Balio

Balio arrived at the IHP Rescue Centre in December 2014: he was a wonderful Christmas present for us, as we had just completed our very first—and extremely difficult—relocation.
Beautiful, powerful, brand new (he had only been used for testing), Balio quite literally changed our lives. Thanks to his forks, moving hay bales became child’s play, and his huge wheels combined with great power allowed us to move around even in the mud whenever necessary.

But you should know that Balio has done much more: he proved invaluable on several occasions when we needed to lift some of our elderly horses who were unable to get up on their own—Petit and Evelina above all.
Once, heroic Balio pulled Ethereal out of a ditch she had slipped into because of the mud after a cloudburst, saving her life. In a word, he is an extraordinary work companion and the horses’ best friend here at the Rescue Centre.

His name comes from Greek mythology: Balio was one of Achilles’ two immortal and formidable horses (they even had the gift of speech). Discover his companion, Xanto.

Balio is a “gentleman tractor” that we never could have afforded to buy, which is why we will forever bless those who made this gift appear. However, his maintenance is very expensive, and we would love to involve you by creating a team of special long-distance adopters for both him and Xanto.
With a minimum donation of €20, you will be their sponsor for a year, helping us keep them in excellent shape so they can work at their best.

Of course, you are welcome to come meet them in person—and unlike with the horses, you can even climb on board!