El Guapo

El Guapo

El Guapo is a four year old gelding out of Bert’s Big strike by Puerto Banus. This gorgeous gelding was aptly named for his good lucks and his incredible ego and confidence.

El Guapo seemed weak behind. We guess spending all of his life in a 24′ x 24′ paddock doesn’t really help to build strength. To err on the side of caution and to confirm that his stifles were ok we decided to radiograph him. On January 16, 2014, Dr. Heaton radiographed him and we were delighted to find out that his x-rays were clean. His stifles looked funny because he was so thin and lacked any muscle. With the right feeding program and gradual conditioning program El Guapo will transform into the beautiful boy that he is.

On January 23, El Guapo was gelded. Not only does this alter his testosterone levels, but it has the added benefit of needing to cold hose him and lunge him twice per day. This boy is getting much stronger behind. This is really good news for him.

February 11, 2015 Update: Sommer reports that he is still a bit full of himself, but pleasant to handle. He doesn’t quite remember that he is a gelding yet. It can take over a month for them to resign themselves to gelding-hood. He is initially standoffish to catch, but once you have him, he is pleasant. El Guapo is sensitive and inquisitive. He stands 16.1-16.2 hh and is fairly tall with long legs

December 2015 Update: El Guapo has been transferred to Castleton Ranch Horse Rescue for permanent sanctuary. Some horses just don’t recover from the abuse and neglect that they endured. El Guapo is one of these horses. Despite receiving nearly a year of rehabilitation and training, El Guapo did not make progress. He was a danger to himself or could inadvertently hurt others. The decision was made to provide him with a lifetime of care where he could just be a horse. He would never be at risk for ending up in a bad situation or hurting someone because he was difficult. A big thank you to Castleton for taking in El Guapo. rumor has it, he has settled in beautifully and is becoming quite affectionate.