Day 22... Freedom :)

Well, we started off in the round pen as usual. I did add sports medicine boots to Lindsay's front legs today. She was fine for me to put them on, but she thought they were awful funny looking...it was like she said "My legs are not supposed to be purple!" She stretched way back with both front legs sticking out in front of her and checked them out real good before deciding purple legs were ok.

We ground drove a little and sacked out w/ the noodle and flexed and up I went. We cantered again, she was great. No buck :) So out of the round pen we went.

She gets so happy when she realizes we are going out, I just love to see her enjoying herself. I rode her from the pen to the arena...which does have some fencing around it, but is not enclosed. We walked and trotted circles, doing lots of following our nose..especially tracking right...that was the way we were a little less soft at first. Lindsay's really "mouthy" w/ the bit (plays with it a lot) but she responds to it well and I'm going to let her keep playing with it for a while. I have all ideas she'll quite her mouth on her own in time. She loves being out in the open, especially in the tall weeds and really seems to enjoy every minute. I sure do.

After we rode I hopped of a let her hand graze a bit. I pulled her bridle off and just had her halter with a lead on it. I had attached the lead to a snap with a zip tie and the snap was hooked to the halter. She grazed for a bit and my husband Mike walked up. Well, she has been very cautious of him...as well as Anyone else for that matter. She picked her head up and was noticeably apprehensive at his arrival, but stood her ground. He quietly reached his hand out to touch her neck and she bolted away!!! Well, my trusty zip tie was not as strong as I thought. As soon as she reached the end of the line it popped!!! She did shy away hard, but she did not pull hard when she got to the end of the line. I honestly think had the zip tie not broken so easily she would have let me hold her. I've had many things frighten her in the round pen and she has not pulled away from me. Anyway, the zip tie popped and off she went! ...keep in mind this arena does have some fencing, but is NOT fenced in entirely, there are open spots in it all over! I remembered a FB friend whom also has a new Mustang talk of hers jumping the fence and how nervous she was that she would never catch him. But he came right to her!!! So I just said a prayer and reached out my hand and snapped my fingers like I have so many times. She stopped and turned to face me! I began to approach her and I could tell she was aware she was not in the round pen and was really loving this open space. She started to walk away and I snapped again and began to walk around her to encourage her to follow suit. Thankfully she did just that and I was able to walk right up to her and put the lead back on! Thank the good lord! I let her hand graze quite a while longer and basked in the thought that my "Wild" partner had actually made a conscious, willing decision to allow me back in..even though she was no doubtedly "Free" at that moment! What a wonderful feeling and what an Amazing Horse!

{You may be thinking... "What in the world was she thinking using a zip tie???" Well, I am now thinking that as well...but my reason was I wanted to be able to use my long cotton rope as reins hooked to her halter...It was to thick to slid through the halter lope, and I wanted to be able to remove it..so I thought.."I'll attach a snap to it, then I can snap it on and off" ... Well, my snap ring was also to small for my thick rope, so that's where my brilliant zip tie idea came into play... Thought those suckers were stronger than that!...Anyway..that was my not so brilliant reasoning... Thankfully my partner is much more intelligent!}

After we went back in the round pen we practiced walking over a piece of plywood, she hesitated at first, but before long was willingly crossing it from all angles. I then thought I really should see if she would let Mike touch her. It is inevitable that "people" will be around us at events..this is something we need to work on no doubt! So Mike walked in beside me, she immediately become tense and reminded me of when I tried to touch her the first time. Those big brown eyes got as large as they could and she stood rigid! Mike just stood there, very calm and non-invasive..she never really seemed to relax even with me rubbing her and comforting her, if he even started to reach out she tried to bolt away. So I thought of another plan. I had Mike walk away from us and Lindsay and I followed behind him. To show Lindsay that he was not trying to be aggressive, actually it was as if she was pushing him away, which considering her fear was helping her relax. We walked about 5 laps and she went from staying a good 8 foot behind him to being only a foot and even stretching her nose out a bit towards his back. Once he turned his head and that startled her again, but he kept walking and we kept walking and she gained some confidence back. I do believe we shall start adding this in to every lesson. Mike is a very calm, quite hand with a horse..I am certain if there is any man she would learn to trust it would be him. Hopefully as time progresses she will see that anyone I say is ok, is really ok. We are certainly going to need to be a bit more accustomed to other people though before we take of to a horse show! As intelligent as she is, I am certain if I explain it to her correctly she will understand quickly :)

She continues to teach me so much. I am so thankful for each moment of her time. It really is a gift the way she offers herself so openly. I treasure each connection.