Tails to the Trash!
By Kaia Thomson, Todos Caballos

Joining the wonderful Adopt A Spot program with Alianza Cero Basura was actually the horses’ idea! Our group of equine ecologists at Todos Caballos got together with their riders and neighed “Let’s do it!” We could hardly hold them back from galloping in to help with this amazing program of reducing the amount of trash sent to the landfill and eliminating it from the environment too. Meet some of our team!

• Marimar, the sleek palomino, teamed up with her riding buddy Umberto “Beto” and proved she is a champ at locating and packing out litter. Marimar and Beto can often be spotted adorned with the cans, nets, foam and PVC they pick up on their rides.
• Ivy, the buckskin bombshell, and her riding partner Jacki are experts at plastic bags and cartons. They’ve even drug tires from the lagoon with their bare boots and hooves!
• Coco, the handsome Andalusian, is a pro at beer can basketing. When he executes his fabulous side-stepping maneuver his partner ChaCha can dunk a retrieved can in the bag in seconds. “Score!”
• Chica, that ambitious little mare, gets her riding buddy Amber into the tightest places to retrieve the aluminum trail trash. She’s the little mare that could!
• Tomas, a gray go-getter of local noble blood, is a force to be reckoned with. He and his riding partner Xali – with grabber stick in hand – can speed load a bundle of cardboard, plastic cups and snack bags. Trash flash!
• Kabul, with the sharp eyes of a half-Arabian, can see the shine of a can a mile away! He and his partner Iyari are often first on the scene and shouting “Over here guys!”
• Nissan, a local noble with a special speed walking gait, can really cover the ground with his partner Naia. While on the weekly trash patrols that cover the oasis, the roads and the beach they report in and help direct where to go next. They are also a great part of the pro picker upper team!
• La Gaviota, Mapache, Princessa and Gisela! Last but most definitely not least, this four-horse Trashbusters team lead the scouting and packing on La Cachora Road, La Poza Beach, “the Rocks” and down past to El Faro.

They invite everybody to ride together in a clean and healthy environment for the birds, the turtles, the whales – everyone! Yeee-haw!