10/06/2021
Regalo came in July, 2019. Here is his story:
Destined to be put down, not once, but twice, that is the beginning of Regalo’s story before he came to Mustangs and MOHR.
We will never know the trauma that Regalo experienced before he ended up as a 3-year-old stud at the feedlot, to be eventually sold to meat buyers.
He was bought out of the feedlot by folks that saw his potential and landed in a nice place in Central Oregon. The owners tried for several years to help him through his troubles, but the layers were deep. After going through trainer after trainer they were told he was too dangerous, so it was decided to put him down before he hurt someone or himself. In his case, he would check out mentally when saddled and run through whatever was in front of him, and that is a very dangerous place to be for both the horse and human.
The owners reached out to a mutual friend to help them put him down gracefully. With heavy hearts, they trailered him to the valley and dropped him off.
We got the call from a mutual friend, Joy, from Harmony New Beginnings, to help her assess a horse that had been dropped off to be put down. His name was Charlie, and he was an Andalusian cross. He had a kind, but worried eye and was able follow a few simple exercises on the ground. It became apparent that he had trouble with “changing eyes” from side to side which is why saddling was so hard for him. We wanted to try to help him through this but had a full barn, so Joy kept him for several months, doing the vet work and getting him ready to come to Mustangs and MOHR.
The first thing we did was change his name. Starting over and leaving the past behind is a big deal. He became Regalo. Working with him was both a joy and a disappointment. His eagerness to try was apparent, but his struggles were real and deep. Starting slow and methodical we helped him on the surface, but we could see he needed more help than we could give him. We called someone who we trusted completely, but he was in the Southwest. We all felt the investment with Regalo was worth the time and financial resources. He spent more than 5 months with Gary Bailey who finally was able to work with him to get his mind and make him a safe riding horse. Seeing Gary ride him was such a joy to watch and hearts were full of excitement and gratitude. No words could describe what its like riding this horse that once was so fearful and now very trusting.
Now he is home. Home forever with Debbie. Looking forward to the hours spent together growing in understanding and trust. Does he still worry sometimes? Yes, but now we have the foundation started and the tools in place to build on. The hardest part is behind us, the building on the foundation, brick by brick is in his future. Looking forward to a partnership built on trust and understanding as we travel the journey into the future together.
It took a team of many, many people to help Regalo. The people that donated to get him out of the feedlot, Joy for calling MOHR for a 2nd opinion, the people that have donated to Mustangs and MOHR to care for him and financially assist in his training. Without all these people his future would have been very different. We can’t change the world, but, we can help change the life of one horse at a time.
Photo credit: Susan Ragan
