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Gaining trust and a new beginning
The past few days at the barn, I've been working with a beautiful horse.<br>A beautiful, scared, overly cautious, untrusting horse.<br>He's BEAUTIFUL bay thoroughbred. I'm not sure why he is so cautious and nervous, I'll ask my boss...but I know there was something that had happened to him that makes him very cautious. <br>In only 3 hours over the course of 2 days I've gained his trust. And I've saddled him.<br>But it wasn't that simple..<br><br><br>Since I can't ride because of my ankle, my boss asked me if I wanted a challenge. <br>She took me back to this stall where he was just standing there, pressed against the wall as far away from the stall door as he could get. <br>My boss looked at me and said 'See if you can get him to trust you. Your goal for the day is for him to let you touch his shoulder and back without him acting nervous.'<br>Seemed simple enough!<br>Yeah...I was wrong. <br>I didn't want to risk getting stepped on so I stood at his stall door with my secret weapon...a hand full of grain.<br>Even the slightest movement made him pin his ears and thrust his neck. So I waited until everyone was out of the barn and it was calm and quiet.<br>So I just stood there for about 5 minutes until the smell of the grain got the best of him. <br>Within 15 minutes he let me touch his nose and face with no problems (other than the occasional pinning back of his ears.)<br>Within 30 minutes I could touch his neck and hold onto his halter without him jerking away. <br>And within 45 minutes he let me touch his shoulder and back. <br><br>When my boss came to check on me all she could say was 'Wow. You really did it?'<br>Yep. I did.<br>I've never been so proud!<br>Yesterday I worked on just laying a saddle pad on his back without him getting spooked. After about an hour he did it! It was an amazing feeling!<br><br>And today I reached my ultimate goal in just 30 minutes. <br>I got a saddle pad, saddle, and girth on him. <br><br>When my boss asked me how his progress was today I told her and she made me show her so she could see it first hand.<br>He also followed he around the paddock today and I tried some natural horsemanship exercises.<br>I'm in love with this horse! He's gentle and very very sweet once he has your trust.<br><br>I'll get pictures of him on Friday! Along with pictures of the mare we bred ^.^
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