Apollo the Mustang: A Golden Boy

Mountaineering Mustangs! Throughout the month of January, we are featuring mustangs and mustang crosses.

Did you know that dressage riders who choose a mustang as their mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Mustang & Burro Association, Inc. is a participating organization?

An adult amateur shares how she went from being a lifelong Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron fan to owning her own mustang – a gelding who didn’t check a single box on her list of what she wanted in a horse. 

By Alex Moen

On July 4th, 2023, I had one of my favorite rides of my entire life; riding on the trails bareback in the pouring rain with my good friend, we had a grand time, laughing and celebrating. But there was one thought in the back of my mind: the only thing that could make this better was if I were riding my own horse. 

A long-time lover of Cloud and Spirit, I was drawn to the idea of a mustang. They’re known for being healthy and having good feet, and what’s better for trails than a horse that’s been out in the wild? Unsure where to start, my first step was to reach out to my good friend and mustang trainer, Meghan Malloy, for guidance. We came up with a list of criteria: I’d prefer a mare, roan, or buckskin in color, and between three and five years old. Meghan sent me so many available horses, but none of them called to me. 

Then, one day, Meghan tagged me in a photo of a mustang available at a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Storefront (a sort of intermediary between the BLM and adopters). I was immediately taken. “Wait… I love him…” I commented back to her. 

In the photo was a six-year-old chestnut South Steens Herd Management Area gelding. Not a single criterion box on my list had been checked, but something had grabbed me, and I knew he was the one. He had a kind and curious eye, and was nicely built. I took to calling him “Golden Boy,” and then “Apollo” – I knew I had found the one. 

I decided to have someone gentle him and then ship him to Meghan in Florida for saddle training. When Apollo eventually moved to Florida, I booked a plane ticket and flew down. 

Meeting Apollo for the first time was a surreal experience. I had received daily updates during his gentling, and knew so much about him, but at the same time, we were strangers. Apollo was introverted and still learning to trust humans, and I was a lifelong horse girl who had just gotten her first pony. My exuberance had to be contained, no matter how difficult it was for me. Having only a few days to spend in Florida, I fed him countless horse treats, trying to do anything that would create a lasting impression. 

At the end of his 90 days, I traveled back to Florida to learn the “buttons” that Meghan had put on him, and to ride my horse for the very first time. It was an emotional experience, but I don’t think I stopped smiling at all that day. I stayed for a few days and took lessons from Meghan, who knew him best. 

I wanted to feel a deeper connection with Apollo, but I continued to feel a separation between us… I hoped that time would help develop a bond. At the end of the week, I loaded Apollo onto a trailer, and got myself on a plane. It was January and 80° in Florida. The next day, I met Apollo in Massachusetts – in a fresh foot of snow and 20° weather. Thankfully, he adapted to it well, even seeming to enjoy the snow. 

The next year had its ups and downs for us as a pair. Apollo regressed in his training, had a few bolting incidents, and became shy about haltering. I spent countless hours on the phone with Meghan. We took lessons, trailered to clinics, and I dove into groundwork, learning how to communicate with Apollo and strengthen our bond. 

Even so, I began to feel like I was in way over my head. Every time I felt like we had achieved forward progression, we then took steps backward. During that time, the barn we were at closed, and we moved to a new barn. Apollo was more at ease on the new property, and our bond had strengthened with the groundwork. But, something still remained off. 

I talked to my vet, had his saddle refit, and changed his bit. But nothing solved the issues. He would still randomly overreact to small things. Until one day, it hit me like a bag of bricks: ulcers. I called my vet immediately, and we started him on ulcer treatment. On the second day, Apollo was a different horse. He was calmer, he didn’t overreact to little things, looked happier, began gaining weight, and was eating better. 

It was at this point that I finally felt like we began a steady forward progression. All of the groundwork, dressage, and liberty lessons had developed our ability to communicate and increased our trust in each other, and out of that, a bond had been formed.  

Feeling hopeful, I signed Apollo up for the New England Dressage Association’s (NEDA) virtual dressage show, and took him over to the neighboring farm to use their ring to record our ride, and to make it more “show-like.” Apollo exceeded my expectations, and we even received a 70% on our Into B test. Gaining confidence from this endeavor, I signed us up for Intro A and B at a small schooling show. Apollo handled it like a star, and received many compliments from onlookers. Finally, in the fall of 2025, I decided to challenge our partnership and canter in public for the first time. The judges loved him! It was clear – Apollo was meant to be in the sandbox.

Apollo has already had so many challenges in his life. I often say that he was “abducted by aliens” at five, gelded, spent a year in holding, shipped from Oregon to North Carolina, and then was sent to Georgia, where he had to learn a whole new way of life. He continued to learn how to be domesticated in Florida, and then I rudely shipped him to Massachusetts in the middle of winter. Even so, Apollo has flourished. 

It was hard for me at first, being an extrovert, to learn how to train and communicate with a horse that is an introvert. Apollo taught me to have patience, and to stop while you’re ahead; he taught me how important it is to have proper, clear communication with your horse. And together, we’ve developed a bond I’ve never experienced with another horse. We have lofty goals of making it to First Level next year, but I know with patience and good communication, we’ll get there. My best advice is, don’t let the hard days win. There were many times when I felt I needed to give up, and find someone to give Apollo to. Listen to your horses, spend time on the ground with them, and learn how to communicate with each other. Those things will develop a bond full of trust and open lines of communication that will allow you to do anything together.