiet 70 acres and sports a 2,000 foot paved air strip long enough to land
a Cessna plus a 4,000 square foot airplane hanger. The huge, airy barn has 40 stalls, high ceilings, fans, automatic
watering and fly spray system and an indoor arena for bad weather days. There are two additional outdoor arenas.
One, 180 x 330 foot large, is designed for full-scale commercial events, It will be fully operational within a few
months. Ryan has done much of the work on it for over the past two years. The other arena is a 100 x 200 foot lighted
working arena that Scott and the Double Spear boarders use for general purposes and jumping. Nunez explained that
the Stables uses the services of Drs. Martin and Ball of the Retama Vet Clinic. Additionally, they feed a great
commercial grain mix called Barry’s Mix. So far, despite the fact they normally have 40-50 head on the property at
any one time, they’ve had only one case of colic in three years. And in that case it was a very older horse we had,
Nunez observed.
Double Spear Stables is open for additional boarders and is currently shopping for an additional trainer who
might need up to a twenty-stall facility.
Double Spear Stables can be reached at (830) 708-3482; 3220 Rolling Oaks Drive, New Braunfels, TX
78132. The website is www.doublespearstables.com.