Apollo Equestrian LLC

On sharing horses.

I am in the business of sharing “my” horses.

When I first started teaching as my own business in 2017, I only had one horse. So, when I saw a need for lessons on lesson horses and decided to try to fill that need, Apollo became a lesson horse. I couldn’t afford a second horse at the time.

At first, I was reluctant (I can say that now without shame). I was worried that sharing this horse would make him feel less “mine.” I and a couple trainers and a handful of friends had ridden been the only ones to ride him for the past eight years, and it was uncomfortable to hand the reins over to people who were, at that time, strangers.

But, if there’s one thing we know about horses, it is that they bind us in a way that strangers do not stay strangers for long. I am incredibly grateful and honored that there are several people in my program who still remember the days when Apollo was a lesson horse (he died in 2020).

Sharing Apollo turned out to be easier than anticipated. He was a strong personality, and it was really fun to see riders enjoy him, struggle with him, and learn from him. Teaching with a horse I knew so well taught me a lot- including that I couldn’t just teach how I ride, because not everyone can (or should) ride like me. I was humbled by seeing riders correct things I still struggled with or had learned to cover for him, and I gained confidence in my teaching skills by helping riders ride him well because I knew him so well.

Apollo gave me so many gifts, not the least of which was the gift of being able to help others. And to properly help others, you don’t just need them to ride a horse. You need them to ride a good horse.

So you can’t keep all the good ones to yourself.

Those who never knew him in person still feel the ripples of what he taught me… including, how to share “my” horses so that they feel like our horses.

I also can’t post this without mentioning the clients and connections that generously share their horses with my students and my program. I couldn’t run my business without people willing to share their personal horses with us. The trust these people put in me and my students mean a great deal, and I do not take it for granted!

Thank you all who came out to our Combined Test co-hosted by Twisted Pine Ranch yesterday, we loved having you!

Massive thank you to Jess Murray for opening her farm to all of us to enjoy and for her hard work putting everything together!

We are both very grateful for the volunteers that made this Combined Test a success ❤️ We couldn’t have done it without you!

We’d love to hear your feedback so that we can make the next one even better- please feel free to reach out to Jess or I- my contact information is:
Phone: (970)744-9118
Email: [email protected]

We hear you about not having the wavy planks as jump number one!

Jessica Smolenske took photos- they can all be viewed and downloaded at no cost via this link. However, if you wish to make a donation to cover her time and expertise, her Venmo is below. Thank you, Jess!! 📸

Photos link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/CDuy2wL2rsmg8okP7

Jess's Venmo:
-Smolenske

I was having trouble picking a couple favorite photos for this post so here are a couple more than a couple 😆

Apollo Equestrian July Calendar 🗓️

11: Combined Test @ Twisted Pine Ranch, co-hosted by Apollo Equestrian
15: Show Jump School @ Twisted Pine Ranch - priority to participants in the CT and volunteers as a thank you!
17: XC Schooling @ TBD
18: Show Jump School @ Twisted Pine Ranch - priority to participants in the CT and volunteers as a thank you!
19: XC Schooling @ TBD
22: XC Schooling @ TBD
25: Redefined Mini Trial @ Redefined Equestrian
28 morning: Vicki Baker Clinic @ GreenAcres Mulberry- auditors welcome!

Sunday Funday means a morning hack with my main man, rather than showing at Mile High today. The FOMO is real… but we will see you all soon! 👑

Hello family and friends!

As many of you know, Rawnee was hospitalized for about 24 hours following an acute colic episode. She had a right dorsal displacement, which is when the pelvic flexure moves between the cecum and the body wall and gets stuck. This is a very serious problem in horses, and had this not been promptly recognized, diagnosed and treated, this story could have had a very sad ending.

Thankfully, our staff did immediately recognize that there was a problem, and Rawnee was transported to CSU and hospitalized. She responded well to hospitalization and not further interventions were necessary. She's a lucky pony!

It is very expensive to provide this level of care for a horse. Rawnee had vets from CSU Field Service come and initially support her at the farm, then was transported and hospitalized at CSU, and is still receiving additional, specialized care at the farm. Rawnee's owner Rhiannon is a recent CSU grad and works incredibly hard to be able to provide the best for her horse. These expenses are a lot for her, so, on her behalf, I am asking for your help.

We all know Rawnee is a very important member of the Apollo Equestrian Team, and I am so incredibly fortunate that she is shared with us. What only long-time Apollo Equestrian-ers remember is that when I had knee surgery in 2021 and was out of commission for a long time, Rhiannon really stepped up and helped ride and exercise horses, feed, clean, doctor horses who of course got hurt at the same time I did, and essentially helped keep my business afloat. I hope I can help repay the favor, and keep her afloat right now!

Please consider helping out in any way you can. Here’s how you can support:
Choose from Support Registry options - you can contribute money or gift cards.
'Share' to Spread the Word to family and friends.
'Follow' Updates to stay informed on the situation.

Support Rawnee & Rhiannon Hello family and friends!As many of you know, Rawnee was hospitalized for about 24 hours following an acute colic episode. She had a right dorsal displacement, which is when the pelvic flexure moves between the cecum and the body wall and gets stuck. This is a very serious problem in horses, and had

Missing this sweet and sassy girl extra today ❤️‍🩹

I’m very grateful to have so many people who love my horses- many of my lesson horses feel like “our horses” more so than mine. But. Huge shoutout to for loving this fierce mare so fiercely, and being a wonderful partner for her.

And because I was lucky enough to ride not one but two special chestnut thoroughbreds at ’s mini trial earlier in June, here are some adorable Copper photos 🤩

Copper has a lot of good training under his belt, but has had inconsistent work the past several year and we’ve been working hard on his fitness since he joined Apollo Equestrian. He had just started jumping but I wanted to take him to Sunrise for practice in a show environment, and he crushed the “log and cross rail Olympics!”

He’s a “lesson horse in training” and I have no doubt students will LOVE him. I literally can’t help but smile riding this horse- seriously look at my face 🤣

Thank you for the photos !📸

One trailer spot is still available! 👀