Rio’s Story

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Rio2
This is Rio… happy in his new home. Rio is getting to be an older boy now and has just the family that he deserves.
But where did Rio come from?

After we became a 501C3, Rio was our first intake horse.
Rio was originally “donated” to another rescue. He had been a show horse and when his rider went off to school, he was donated to what his people thought was a good rescue.
But it wasn’t.
Long story short…Rio and a number of other horses were starved at this place. I believe that the intentions were originally good but things took a turn for the worse…expenses piled up, it was hard to say no and then denial kicked in…… Many horses died at this place…horses were found buried under manure piles, others knee deep in mud, no running water, no hay in the barn, horses were louse infested, various states of starvation….and when authorities were called, horses were hidden, excuses were made.. it went on and on..until finally one day charges were actually filed and something was actually done.
Except some horses were unaccounted for.
Rio was one.
We knew about him…had tried to get him before…but we had no luck.
Then out of the blue, some sanity kicked in to the person hiding him…and we were told to come and get him.
So we did.
A bag of bones, rain rot, very depressed…a sad sight.
We took him to the Jones Farm so he could rehab a while and get on his feet….
Then we took him home to Pony Up.
We had a young volunteer who wanted a horse of her own.
I told her I didn’t think he was the horse for her and suggested another.
No dice.
She had her mind set on Rio.
I had my mind set on another.
I said he was too much horse for her.
She said “let me try”.
I said “let’s do some lessons on the lunge line”.
She said Ok.
Off we went…
I had to eat my words.
he loved her from the start and she loved him.
They took lessons and rode through their challenges…neither gave up.
That girl is now an adult.
She still takes care of him and always will.
That is committment…that is love.

I will always be eternally grateful for this pair.