Meet Rico

Rico

Arrived 1st January 2007
Passed 11th December 2022

When Rico arrived at our property, he was terribly under-weight; no doubt the shocking condition of his teeth would have contributed to this.

His shoed hooves were in terrible condition. With the removal of the shoes and consistent trimming plus having to fit boots to his hind feet in dry seasons to discourage the wearing away of his toes because of dragging his feet, we have noticed a marked improvement. Initially caring for his hooves was a lethal experience, but now a shear pleasure as he quietly stands with no halter or lead rope.

Over time, with much patience Rico has become a soft gentle horse and much loved by us all.

19/12/22 – Rico was put to sleep on the 11th of December, after coughing up blood. The whole experience was rather unforgettable for the visitors at Calan that day. Being a Sunday, there was no local Vet to attend but someone had managed to get hold of a Vet in Perth who, with the symptoms described and some photos, quickly assessed that the best thing for Alan to do for Rico was to put him down.

Rico was losing blood at such a rate that he would surely have bled out – It was just a matter of time. After a carefully and compassionately placed round from Alan’s rifle, it was noted that there was no blood – even the neighbour who helps with the digging of the graves noticed the peculiarity. Rico lived to be 33 in horse years, the last 15 of those have been here at Calan. True to its mission, Calan really is a forever home.