Page 44 - ST November 2013

community

Kim Havis and Coco at our 2013 clinic

with David Lichman.

would do anything he needed to help his “friends.” lives again and that just because they are working
“
He never referred to them as horses, only friends. He doesn’t mean they get treated like machines. Hope-
told us again and again how grateful he was that we fully I will make enough to take care of them properly

had come; we were worried that he thought we would and rescue more.”

be able to buy him everything he needed, but we just Immediately we wanted to help, but pointed out
didn’t have that kind of money.
that these horses could not be able to be ridden

Chico knew that we had taken rescues and reha- for a very long time due to their current condition.

bilitated them and now ran Discovery Horse Tours “That’s okay,” he said. “I don’t care if they never get
with our rescues, and he had heard about our work ridden, and it is only my dream if it is also theirs!” I

with Parelli Natural Horsemanship through our looked at the motley crew of horses standing around

website and wanted to know about Liberty. “I want him without leads in the middle of the Costa Rican
to do the same with my horses,” he said. I smiled and forest, and somehow I knew, the horses were backing

pointed out, as they followed him like puppies, that his plan 100%. They reminded me of an old band of

he already was! “I don’t want them ever to have to brothers who knew they had seen better days, but
work hard again, but I would like to be able to do the there was life in the old dogs yet!

odd horse tour with them to show people, like you After Chris trimmed and measured for hoof boots,

have, that horses can be treated well and enjoy their
he got to showing Chico how to set his horses’ hooves
I looked at the motley crew of up for success. As Chris inished each horse, I started

gently playing with concepts of pressure and release,
horses standing around him
which took all of about 30 seconds on each horse;
they were pros. Each stepped lightly away from my
without leads in the middle of the
hands and stood with ragged ears pricked! Again I
questioned, why were we here? It had felt like there
Costa Rican forest, and somehow
was a higher power in action when we were setting

I knew, the horses were backing up our visit, but that notion was slipping away from
me.

his plan 100%.
We did all we could with Chico’s horses and started

our hike back down to civilization, promising to

42 | Savvy Times November 2013