[hiraeth + hound]

Username: Ezai
Name: Aiden
Gender: Stallion
Eye Color: Faded Navy

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Name:
Gender:
Halter Color:

[Guest]

Name: Aiden
Gender: Stallion
Halter Color: kind of a dark purple plaid if possible?

[Guest]

First encounter

'Frightened. Angry. Hurt.'
Those were the first words that came to mind when the large man first laid eyes on the brightly coloured stallion. It was quite obvious from the stallion's behaviour that humans were not something he had much contact with. That had been both disturbing and intriguing to the middle-aged man. He could not doubt that the stallion had piqued his interest, yet his voice was thick with annoyance as he inquired about the horse.
"Why did you call me in about this one?" He questioned, admittedly it came out more accusing then the man had intended it to. "You know darn well I run a rescue center, not a training facility for the untamed." The scowl on his face told it all. He did not want this horse and there was little way he would be swayed.

"William, please. Hear us out." The woman protested, "We know that but he needs a home." She paused for a short second as she glanced at the wild stallion. "He's not going to be able to find a stable home. Not with his condition-"
"Condition? Ha, you mean the fact that he is completely untamed." William cut her off with a laugh and a dismissing wave of his hand. "Look, Minnie. We don't have the space nor the time to take him in. He doesn't need rescue. He needs training. Or turned back out into the wild. I'm sorry but we just can't be taking in those who have the possibility of finding a home."
The woman at this point was scowling with her arms folded against her chest, though she was not angry. She was used to working with the stubborn man to the point that his dismissal of her did little to stop her. "He's not just wild. If you would have let me finish," her pale eyes now staring the man down, "I would have been able to tell you that he's got some problems."

The raising of William's eyebrow encouraged Minnie to continue speaking, "He started to display some odd behaviours shortly after they captured him. Acting as if there was a demon taking him over, thrashing about trying to get loose. And when he did get loose, he kept running into things."
"Vision problems?" The man questioned. "He doesn't appear to be blind. He's navigating the pasture fine."
"That's the thing, he's not blind. He can see, just fine per say...., We've noticed he has a severe issue with depth perception. It's as though he's not able to tell how far away an object is from him." Her voice trailed off for a moment as she turned her gaze to the red stallion. "Because of this, he's not one I'd say is suitable for riding or work. Which makes him nearly impossible to adopt out in this area. And I'm not keen on recommending they release him back into the wild where he could get hurt. Therefore-"

"Therefore, he lands in my court of things." William murmured, his brown eyes following the horse as it paced from side to side. Silence rang out between the two of them as the man watched. Minutes ticked by as Minnie waited for the man's next move.
William sighed and shock his head, clearly not keen on this situation. "Tell the people at Bear Run that I'll be taking this one into my care."

As he spoke he was cut off by the sudden and forceful hug he received. The woman couldn't hold back the relief and gratitude she felt for him agreeing to take on this challenge. "William J. Rutger, you might be a pain in my butt, but you are a good man. Thank you."

He smiled slightly, "I'll bring the trailer tomorrow to take him home."

[Guest]

Adjusting to a new home//Gaining Trust

William sighed as he watched the stallion trot in nervous circles around the isolated pasture. It had been eight days since he brought the wild horse to the center and he still hadn't calmed down enough to be moved to the main barn. Even though he had displayed some issues at first with navigating the field, the stallion seems to have adapted to it completely."Just when are you going to settle down." He huffed as he leaned over the wooden fence. "It can't be fun out here all alone. But we can't be moving you to popular areas where you could hurt someone with all that nervous energy."
Ears flickered and the motion stopped at the sound of the man's deep voice. Will's brow furrowed as he focused more intently on the horse. This was one of the few times he had seen this wild guy stand still since he was introduced to him. The stallion never stopped moving even when he ate. Only stopped to sleep, which was always short lived.
"So talking makes you still." Will spoke again, this time focusing on the stallions reaction. "Odd for a wild thing like you choosing to not run away at a human's voice." Still the stallion stayed where he stood, his blue eyes staring into the man's brown eyes.
The stand off lasted for minutes as silence surrounded the two of them. William narrowed his eyes as he contemplated the next move.
"You know, contrary to what people think, I'm a rather impatient man." The man stood tall, his hand gripping the top plank of the fence. "So how about a challenge? Let's see how wild you really are." As he finished the sentence, William smoothly jumped over the fence.
His advance was met with a fierce snort and sharp stamp of a hoof into the soft grass. A tail whipped to one side as the stallion's ears flicked back. "Relax you fiery thing." The man chuckled as he took a seat on the ground. "I'm not gonna move towards you. Not yet and not for a bit. This is your choice. You get to decide if you're going to continue your tantrum or if you're going to get friendly. Cause I can't keep you if you don't get friendly."
The stallion said where he was for a time. Watching the man with distrust as well as curiosity, which did not go unnoticed. It didn't surprise William. After all it was quit possible this horse's first interaction with humans involved them chasing him from his herd and roping him down for capture. Slowly, the stallion inched towards him. A step at a time with a long pause after each one.
It took a few hours but the man remained in his spot until the stallion finally nudged his shoulder. Slowly, he lifted his hand and placed it on the stallion's jaw. His touch was met with a startled jerk, but that did not last. "There we go. See your new home and it's people here aren't so bad."

