Mustang Saga

Anchor leads! He followed me all the way around his pen and then got some treats and gave a big sigh. I think he was relieved to realize that's all I really wanted.

However, going around the other direction with him wasn't as easy. He'd get stuck and he did bolt a few times, but he only spun and got the rope around his neck once. The other times he gave to my pull on the rope, turned toward me and stopped. I'd call that great progress.

In another exercise he was having trouble moving his hindquarters away and was crowding me with his head/shoulder so I did have to bring my hand up and block his head at one point. He didn't like that but he didn't crowd me like that again and he started paying more attention and moving his hindquarters the way I was asking.

I put more pressure on him today, just expecting him to step up to the plate and do what he was asked rather than being reactive. It worked beautifully. He was a little shaky but he was responding correctly and in the end he did lead around the pen in the way that had been difficult for him. I gave him the last of my treats (which he consistently takes from my hand all the time now!) and gave him a good jaw rub and called it a morning.