Shortly after the start of the new year, Steven Salgado and Daisy Vargas noticed the arrival of a new resident in their small Los Banos neighborhood: a single horse, roaming one of the many acres of land a few hundred yards from their home.
Though the animal appeared healthy and well-cared for, it did not take long for Salgado and his neighbors to take notice of his lack of company and offer the occasional fruit or celery stick on their way to work. When the summer heat settled in, however, Salgado and Vargas knew that watermelons and veggies alone would not be enough to cool down the neighborhood horse.
Daisy Vargas made a Facebook post in early July requesting help and was quickly contacted by Matthew Gonzales, whose company, Agrology, specializes in land development and surveyance.
Gonzales graciously donated a shade structure, the necessary tools and his own time and labor to the effort and spared no time in aiding Vargas and Salgado in erecting the shade along with a new water trough for the horse.
Though the couple had posted an open request for volunteers along with their initial Facebook post, Salgado noticed that “it wasn’t actually that big of a project, and it only ended up taking no more than two hours.” Gonzales’ response was so swift that the entire event, from post to completion, took less than 24 hours.
Though the horse kept its distance from the workers as they constructed the shade, it eventually warmed up to the new addition to its home, apparently grateful for the added coolness. All of the construction and donations were done with the full knowledge and consent of the land owner.
Steven Salgado and Daisy Vargas (and probably the horse) are grateful for Matthew Gonzales and the time and resources he donated to help save one mare from a summer nightmare.
