APOLLO

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My friendship with my horse Apollo is a quiet peaceful unity, a bond of pure loyalty and unwavering trust, he shows me profound beauty in every movement, carrying my spirit far above the dust. He teaches me a vital truth for the journey, a lesson for the paths that we must trace, that within this life, we must move forward, holding the reins with confidence and grace. Together our two heartbeats align completely, merging into a single, powerful rhythm today, the rare and exhilarating freedom of moving, across the earth where the wild winds play. On a thousand pounds of pure and effortless grace, feeling his muscles bunch and release below, like the rhythmic sacred movement of an ocean wave, in a seamless powerful majestic flow. In this sacred space, words are completely useless, we communicate through a shift so slight and fine, the quiet weight and gentle pressure of my hand, a silent language between his soul and mine. When I ask for speed and he gives his love and strength, the ultimate gift that he willingly brings, I am no longer just sitting in a leather saddle, I am flying on the ground without any wings. Humbled in spirit yet entirely weightless, with every heavy burden left far behind, untethered, free, and completely alive, in the beautiful peace we always find. Apollo was a rescue horse, who endured intense trauma, abuse, and physical pain. Due to his free spirited nature, his previous owner felt the need to be extensively forceful and aggressive with this majestic animal. Training a horse is not a battle of brute strength, but a beautiful dance of intention, communication, and mutual respect. To step into the round pen and truly command the respect of an animal whose spirit has become broken, you must learn to speak their silent language, while matching their momentum, gracefully and patiently fostering a rhythm through your consistent presence, actions, and tone, while demonstrating that unconditional love is not fleeting, temporary, or manipulative. Control causes strife and division, whereas, patience endures. All relationships must begin with empathetic patience, not games, by claiming your space, standing tall with your shoulders back and your gaze fixed purposefully, projecting the unwavering, steady confidence of a leader, instills confidence within the lost soul. True safety and authority emerge from fiercely controlling your personal space, establishing a clear, sacred boundary that the horse is never permitted to crowd or invade without an invitation. During Apollo’s recovery, I was assisted by two specialized trainers, who dedicated their time with me, to restore hope back into this precious sentient beings life. When resistance or panic flares, you do not shrink away, instead, you match the horse’s energy, meeting their intensity with an assertive physical presence and absolute clarity, until they restore their sense of peace, confidence, and safety within, dropping your energy back the exact moment they yield or demonstrate openness. It is not about control, dominance, or an iron fist, it is about establishing sacred trust, breath of space, respect, and compassionate care, while embodying an unwavering bond that stands the test of time. By blending this unyielding patient dominance with instant, compassionate release, you transform yourself from a terrifying threat into a trusted guide, proving to your beloved horse that within your boundaries lies perfect safety, trust, and harmony. To rescue a horse is to witness the breathtaking alchemy of turning chaotic movement into pure, guiding light. When the horse bolts or resists, which was a common trauma response that I embodied when affection became too intense, which was a parting gift from the neglectful abandonment and misguided love that my biological parents bestowed on me prior to leaving, within incremental time, I had to retrain my patterned conditioned embedded responses that love was a threat, whereas, in actuality love enables forgiveness and unprecedented salvation. Apollo’s frantic pacing was not an act of defiance, but a blind search for safety in the darkness and depths of his fear. By stepping into his sacred space with unwavering confidence, my calm commands acted as a lighthouse, channeling his wild, scattered energy into a purposeful rhythm. For Apollo, it took several weeks for him to fully trust my presence, however, within time, we achieved our own sacred rhythm. Every step a rescue takes under your guidance strips away the shadows of their survival instincts, fears, and trauma, illuminating a new path built on absolute trust. As their frantic flight slows to a gentle walk and they finally lower their head to meet your gaze, the friction of your opposing forces dissolves into perfect harmony. In that quiet moment of surrender, the raw, unbridled movement of defensiveness is beautifully transmuted into the brilliant light of connection, demonstrating that true leadership can guide even the most turbulent soul into a state of peaceful grace. Apollo in many forms rescued me, as our sacred souls were parallel, as he represented a sacred divine mirror of my own abandonment. Abandonment is similar to training, and within this profound parallel lies a beautiful truth, training is not the act of leaving a soul stranded, but the sacred promise of adoption, transforming the pain of what was lost into the brilliance of what can be built. A horse must bravely surrender its old reliance on the known, predictable, and certain. Within the space of uncertainty, it does not cause emptiness, however, it requires a leap of faith, and courageous fearless trust, as one must step into that void as a steadfast anchor of light, offering a new kind of sanctuary built on unbreakable sustainable trust. By pairing your unyielding leadership with absolute gentleness, you heal the trauma of isolation, teaching the heartbroken shattered soul that it no longer has to run, fight, or carry the heavy burden of survival all alone. This journey of sacred trust demonstrates to a scarred sentient being that even when the known world is completely shattered, the pieces can be gathered by a patient guide and reshaped into something even stronger. Training transformatively elevates the relationship into that of shared grace, turning the raw ache of a lost past and frontier into a deep partnership where two separate spirits find their ultimate freedom in each other. Apollo universally was sent into my life as my spirit animal, as our sacred bond required time, patience, unconditional empathetic love, forgiveness for the actions of others, and effortless grace, to trust the world again.