Riding 28 Horse Rescue

06/21/2026

Still light at 9:00 pm, 63 degrees, and a masterpiece to look at ❤️ At least three reasons to be grateful.

06/19/2026

Making good citizens takes work. Simon can be difficult to load because he isn’t consistent. Sometimes he gets in, sometimes he doesn’t, sometimes it’s only half way. He got in today and I closed the door. We went for a 20 minute drive. Start and stop at home. It’s a real drag to get somewhere and have a horse not load to come home. We will keep working until he is consistent on loading.

06/16/2026

Side by side comparison of Simon. He wasn’t much to look at and we weren’t sure he would survive, but look at him now ❤️

06/16/2026

Simon was not relaxed when we started today. What’s his tell? It’s his tail! He does drop his tail down when he’s relaxed. It’s cool in the mornings and he’s ready to do a little work. He isn’t always “fresh” but he was today.

06/13/2026

Had some visitors today! Thank you for coming out!

06/13/2026

I can’t think of the last time I saw a horse behavior driven by abuse. Neglect is something different. Too often we hang on to a horses’ unconfirmed past. What does that mean for their future? Can you imagine if someone reminded you everyday of something that happened to you in second grade? I know I wouldn’t be able to get past it because I wouldn’t be allowed to. I dare say that I believe it deflects accountability and may reveal our own inadequacies.

One of the common things I see when a horse is having a problem is people immediately trying to guess what happened to that horse in the past.

Maybe he was abused. Maybe someone kicked on him too much. Maybe he was never turned out. Maybe he was ridden too hard. Maybe he was never handled correctly. Maybe somebody scared him. Maybe, maybe, maybe.

Most of the time, those thoughts come from a good place. People are trying to understand the horse. They are trying to explain what they are seeing. They are trying to be fair to the horse. I understand that part of it.

The problem is that those guesses usually do not help you evaluate the horse standing in front of you.

The first reason is simple. You will probably never know if your guess is right or wrong. If you decide a horse acts a certain way because he was abused in the past, how are you going to prove that? How are you going to know if that is actually what happened? How are you going to get accurate feedback on whether your interpretation was correct?

Most of the time, you cannot.

That means you are building your decisions on something you cannot confirm.

The second problem is even bigger. When you start working from what you think happened in the past, you stop working from what the horse is actually telling you right now. You start explaining behavior instead of evaluating behavior. You start making excuses instead of making decisions. You start treating your suspicion like it is a fact.

That is dangerous.

The horse in front of you is giving you hard truths. His feet, his body, his expression, his response to pressure, his willingness, his resistance, his timing, his softness, his brace, his focus, his lack of focus — those are things you can see. Those are things you can test. Those are things you can work with. Those are things that give you feedback.

What you think happened five years ago is a guess.

Guesses have no place in decisionmaking.

The horse may have had a rough past. He may not have. He may have been mishandled. He may have simply never been trained. He may have learned to avoid work. He may be scared. He may be spoiled. He may be confused. He may be disrespectful. He may be physically limited. He may be several of those things at once.

My job is not to write a story about his past.

My job is to correctly read what he is showing me today.

That does not mean I am unsympathetic. It does not mean I do not care what a horse has been through. It means I care enough about the horse to deal with the truth in front of me instead of getting lost in a story I may never be able to prove.

A horse does not need me to feel sorry for the version of his past I invented. He needs me to be accurate. He needs me to be fair. He needs me to make good decisions based on what he is actually doing.

If the horse is scared, I need to recognize fear and help him through it. If the horse is confused, I need to make the answer clearer. If the horse is evading, I need to recognize that too. If the horse is ignoring me, crowding me, bracing against me, or taking over the situation, I need to deal with that horse honestly.

The past may explain how a horse got here, but it does not change what is standing in front of me.

Training has to be based on what the horse is telling me now.

Not what I suspect.

Not what I imagine.

Not what would make the story more emotional.

The proof is in the pattern. If I watch the horse closely enough, the horse will tell me what I need to know. My job is to believe the horse in front of me more than I believe the story in my head.

06/09/2026

It can take a village! I have NEVER seen hooves this long. Please help if you can.

UPDATE: these 4 have now been trimmed and transported to a sanctuary for recovery, we’ll share video soon.

We know our supporters.

Time and time again, when animals have nowhere else to turn, this community has stepped forward and made miracles happen.

Today, we're asking for your help once again. We’re $2,500 from our goal.

If you're able to PLEASE DONATE, no amount is too small. Every dollar will go directly toward helping these four miniature mules receive the care they have gone without for far too long—the hooves on these mules is nearly 17 years of accumulated growth.

These mules deserve to walk without pain.

Thank you for helping us give these four mules the future they deserve. We look forward to sharing their progress with you as they begin this next chapter.

Link to donate: www.companionanimalcontrol.com/foc

(For more info, a video of these mules is on our page)

06/04/2026

Oh boy! I really hope this doesn’t spread.

🚨 NEW WORLD SCREWWORM CONFIRMED IN TEXAS CALF 🚨

Dearest Readers,

The news many ranchers, veterinarians, and livestock producers have been dreading has officially arrived.

The USDA has confirmed the presence of New World Screwworm (NWS) in a calf in South Texas, marking the first confirmed case in Texas since 1966 and the first known domestic livestock infestation in the United States in decades.

According to reports, the infestation was found in a 3-week-old calf in Zavala County near La Pryor, Texas, not far from the Mexican border. Authorities have established a quarantine area and begun increased surveillance, trapping, and response efforts.

For those unfamiliar with screwworms, this is not your average fly problem.

The adult fly lays eggs in wounds, navels, cuts, branding sites, castration sites, tick bites, and other openings. When the eggs hatch, the larvae don't feed on dead tissue.
They feed on living flesh.

As the larvae burrow deeper into the wound, the infestation grows larger, more painful, and can become fatal if not treated. The parasite can affect cattle, horses, sheep, goats, wildlife, pets, and in rare cases even humans.

This is the kind of issue that can impact entire industries.

Before eradication efforts in the last century, screwworm infestations cost livestock producers millions of dollars and caused devastating losses. Texas officials have warned that a widespread outbreak could have enormous economic consequences for the state's livestock industry.

Now the questions turn to prevention.
• Are you checking wounds daily?
• Are you monitoring navels on newborn calves and foals?
• Have you talked to your veterinarian about what to watch for?
• If you haul livestock, are you paying attention to unusual wounds that won't heal?

The USDA and Texas officials are actively responding, but ranchers and horse owners are often the first line of defense.

For our cattle producers, horse owners, veterinarians, wildlife folks, and ranch families:

What are you hearing on the ground?

Are you changing anything in your management practices because of the screwworm threat?

Always Observing,
The Bettys ☕️

Find more infomation here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1CsYqH1Qd3/?mibextid=wwXIfr

06/01/2026

Self-awareness is VERY important. What are you communicating? In the first half I approach Simon with the intention of moving him off the feed pan. In the second half, I approach without pushing him off. No words. It’s all body language and the energy I’m bringing.