PasoVoice.Com :: Rescue Paso Horses

Marleen Robinson

Admin can take this new post down anytime time they feel the need to.

I would like to know, how many, how, advise, anything you can personally share about how you, or someone you know has helped a Paso that was in trouble. Many of us have done it. Some are successes, some, I'm sure are not. I am not asking for names, pictures, or any personal info to be given out. I just want people who have a kind heart to know what to expect, before they get into this, sometimes very demanding, and at times very costly task.
I know there are very manyof you out there, just like myself, who do not want to be heroes. I think that sharing our experiences, good and or bad, may help future rescuers into the right direction.
I don't think this should be exclusively for Paso Horses, but I believe any information on dealing with weight concerns, abuse, etc. can be informative to all of us. With the 'horsesmarket' as it is now, let's try to help where and when we can.

Kerry W · Site Admin

Good idea Marleen! I think this breed in particular, may need some extra special care to establish trust, if they've been put in certain situations. Not to mention diet issues, if they need to add or lose weight in a safe manner.

Marleen Robinson

Thanks for your reply, Kerry. I really do believe this is an issue that should be discussed further. So many horses, including Pasos, are being sold for next to nothing, or being given away, or just plain abandoned. It is scary! Some kind hearted folk out there see a skinny critter, take it in, and the first thing they want to do is feed massive amounts, to 'make it feel better'. Human nature, but deadly to a horse, dog or cat!
I am by no means an expert of any kind, but I have had my share of rescued critters of all kinds. I just think that if we get our stories out there, it may help some people get a better understanding of the situations they may be getting themselves into.
I will be telling my own stories here soon.

caliber · Site Admin

Great! Marleen! great points!

britzlove

I have a rescued paso, thereabouts. Not really a rescue, but one I pulled out of the trader swap pipeline.

I also have independently rescued horses for years, and have rehabbed more than I can count for others. I also have 4 mares I would call underpriviledged, in that they were not benefit to much handling or maintenence for a long while, pasos.

I can tell you that out of 5 of them, they run the gambit for what is required for rehab. All of them though, take a great deal more than stock horses or warmblood type/TB horses and drafts. Pasos are special and unique, and you are right, it takes the right person to be able to pull it off. Even speaking of myself, I cannot clone myself, so the project of taking on several at once, has taken even longer than I expected, and still is a long way off from being complete.

I'll post some more here, I really need to find the camera.

Hacienda Radiante

I have one, kinda. Stopped by a roadside sale last weekend (the lady had kind of cool chairs for sale, weren't my taste on closer inspection). She mentioned that she had horses, so the conversation progressed the way it usually does. When she found out we had pasos she just lit up. Apparently a few months back she had taken in a horse from another farm where the renters had moved and abandoned it. She thought it might be a Paso, could we take a look and tell her if it was, because she didn't know how to care for one. So we trundle up the road to her house. She does TB rescue work, so the yard was full of elderly (as in 30 YO) TBs. Mostly bony, the way old TBs tend to get. In the middle was this FAT palomino mare. We played with her for about 20 mins and were convinced that she was a Paso. Huge largo, lots of extension, big beautiful butt. The woman said she had ridden her once or twice and she was very smooth. Gave the new owner instructions on how to cut down the mares weight (she'd been feeding her like a TB and couldn't understand why she was putting weight on so fast) and the information on the PFHA genetic testing program. As the woman put it 'I feel like I'll be giving her life back to her if I can find out who she is.' She's pretty close to our house, so I'm planning on stopping back to see how things progress. It was just serendipity that we happened to stop and happened to start talking about horses.

So... 'rescue by proxy' I guess! Laughing

caliber · Site Admin

wow! what a great story! thanks for sharing! I am sure you returned her life back!

Any feeding suggestions on Paso rescues?

Saludos!