from page 58 But look again. Davis is built like a tree trunk made of sausage meat. He’s still
strong, but not intimidating; he’s still chatty, but not boorish. If you recognize peo- ple by their horses, Davis would probably want you to recognize him as a Paso Fino kind of man. He seems utterly dedicated to the breed: In addition to heading New Beginnings and Southwest Horse Soccer Association (and a horse soccer ball outfit called HorsePlay), he is vice president of the regional Great Western Paso Fino Horse Association.
If a rescued horse can play horse soccer, he reasons, it shows they can learn new
skills and be fun to own. Hopefully this makes them more adoptable, he adds, “because now they have a job, instead of just being a hay-burner out in the back- yard.”
Take Rex, for example, a 6-year-old
from Alpine, Texas. His owner moved closer to family and could no longer care for him, but she wanted to be sure Rex found a good home. Since October 2009, he’s lived at New Be- ginnings. His previous owner donated all her equipment and some money to the rescue to keep him there. Davis says Rex is an “at-risk” horse: It has no history of injury or abuse,
but because its owner can no longer care for it, the horse’s future well-being is un- certain. (“Rescue” horses, on the other hand, are those that have been saved from al- ready abusive or neglectful situations.) He was okay to ride, but skittish and un- skilled. Rex is still a little rough around the edges — “He’s got to get used to social- izing” — but Davis says the horse serves as an example for what his unique combi- nation of horse rescue and horse soccer can do.
“He’s a good ambassador for the breed,” he says. “He’s a great ambassador for the
rescue. Here’s a rescue horse that’s now a great trail horse, and he knows how to play soccer.”
When Davis talks to people, he uses his hands haphazardly, occasionally squatting
to illustrate his point in the dirt with his finger. When Davis talks to horses, his voice raises an octave and softens considerably
(“Yes, I know! You’re just a lovely little boy!”), and his beefy hands turn maternal as he pets their long noses.
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