Apple of my Eye, known by everyone at the barn simply as Apple, is a Gypsy Vanner mare that was rescued off a kill lot in Kansas in 2018. I purchased her from Carol, her rescuer, in April of 2019 with the intention of turning her into my lesson horse. Personally, I believe the reason Apple ended up in such a bad situation is because she was never understood. When frightened, she could get pushy; and the more you argue with a frightened horse, the more bad behavior will come out of them. After being rescued and given time to regain her health, she was placed in a month of training with one of my mentors, Nan Funkhouser. Nan began to teach Apple about connection and partnership, that she didn't have to live life strictly in survival mode, fearful of what torture the humans might think of next. This connection with Apple's heart and mind was a powerful foundation that I continued to build in my training process after I brought her home. All Apple ever needed to reach her full potential was to be loved and understood. Isn't that true os us all?
She is an intelligent horse and quickly caught on to her new role in life and gave everything her best effort. By July of 2019, I had a horse who likely hadn't ever been ridden before she was rescued, toting around six-year-olds in lessons as gentle, careful, and safe with her riders as could be. Her personality has come out more and more as I have gotten to know her. She is a food hog and will eat anything, she even stole a donut from me once! She loves attention and is pretty sure the world should revolve around her: the constant stream of adoring students only confirms this fact in her mind. She clearly believes slow and steady wins the race: but that doesn't mean she doesn't like to keep it interesting, obstacles are her favorite to practice. She has a daily ritual of mud bathing to improve her health, a fact that has earned her a year-round sheet in a poor attempt to keep her clean. Her nickname is Pig Pen...
I thank God for Apple as she really was the perfect horse for what I needed and arrived at the perfect time. She has taught me as much, if not more than what I have taught her. It is because of her needs I discovered the California hackamore, now one of my favorite tools for training. I look forward to seeing how she will develop in the future with continued TLC and good horsemanship techniques. If you do not own your horse to use in lessons, Apple would love to give you your introduction to horsemanship! She makes for an excellent teacher.
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