Halter:

It's not the most fancy halter but it is one that looks good on him. It was a dark purple colour for the main part, though not solid in colour. It was broken up by a simple boxed plaid design. Nothing to complicated but enough to give the horse a more striking halter than a plain colour one.

Seeing the property // Meeting a friend

Another three weeks had since the stallion had come. He still remained in the isolated pasture but he had since gained both a name and a halter. His trust with Will had been growing, as the wild tolter now greets the man at the fence as he approaches. Usually the Will had a treat for the tolter but today was different. Instead of an apple or peppermint, the man held a lead rope in his hand. "Well, Aiden. You've come a long way, i think it's time you got a better look around the place."
He carefully approached Aiden and attached the rope to the plaid halter. Keeping in mind the stallion's problems with depth perception, he eased the tolter out of the pasture with care. "Now we've worked on you being okay with the lead rope. Just don't go forgetting our work on staying calm."
Aiden was still very much unpredictable and William was well aware of this. With each step he was prepared to stand his ground should the tolter freak out. They had been working for weeks together on using the lead rope and gaining the trust that Will wouldn't let him bump into anything. It only made sense to test this newly gained skill and trust by exposing Aiden to the rest of the property and its inhabitants.
"You see, we aren't a place for most equines. Or other creatures. We take in those animals who others don't want or cant take care of." The man explained as he lead the stallion towards the main building, going at the tolters pace. "We get a lot of injured animals. A good chunk we adopt out after they have healed, but others remain here for good. You, Aiden, are one of those. You'll join the ranks of our forever members. They're quite a lively bunch, don't let them trick you."
As the barn came into sight, the pace slowed to almost a stop. Aiden displaying signs of hesitation, the same ones William had connected to the stallion thinking he was going to run into something. "Relax, it's still a bit away. That barn you see is the one where we keep our main residents. The ones who stay with us forever and the one's who are almost ready to be adopted. Eventually, this is where you will be."
Thier path was soon cut off by the sudden barking and blur of movement towards them. This resulted in Aiden rearing up in force letting out a startled squeal. In order to keep him under control, the man had to plant his feet into the ground and pull down on the rope. "Easy now, its just Toaster." William grunted as he motioned towards the small black and silver merle border collie. Aiden relaxed enough to stand still but still eye'd the odd looking dog with hesitation. Toaster, the three-legged, one eye'd dog seemed completely un-phased by this and continued his friendly assault on the tolter and man.
After a couple minutes, they resumed the tour of the rehabilitation center with Toaster in toe. Much to Aiden's dislike, the dog weaved between his legs and bounded circles around them. Yet, William did little to shoo the pup away as he had two intentions with letting the dog run loose like this. One, this was something the tolter needed to get used to. Two, Toaster needed a friend just as much as Aiden did.
During this tour, Aiden was exposed to many more kinds of equines then he had ever seen. From wild mountian equids to Phaethon tekes all the way to woodland saber drafts. All here, like him, for a certain reason. rescued from neglect, recovering from injuries or just not adoptable. All of them had a place here. And with Williams help Aiden would find his perfect spot here too.
"We have a lot more work to do, but soon you will find your place here and in that barn. But for now, its just you, that pasture and Toaster." Willaim said as he walked the tolter back to his isolated pasture.

