Here are a few photos from the beginning of our journey.
'Sweet Pea' took quite a while to get a name. She was so nervous at first I wanted to what her personality was like once she trusted me. I could see right from the get go, even though she was scared, she wanted to work with me. Her face wore so many different expressions, I have never seen a wild horse go through that many emotions during gentling. She would get 'sticky feet' and freeze, almost going into a 'play bow' like a dog when she wasn't sure where to go. Once I asked her to move, she was able to relax. As I began to work my way towards the first touch, she licked, chewed, chattered (like a baby would to a stallion) and even thought about nipping (which she never did). She would lean her neck towards me like she knew being scratched was a reward, yet her eyes would not be able to look at me for more than a second. She had to fight a lot of instinct to give me a chance, and I am sure glad she did.
Anthony's mare, Luna is a very different personality. She moves very freely and you can easily see the Friesian influence in her HMA Flannigan. She is incredibly curious and was following him around the first day.
Once Sweet Pea gave me a chance, the real fun began. She let me switch halters and play with a saddle pad on her back. I am truly impressed with her willingness to learn.
She has been leading well and always wants to be reassured with a scratch or two.
After picking up her feet, leading her around, and playing with the saddle pad, I wanted to see if she was ok with the saddle. I showed it to her, lead her around, and plopped it on her back. She had almost no reaction, which was great! You all know what the next step means...
I wanted to leave you with a 'teaser' picture so be sure to check back soon. There will be some great photos to follow...
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