Rio II

Arrival:  July 8, 20154

Farewell:  April 11, 2020

On April 11, 2020, we said goodbye to Rio II. One of our resident volunteers, Tom, found him down, cast in his corral that morning.

Dr. Bear from  East County Large and Small Animal Practice ECLAP  came out right away. While cast, Rio II had injured his leg. The location and nature of the wound indicated a prolonged, difficult recovery. Given the issues Rio II had been having with arthritis in his knee in recent months and his neurological issues, it was determined to be unfair to put him through a difficult recovery.

Fortunately, with the exception of his worsening arthritis, Rio II had enjoyed a number of happy, healthy years at the ranch, surrounded by “his girls.” ‘Riah lived on his right and Deveny’s Ruckus on his left. Both mares loved to groom him and tease him over the fence. Of course, Deveney’s Ruckus thought it was pretty special to live next to one of the few horses on the ranch that received alfalfa daily. And Rio II never hesitated to share with her.

On July 31, 2014, a handsome 18-year-old gelding was found, presumably abandoned, in the Tijuana River Valley. An old leg wound required ongoing medical attention, he needed hoof care and dental work. After working to find him a forever home, Animal Services asked us to take him. However, at the time our sanctuary was full. Unfortunately, none of the other Adoption Partners were able to take him either. Then a remarkable thing happened, an amazing group of people came together to foster him at the beautiful Oakzanita Ranch in the Cuyamaca Mountains.

The team at Oakzanita named him Rio, after the Tijuana River Valley. For us, he was Rio II. We cannot thank Team Rio enough for providing this special fellow with the initial care he needed. As you can see in the first photo, he was significantly underweight and required regular wound cleaning and bandage changes. Team Rio at Oakzanita gave him his second chance at life during those first critical months of his recovery. We are so grateful!

Now that Rio II has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, we know heaven has inherited a matched pair of brown geldings, Rio and Rio II. Both boys had hearts of gold and we wish we could have witnessed them meeting. We have no doubt they became immediate friends.