What is different about how the animals of the ResqRanch are handled? 

There are many animal rescues and shelters out there, and god bless them all because the work they all do is invaluable to saving the lives and ending suffering for animals. They all have similar but slightly varying missions, visions, and protocols for dealing with new animals coming in. From how to decide what animals to take, to having the personnel to evaluate them on intake, having the right facilities to house the individuals with any special requirements, and finally how to fund it all. 

Once those animals are in facilities they are given medical care, food, water, shelter, and are kept clean. Horses are often kept in dirt corrals with other animals, with some shelter and then taken out of the pens for periods of needed medical care or training. 

What happens differently at the ResqRanch, is that once an animal is found to be a suitable match for our facilities, the animal is integrated into a herd, in order to live a more natural life. And their training and care is ongoing 24 hours a day, around the clock, within their natural setting. Training an entire group of animals at the same time is more challenging, and requires greater trainer skill. This is what we teach in our “Train the Trainer” program. 

With every single interaction with the animals, we are training the animals:

  • To protect human personal space
  • To protect property destruction
  • To behave politely in a crowd
  • To wait patiently for food, gate openings, etc.
  • To stand quietly for the farrier (a tough one with rescue sometimes, yet it’s especially important)
  • To allow blanketing and un-blanketing as weather  and individual animal body condition dictates, without restraint, and without walking off, kicking, etc.
  • To ‘gate’ quietly and politely, which means willingly move through a gate from one enclosure to another, on their own without being led or chased,  without panicking, rushing, barging, or otherwise displaying dangerous behavior even in a large group
  • To allow full grooming without restraint of all even the most sensitive body parts
  • To tolerate taking oral medications from a syringe, such as mouth wash for dental care

This is only the beginning. These are some of the things we train on a daily basis BEFORE we even talk about putting on a halter,  lead rope,  and going for a walk to the trailer for a stress free load-up and quiet trip to the trailhead.

Yep there is a lot of thought, precision, and education that goes into what we do with our animals here at the ResqRanch. That’s what sets us apart, and why we say we are the world’s premiere positive reinforcement animal sanctuary.

If this sounds good to you, there are several options for you to learn more.

  • Send us an email [email protected] and get on our waitlist for the “Train the Trainer” Program
  • Check out our R+Trainers Award Program and sign up! It’s free!
  • Also, we are now taking names for our board-n-train waitlist. If these sound like skills that you wish you had down 100% with your horse, then you have come to the right place.
  • Find us on YouTube and subscribe to our channel The1DrQ.
  • Purchase and take my Horse Training Masterclass
  • Donate or sponsor a rescue today Learn More
  • Visualize your wildest dreams and let us help make them happen! We are looking forward to helping you have the most amazing, magical, movie-bond relationship with your horse!

DrQ and the Crew of the ResqRanch and Aspen Park Vet Hospital