We met Alvaro last February as a mowhawked yearling, gangly and butt-high. When he first arrived at SAFE, he displaced our minis and spent his first few weeks living in ‘mini land,’ if that gives you an indication of his petite stature. He was playful, curious, and at times somewhat monstrous ahead of his ‘brain surgery,’ but at SAFE he learned the ropes: how to be respectful with other horses, courtesy of uncle Artie and auntie Wednesday, and how to be a good citizen where people were concerned thanks to our horsemanship program.
Over the year and a half he spent with us, his hair, legs, and maturity grew, transforming “Al,” the punk kid, into “Alvaro,” the handsome young gentleman. This past summer, he even took a trip over to Ellensburg for the groundwork portion of the Buck Brannaman clinic, where he shone like the star he is.
Carina first heard of Alvaro through our good friend Kaya, with whom she is boarding and training with down in Oregon. Alvaro was Carina’s dream horse, and she was beyond excited about the possibility of being able to call him her own.
Alvaro’s case is a special one. We don’t typically adopt out horses who aren’t firmly under saddle, if that’s their intended path. But part of Alvaro’s agreement would be that he would be put into training, and so this fall Alvaro will go off to school before returning back home for a winter of growing up some more and deepening his relationship with Carina. We hope they will make their way to at least a few Joel Conner clinics next year and maybe even up to one at SAFE in the future.
Though we are missing this guy around the barn, we are so happy for him and for Carina, who could not possibly adore him more if she tried. We look forward to following this pair along in their journey, and watching Alvaro continue to grow, both physically and mentally, from afar.
In Carina’s own words, the day she finalized his adoption: “I love this horse to pieces, he’s my dream, and that I would very much love to keep him.
He’s been loving his fence mate (soon to be his pasture mate) and he’s got a ball he’s been playing with, and we’ve been having a great time working with him ”
Congratulations, you two!
