So Happy Two-gether
After their owner passed away in February of 2025, Rico and Ritchie,19-year-old retired cart horses, suddenly found themselves facing an uncertain future. For nearly two decades, these gentle giants had known stability, routine, and each other. They had grown old side by side, sharing quiet days and familiar comforts. Overnight, everything they knew was gone, and the question of where they would go, and whether they would stay together, hung heavily in the balance.
The owner’s next of kin was promised the horses could stay at their current boarding facility, but soon after they were told that their boarding would only be temporary, and the horses needed to find another place to go by early March. The family heard about Rescue Village’s barn and contacted us to be put on the wait list.
In June, Rescue Village offered Rico and Ritchie a safe place to land. They were working horses and had never been ridden or raced. Instead, they spent their retirement days as pasture pets, enjoying quiet days side by side. From the moment they arrived at Rescue Village, staff recognized that while both horses were kind and gentle, their greatest need was emotional rather than physical.
It quickly became clear that Rico and Ritchie shared an unbreakable bond. Rico, in particular, struggled with anxiety when separated from Ritchie. His unease was visible, his body tense, his movements uncertain. But when Ritchie was nearby, everything changed. Rico relaxed, his confidence returned, and his worry melted away. Ritchie was his anchor, his reassurance, his constant. To separate them would have meant breaking more than a routine, it would have meant breaking a family. Rescue Village knew these two would only thrive if they stayed together.
Finding adoptive homes for horses is challenging even under the best circumstances. Horses require space, specialized care, and long-term financial commitment. Older horses face even greater odds, and bonded pairs narrow the pool further still. Rico and Ritchie needed adopters who understood that they weren’t just taking on two senior horses, they were accepting a lifelong promise to care for them, together, through their golden years.
That promise found its match in a couple who understood exactly what horses mean to a family.
In early fall of 2025, we received a call from a woman named Zoe, who told us about her and her husband’s love of horses. The couple had met back when they were in the service, and they each had one horse that they brought to the marriage. Through the years they took in more horses and built a herd. Over time, the herd dwindled as the horses grew old and passed away. They were down to two mares, one of which was quite senior and who they thought would not make it through the winter. They were concerned about their last horse being alone, as she has never been alone and wouldn’t do well, and they were interested in re-building their herd.
The couple had just celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. They weren’t looking for animals to simply care for—they were searching for family. They hoped to welcome two horses who could carry forward the legacy of the horses they had loved when they were first married, offering companionship, continuity, and connection.
Rico and Ritchie were exactly what they had been waiting for.
After six months in our care, Rico and Ritchie were adopted by the couple, still inseparable, and once again part of a family. With 70 acres of property and many pastures, they now enjoy swimming with their new human and equine family in a pasture pond! Rico and Ritchie (re-named Frosty and Chili) get popcorn treats and days filled with love and affection.
Their story is a testament to the power of bonded relationships and the deep connections humans share with animals.
