"Let's Work this out. I'll go 90, you come 10..."
Part 1; The Pickup
When I walked into the pickup barn, I had no idea what I was about to get into. You know nothing. You could get a horse that is easy going, or one so afraid of humans they can't even look at you. The mustangs are different from domesticated horses. They're smarter, and more afraid. I walked through the barn, looking for my name on one of the boards. They loaded my horse, a bay mare, into my trailer for me using the system of fence they had set up. The first time I saw her, I was already in love. She needed to be cleaned up, and she had some raw patches on her muzzle that will have to be looked at, but I would definitely need her trust before she would allow me to touch those spots. This will be a challenge, but in a good way. When we stopped to get gas, I would go around and see her, let her sniff my hand. She didn't do much, which is a good sign to me. I feel as if she lets curiosity get the better of her, which could be helpful to me as I train her.
Part 2; Home sweet home
On my way home, I was thinking about names for this mare. I found just the right name a as a plane was taking off near my truck. Wings, Spread your wings. This mare has potential, she has her wings, she just needs my help to spread them. When we got home, I backed the trailer up to a round pen. I got out of my truck and walked around, getting in the pen and gently opening the door. She stayed put for a moment, snorting and looking around. I let her take it in, backing up a bit so she won't feel trapped inside. She started relaxing, and actually eating some of the hay from the trailer, so she wasn't really as stressed as I thought she would be. I saw I could push a little here, and I moved closer. She watched as I did, reaching out to sniff me. She finished off the last of the hay in her mouth and jumped out of the trailer gently to my surprise. She looked around, but still seemed to have a more relaxed feel about the situation she was in, so I walked in a half circle in front of her, holding her line and just checking to see what she would do. She lifted her head and watched me walk around her. I wanted to see if I could move her. I walked around again, she still was quite calm about it, so I tried walking towards her back side a bit more, spinning the rope. She turned around, moving to the other side of the ring, a bit less relaxed. I wanted to teach her, that the faster she relaxes, the faster I would leave, taking pressure off. When she did I backed off, releasing the pressure. Over time, it will condition them to be more relaxed when your around. After this break, I went back. I didn't want to keep the rope spinning around her so much, so I just tried moving her with the halter, seeing how she would respond. I pulled gently and walked in a half circle, seeing if she would move a bit for me. After this, we played 90-10, which she seemed to like. I would stand away a bit and hold of my hand. She would come up to touch it, and when she did I would reward her and try again. I wanted to get her curiosity going so we could work on our trust. Next, I wanted to see what she would tolerate from me. I tried jumping by her, she flinched a little, but soon relaxed. She let me put my arm around her back, which was very good, and she also allowed me to touch her girth area, which is a common sensitive spot. I tried to go a little further and lean on her back, but she wasn't very sure of it, so I backed off. I went back to desensitizing her to being touched, so I would go so far, and then back to her neck, then again, but a little farther. She was doing really well, she looks promising. I start by trying not to ask for a lot, but trying to get some sort of response from her. Today, my goals were more than achieved, and I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring for Wings.
