Aptos Girl Earns Girl Scout's Highest Honor

After being a member of a local Girl Scout Troop for 11 years, Alex Scott received the Gold Scout Gold Award last Friday.

A graduate of York School in Monterey and currently a Freshman at Stanford University, Scott built a built a round pen for training foals at Pregnant Mare Rescue in Watsonville for her Gold Award project -- the highest honor in the Scouts.

She will be honored this Friday, January 4 at a grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony from 3 to 5 p.m. at the sanctuary, celebrated by the Santa Cruz Area Chamber of Commerce. Attendees enjoy refreshments and meet the horses.

Scott, a member of Surf City Troop 11004, started the project in July 2011 with the help of Watsonville’s Pregnant Mare Rescue and completed it in August 2012. 

Pregnant Mare Rescue helps give abandoned horses a new life, but could only accomodate six horses at a time. Often the horses are sent to a slaghterhouse if they have nowhere else to go, said Scott. 

"Only places like Pregnant Mare Rescue can save the horses from these horrible places," said Scott, "and by ensuring all the horses at the rescue are ready for adoption, we make sure they never have to fear slaughterhouses again.”