Scroll down for updates!
Rio is a 21-year-old Appaloosa gelding, joining us for training in February 2025 from the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals. Upon his arrival to the MSSPA in February 2024, Rio had an eye infection that did not resolve with treatment, and thus had to have his left eye enucleated. He has adapted very well to the loss of his eye, and isn’t particularly bothered by his limited vision. Even though Rio is already broke to ride (and is said to be quite peppy under saddle!), we will be taking it back to basics and filling in any gaps in his training before evaluating him as a riding horse.
Rio tends to get aggressive towards horses that he is turned out with, and might end up requiring a home where he has his own paddock but lives next to other horses. However, he did well at the MSSPA when turned out with a very dominant mare who made her boundaries known.
Rio is rather pushy, especially when he feels anxious about where his buddies are, but is quickly learning to respect the space of his handler and look to them for reassurance and guidance. As he begins to settle in, he has showed us that he can be relaxed in our presence even without his neighbors around, which has allowed us to get a peek at his sweet and interactive nature! We are looking forward to getting to know Rio, seeing what he already knows, and earning his trust in our companionship.
May 2025 update: Rio has been making great progress in his training both on the ground and under saddle! He clearly knows the ropes, and is letting on that he has a much deeper understanding beyond “kick to go, pull to whoa”. He has the ability to respond to exceptionally light leg and seat aids, soften to the bit, and move in a relaxed frame. His skills have been buried under many layers of anxiety— now that we’ve gotten to know Rio, we feel that the majority of his anxiety can be attributed to his limited vision and the resulting insecurity he feels when he doesn’t have someone on the ground to help guide him. We have found a system that works very well to help him return to relaxation— his rider turns over control to a handler on the ground when Rio starts to feel tense, then takes back over when relaxation is reestablished. After only a week of this, Rio is needing far less support from the person on the ground and is finding comfort in his rider’s guidance! We are aiming to bridge that gap between relying on someone on the ground and relying on his rider, and we love the progress we’ve seen so far.
Rio is sweet, sensible, and kind underneath the hard shell he’s built to protect himself, and is such a fun puzzle to figure out. We are looking forward to continuing to rebuild his confidence— piece by piece.
July 2025 update: We are so excited to share that Rio has been adopted! He overcame so many obstacles in such a short amount of time; we loved getting to see him shed his hard exterior, to reveal a sweet, talented, and knowledgeable horse underneath. A family who has adopted from us in the past has welcomed him home as the newest member of their herd. Rio will spend his golden years being showered with love and enjoyed as a light riding pony. Happy trails, buddy!
