Rio

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.