Success Story

Quest and Rio: In August 2015, DEFHR received a call from the Humane Society of Washington County (HSWC) to help rescue two stallions that were locked in dark stalls, standing in three to four feet of manure. The horses' hooves were over 3' long and curled like corkscrews. This was the worst case of hoof neglect DEFHR had seen. In order to safely load the two stallions onto a trailer to be transported to DEFHR, they had to be sedated to enable the vet and farrier to cut off a portion of their hooves. After the trimming, the horses were brought to DEFHR for critical care. Newly named Quest, the larger stallion, and Rio, a miniature stallion, were settled into large comfortable stalls with windows to allow them to see light and call to other horses once again. After 3 months, Quest and Rio have improved dramatically. They make us smile on a daily basis and they have very distinct personalities: Rio is a bit reserved and shy, and will take to hiding in his stall if there's too much activity going on around him. Quest is in constant motion, watching for opportunities to make an equine friend. He is the extrovert and can be heard all over the farm calling to the other horses. Both boys love meal time. Rio is very vocal when he feels he should be fed and Quest was not okay with the fact the Rio was being fed more often than he was, so adjustments were made in his feed schedule to accommodate his demands. They are such characters!