[Guest]

First time with saddle // Ground work // First ride

After 5 months on the property, Aiden had finally made himself at home. Though he still remained in isolated pasture with Toaster the dog, he spent a good bulk of the day in the main barn. His lead rope skills had improved greatly, now putting full trust in his human friend that he would run into anything. William, working at Aiden's own pace for the most part had begun lunging the tolter just two weeks back. And now, he felt it was time to give the stallion the last big push in his training. Riding.
This wasn't going to be the most pleasant thing for the semi-tame stallion but William was sure he would take todays rapid progression in stride. He had tied Aiden to a post in the closed off area. A place where he could introduce the stallion to the saddle in peace. A place devoid of distractions and other creatures. Well, besides Toaster laying in the far corner.
He spent several minutes rubbing on the stallion, patting and stroking the stallions chest and back where the saddle would sit. Increasing his pressure with each pass as to simulate the pressure one would feel once the object was placed on him. Once done, he gave little time for the horse to react before quickly placing the saddle on his back and buckling the straps.
This quick progression was met with the exact reaction the man had expected. Ears pinned back and hoofs kicked up into the air as the stallion began to buck at the added saddle. "You ain't gonna kick it off. Just go with it." The man chuckled as he waited for the short tempered Aiden to go still. He wasn't a dumb horse and many times William swore he could understand speech clear as day. After a few more kicks and stomps of annoyance, Aiden when still. His dark blue eyes giving William a slight glare. Despite the annoyance, there was not ounce of distrust in his look.
"You can't just stand around all day. We got to find a task for you to do." William spoke as he untied the rope from the pole. "Theres a lot of jobs for you guys to do here, but the most enjoyable ones involving being ridden. And thats what im going to introduce to you today." He slowly started to walk Aiden around, getting the stallion used to how the saddle felt before he would dare to get on.
Ears flicked forwards and back as he walked Aiden around the arena, his pace picking up slowly with each lap they made. Eventually he got to quick walk before William switched from leading the stallion to lunging him. The increased speed and the feeling of the stir-ups hitting his side caused the stallion to buck every few steps. But, William kept his moving, refusing to let him slow down or stop. "They wont hurt you, its just bothersome. But it's normal. Don't be getting upset over something so small."
He only let Aiden go up to a brisk trot, and kept him going until he had made a significant amount of laps without a buck or shake of the head.
He slowed the stallion to a walk then to a stop, giving Aiden a moment to catch his breath and surroundings before approaching him. "Very good. See it's not a big deal." He spoke gently as he patted the horse's neck. "Just something you gotta get used to." After several minutes of patting, William gripped his halter with one hand. "Now for the hardest part. And today wont entail everything. Cause today, you get to stay in your halter. Usually there's a bridle we put on before ridding, but considering you dont like thinks near your mouth and this is all new....I'll cut you some slack." He said with a small chuckle.
The man carefully observed Aiden's reactions as he put one foot in the stir-up and swiftly mounted the stallion. Aiden bounded forwards several steps in surprise and dislike of the sudden weight and disappearance of his human friend. "hey buddy," William coaxed gently as he patted the horses neck. "that was pretty good for a first time. Now lets see how you do with walking. Go on now, take a few steps." He encouraged as he prodded the horse forward with a gentle tap on the side. Aiden has shifted from annoyance to hesitant as he had lost his guide. Too hesitant to move forward in fear he would run into a pillar, or the wall. "Don't worry about how close or far away things are." William spoke, picking up on the hesitation. "I'm still here. I'll function as your eyes in the depth department. Just trust me." With that, Aiden walked forward, following cues to go left or right from pressure William applied to both his neck and side. "That's it. See, not too bad." He spoke as they inched thier way around the arena. It was at a snails pace, but the tolter did it. With each time they successfully made it around, his steps grew a little more confident. Though more confident, his pace didn't increase anymore than by an inch.
"For a first day, and me throwing you straight into the fire," William said as he removed the saddle, "You did really well." His had rested on the stallion's back as he praised him. "You trust me to keep you from bumping into things, and ill trust you not to throw me off. deal?"
His question was answered as the horse swung his head around just enough to bump into and then nibble the man's shoulder.

done

[hiraeth + hound]

Congratulations! This bab is now tamed! ♥

[Guest]

Sweet! Thank you so much, Aiden is my first ever tolter c: