Lessons 6 & 7

It's starting to look like spring around here. The hills are turning from their dreary brown to fresh green grass. It rained this morning and early afternoon, but the good thing about living in a desert is that it dries up quickly.

I've been able to pick up Ali's feet and hold them instead of just pick them up. She is just mellow. She has tried to kick only on her back left leg. So when she does that, I think what she is telling me is, "Please, touch that foot a million more times so that I will stop trying to kick you."

Both days I rode her in the round pen and she stepped out great. She stayed in a gait until I asked her to change into a new gait. She was doing so well, so I decided to use my Aussie stockwhip to desensitize the air above her. It was amazing she didn't shy or get frazzled. She sped up a little bit the first time I cracked it, but that was it. I also used the whip to touch her front and back legs as I was riding her. Ali is also starting to stop really well and started to move off leg pressure. Of course none f these things are fine tuned yet, but that will come.

One of the most difficult things about a mustang is to gain their trust. I feel once you gain their trust then everything else during the training process should come easier because you aren't forcing them to do it... they are choosing to do the easy route. This actually applies to any horse.