So Cute!

If only I'd had my camera on me tonight, I would have the cutest video to share with you.  Rick and I were badly in need of a ride, and it was a lovely evening, so we saddled a couple of trusty steeds and mounted up.  Belle and Woody (the fat little pony that is Belle's designated buddy) were hanging out in the arena, and instead of shooing them out, we let them stay, and left the gate open to the paddock, just to see what they would do.  Woody's favorite game is Follow the Leader, so when Rick went by him on his mare, Woody fell in behind.  What did Belle do?  She fell in behind Woody, and the three of them went round and round the arena in the cutest nose-to-tail fashion.  More than once, I created a diversion on my horse by getting in Belle's way or otherwise upsetting the queue, but Belle was able to out-think me and get back in line behind Woody every time.

Belle's progress toward the goal of becoming gentle and halter-broke is still going slow, but she is still progressing, so there is still hope for her.  Her interaction with us tonight was not only cute and sweet and funny, but also a real sign that she is interested in spending time with us.  Belle doesn't like to be pressured, and any attempt at forcing her to respond to proven training methods will only back-fire and cause a regression.  So, in the interest of staying safe and letting her keep her sanity, most of my time with Belle is of a quiet, gentle nature.  She is always happy to see me and follows me around, but stays at a distance of twelve feet or so from me.  In her stall, I can pick her rope up and ask her to come to me.  She'll come within a foot or two, but she doesn't relax and enjoy the experience at all.  Touching her with my hand hasn't happened yet, but she will allow me to scratch her all over with a lunge whip, and drape the string end of the whip all over her body. 

I don't know why Belle is so different from Capri and Siesta, but she is, and I respect and appreciate her unique personality.  Each mustang has something to teach me: Patience, Humility, Perseverance, and more.  Allowing the lessons to flow between the horse and the human creates a give-and-take relationship that is based on trust and love.  And that will, eventually, help Belle to be a Gentle Mustang.  In the meantime, I'm enjoying watching her bloom in her own time and in her own way.  And she really is just so Stinkin' Cute!