It's The Little Things

Belle is starting to relax a bit, finally.  Last night, for the first time, she got brave enough to eat her hay while I was watching, and let me get within twelve feet of her before she stopped eating and took a couple of steps away from me.  I know it seems trivial, but it was really a huge indication that she is beginning to feel comfortable around me.  Until then, she wouldn't go near her feed if I was watching at all, even from a great distance.  In fact, most of the time she would stand with her right side against the wall and only give me the merest glance if I was talking to her.  Tonight, though, she willingly faced up to me with her ears forward and her eyes were soft and bright.  She let me see her right side...I was beginning to wonder if she had one!  Mustangs typically protect their right side, and when they loosen up and show it (and later let me touch it) it is a sure sign of letting down their guard.

When I was holding the end of the rope, Belle took side steps towards me when I asked her to, as long as I was moving too, so that she wasn't actually getting closer to me, but was moving with me.  Kind of like leading sideways.  I'll take what ever she'll give me right now, so that was just fine.  She also let me move towards her with my arm outstretched.  I played Pressure and Release with her, which helps her learn that she gets rewarded (the release is the reward) when she looks at me or moves towards me.  She has a strong flight instinct, but no fight, so as long as I stay out of her way when she bolts forward, I'm fine.  She's bolting less often now, and she's learned to settle down and listen when I ask her to stop.  She is a smart girl, and she is so Stinking pretty!

Working through the challenges is what makes training mustangs so rewarding.  We like to think of them as blank slates, but really they are less than blank, if there is such a thing.  They know nothing of us, but they do know how to survive and protect themselves.  They don't speak our language, so it is up to us to communicate with body language that makes sense to them.  It really is remarkable that we're able to not only convince them that we're not going to have them for dinner, but to forge a deep and lasting bond with them.  A bond that once earned, will never be revoked.  I feel like I'm firmly on the path now that will lead me to having a bond with Belle.  I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!