Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the ASPCA’s Right Horse program. This week’s adoptable horse is Fabio! Check back weekly for a new featured horse so you can find your Right Horse.
Organization: West Virginia Horse Network, Elkview, W.Va.
Get to Know Adoptable Horse Fabio
Fabio is, as his name indicates, quite the handsome older gentleman. He has the cutest face (especially his goofy ears) and is very clingy to his human friends. He’ll even pass up grass and time with other horses to hang out with people. Of course, he loves treats, too.
Fabio is kind and civilized on the ground and he has been easy for the farrier and veterinarian to handle. He’s also fine to groom and lead.
He is broke to ride, but he is green and can be inconsistent. Fabio is absolutely not interested in anything but an English saddle, so he will need an adopter willing to ride exclusively in an English saddle. His foster mom has some days that are great rides and very promising. Other days, she sees how much work Fabio still needs to be considered fully “broke to ride.”
Fabio attended a clinic and Fun Show hosted by the rescue in October 2023. He had one-on-one time with the trainer (Mike Hurst) and Mike really liked him. Fabio was able to do the “in-hand” session of the clinic, as well as some of the riding session. But, understandably, he was overstimulated by the crowds and the other horses. In other words, he will need more exposure to these sorts of events before he can be his best self. The good news is that he was always controllable, listened to his handler and was never mean.
His biggest challenge is that his doesn’t like having his ears touched, which includes the process of haltering and bridling. So Fabio will need continued, consistent work to fully realize his potential. With the help of a trainer or mentor, he could be safe for someone intermediate level or better.
Fabio is a character and West Virginia Horse Network hopes that he’ll find someone who appreciates his outgoing and loving personality. He was castrated fairly late in life and can get “distracted” by mares, so while he certainly can be and has been in a mixed herd, he may be at his best in a “gelding only” scenario. He can sometimes be exuberant in turnout, so he will need to be among horses who are up for his antics.
Contact West Virginia Horse Network today about ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, Fabio!
Could this week’s adoptable horse be the Right Horse you have been waiting for? Click here for more information about Fabio, the ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week.
ASPCA Right Horse
ASPCA Right Horse is the online adoption platform of The Right Horse Initiative, a collection of equine industry and welfare professionals and advocates working together to improve the lives of horses in transition. A program of the ASPCA, their goal is to massively increase horse adoption in the United States. To find more adoptable horses and foster horses, visit www.myrighthorse.org. To learn more about The Right Horse, a program of the ASPCA, visit www.aspcarighthorse.org.
