Mustang Saga

Naked horse! I've never seen Bella totally unclothed before. I love it! Look at that beautiful face. I know, I know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder... Right now she looks pretty darn good to me. Notice also that she isn't looking as sullen and resigned today. Some actual interest in what's going on. This is a good thing.

Once I put the training halter on her we worked on leading. She had to keep up, then she had to turn with me on the outside of the circle, her on the inside, without getting ahead or behind or in my space (or totally flustered). It didn't take long, once I brought my hand up to drive her eye away from me, but didn't allow her to rush forward. She said, "Oh, so that's what I need to do." And all was well. When we stopped the leading lesson she was traveling next to me on a slack lead without me nagging her to stay in place at all.

Sleepy, contemplative, I don't know, I just love seeing her with no halter on!

The girl looks good in black.
Naked again.

Then I put her grody old green halter back on her, for her turnout time, just in case she gets herself in a bad situation and forgets she can trust me in her panic. I don't think she's going to go through the fence or anything, but one has to be prepared. Tonight when I bring her in I'm going to let her spend the night completely unencumbered.

Is all this halter trying-on silly? No, not really. It's good to know she'll let me put them on and take them off (from the correct side, mind you! Big progress there!), regardless of their color or floppiness or smell. She did great today! Soon she'll be a normal horse, halterless in the big wide world.