We’ve had him since he was 5 years old. He came with steel shoes…and navicular. We didn’t know that yet. He was 7 years old before he crashed…physically, mentally, emotionally,and spiritually ( PMES ). He literally could not move anymore. He was the one that made us aware of the ( common/accepted ) mistakes we had been making and guided us in our search for answers. How do we help him? After looking at him, the vet gave him 2 years of “usability”…but he was fully rehabbed by the age of 9. He felt so good by then that I had to become a better rider. We didn’t retire him from riding until 21 ( due to a fall and stifle injury ) but he can still canter and gallop around with the herd at 25. He’s the patriarch of our herd. He worries about the other horses and he keeps them in line without being too harsh. Santo was my ride for years. He also did pony club with our daughter Claudia and he worked as a therapy horse teaching at risk kids how to bring up their Yang. He wouldn’t move a muscle unless he was convinced it meant something to the rider. It took me a long time to realize the difference between him not being able to move and him teaching someone that he would only move if it mattered to them. Santo came with many other lessons about self expression. I believe the foundation for self expression for horses lies in their soft tissue development. They need to be able to move to express themselves.

Santo’s gift is teaching me not to give up on a horse with issues. They can heal. Soft tissue development prevents and/or cures navicular.

Santo has been on 1-3 week trims for 17 years.