Apollo
sex: gelding
age: 17
color: tricolor pinto
markings: stripe, four stockings
height: 14.3hh
location: Redmond, WA
What’s not to love about a paint horse? This gentle guy is kind and easy-going, a real prince to handle, brush, and blanket. He is currently peacefully coexisting with mare Nutmeg, and has been brought up to date on all vet and farrier care since arriving at SAFE. We have begun work with Apollo in our training program, and are currently doing groundwork with him under saddle.
Getting to know Apollo
Handsome Apollo loves to nicker when you walk by the paddock he shares with Nutmeg. The two are definitely attached but share a stall with a half wall in between so are never apart for long.
Apollo is up to date on vet and farrier care. He has had his teeth floated, his sheath cleaned, and is up to date on his vaccines. He was also dewormed upon arrival, as he arrived with a positive worm load. He is a gentleman for grooming and for his feet being handled, though he is quite heavy about lifting them – he has been trimmed once since arriving at SAFE, with a 6 week trim schedule set going forward. He gets daily thrush treatments to help combat the thrush all the Graham horses arrived with. Our vet estimates that he is in his mid teens.
Apollo has worn a saddle in his past, but we checked him out nonetheless. He is pretty stuck, so needs help freeing up his feet and moving out balanced. The rope touching above his hocks and on his lower back bothers him and can cause him to kick out. He has some anxiety about the flag, and struggles tracking to the left, wanting to turn in and switch eyes. He is still learning how to separate between when a stimulus means something and when it means nothing — he especially struggles when you swing a rope overhead, and moves out frantically to ‘get away’ from it. We are teaching him that such things do not always carry meaning, and even if a rope or a flag touches him, it does not mean he has to scramble away from the sensation.
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12/21/2022