Day 7 8 & 9 "You can leave your hat on"

Well through my crouching down and walking around looking like some hunched over turtle...Lindsay has begun to realize I am not so scary after all :)

Saturday night, late after the barrel race, I went in to rub on her and walk around her using my most non-invasive body language. For the first time she let me rub up the left side of her neck!... Now, she was by no means comfortable with me actually on her left side, but did allow me to touch her there. After some neck rubbing I was even able to rub on the side of her jaws, both at the same time! She has been extremely cautious of my hands anywhere near her face, so this step was huge in my book :) We left on that note and she followed me a few steps when I walked away.

The next day, Sunday, I went back in to do the same thing...and after a little while to work ourselves up to where we left off I was even able to let my hand pass over her muzzle and even over her right eye, how excited I was! I know from our babies that covering a horse's muzzle is a very uncomfortable request for any horse. Instinct tells them they need their muzzle and nostrils free to breath...and instinct is right, they certainly do. It even takes the babies a little while to become comfortable with my hand over their muzzles...of course I am careful not to restrict their breathing, but until they realize that, they are a bit tense...I am not the least bit surprised that a 6 year old Mustang whom has been surviving just fine without my new found TLC, much due to her perfectly good muzzle free from human hands, would have some reservations about my hands over such a vulnerable place. But she allowed them their! At first I would just lightly pass by that area with my hand and she would slightly pick her head up, but not flee entirely, after a few repetitions she was comfortable with the feel of my hand passing over the front of her face and muzzle! As I left her this time she followed me a bit closer to the gate.

Sunday night I could not help but ponder the possibility of haltering her soon. After all, being able to touch her over her muzzle and the front of her face was a necessity in even attempting the halter and she appeared comfortable with that. She still however was quite uncomfortable with anything hanging or swinging around her face, as any halter inevitably would, plus I was still only able to touch her on her right...most halters buckle on the left...so I thought and thought...

The next morning (today) I had a plan. I would put a halter on her in segments. First the section around her neck and throat latch area...then the part around her nose. I would tie them together and viola... makeshift halter is created. I had some sections of rope, similar to that in which a rope halter is made. I balled the section of rope up in my hand and put it around her neck, careful not to let it drop and startle her...I then put the other rope curled up in my hand around her nose and tied it back to the neck rope. It went quite well and she never really knew the rope was even there. I let her walk around a bit to adjust to the new feel of the rope over her nose and other than tossing her head up and down a bit she adjusting rather quickly.

Then to my next plan... hooking the lounge line to my new makeshift halter. Once it was snapped and I prepared to send her off to move around me I wasn't sure what to expect. I had all ideas she would bolt in fear of the snake attached to her, but she really did quite well and appeared to lounge like a pro. After a few times around I begin to introduce pressure to her. I simply would pull gently, but steadily on the lounge line towards my body as I also used my voice to bring her momentum down. She recognized my voice and began to settle, but when she felt the pressure of the rope on her nose she pulled back harder and sped back up. I did my best to maintain my cues, no stronger, but no lighter as well. I continued with my voice, using the same, rhythmic tone to encourage slower rhythm and maintained the same even pressure on the line. As soon as I felt the smallest hint of give I released the pressure on the line and continued my verbal encouragement. Lindsay quickly began to catch on and after some practice we were lounging and slowing speed by slight pressure on the line. As she become more confident I limited my verbal cues and asked Lindsay to rely on the cues from the pressure of the line. She learned quickly and continued to slow her speed and stop at pressure on the line alone.

I would have been pleased with simply the above, but her mind still seemed absorbent and ready for more so we continued. After her becoming much more comfortable with the pressure of the halter on her face and how to respond to it. I introduced a rope halter and began rubbing it over her face and her muzzle. She did try to shoot away a few times, but with our new tool of pressure and more importantly release of pressure, she realized the rope was not such a bad thing. Before long I was able to put the rope halter on her as well!...Still from the right, but still progress!

Now that the rope halter was on we continued to work on giving to pressure. As she became more and more at ease with my hands around her face and the rope around her face I began making my way into her left eye. I had to hold her face over at first in order to stay in her left eye, and she shoot away quite a few times, but I brought her right back in and asked again for her to allow me to stay there.

As if she had been thinking it over and came to the conclusion that I was not so bad she simply began to stand quietly. She let me not only rub her face and side with my hands on her left, but allowed me to toss the scary snake rope all over her as well. I practiced switching sides, and other than a little encouragement by my hand on her face to allow me to step over from her right to left, she simply stood there and let me toss the lounge rope all around including all over her ears and face! She even seemed to get into it a bit and encouraged me to scratch her around the ears and side of her head under the halter where her sweat was making her itchy.

What excitement to see her actually appearing to somewhat enjoy my company, not only begin to accept me into her "Safe place" but seem to enjoy that I was there! Each day and each session I witness her trust building, but today was truly a red letter day for me. So many pieces of the puzzle seemed to fall into place for her...and she seems to be very content with the way things are progressing. I am now even more thankful we opted to not have a halter put on her in the shoot and that we have done our joining up in the open round pen. I feel like it has really enabled us to develop a relationship before any "artificial aids" were involved. Her trust in me is the most important asset to our partnership. There is no doubt she is confident in herself, for her to gradually be allowing me within that circle of security is a wonderful feeling!