Sorry to have been MIA! Where to begin, this week has brought so much!  I don't have a round pen, so I began by teaching Gabe how to lunge.  He had clearly never been lunged before so it took time for him to understand his job was to stay out on the circle, even when something scared him or he got tired.  He proved himself to be amazingly in-tune with my flickers of inattention and would turn in and spin at that very mili-second! J  With each day, though, he is more and more willing to stay out where he belongs.

As a next step, I started with a surcingle.  Tightening the cinch made him wary, but he accepted it well overall.  I played "bridle" in his stall during the hot afternoons and within a couple of days he had quickly accepted the foreign object in his mouth.  He had done the usual chewing and shaking at the beginning indicating he'd probably never had a bit in his mouth before.  But always a gentleman, he was willing to let me put it on and take it off  dozens of times.  I did some ground driving to get him used to steering and stopping and responding to the bit.  That took some time getting used to, but often even saddle horses have trouble moving out on their own ahead of the person holding the reins.  I actually think he would make a fabulous carriage horse, but unfortunately I do not have a harness sized to fit him.

I began to wonder if he'd been ridden, maybe in a hackamore, but ridden none the less.  I put a saddle on, lunged him, snapped the stirrups, let them bounce around.  No reaction.  No butt tucking, no bucking, no running from the saddle on the lunge line.  He was present and listening, aware, but didn't seem afraid.  A few days of that and shaking the saddle and putting weight in the stirrups, and leaning over his back, and still nothing.  It was time.  After all, maybe it would be a non-event, maybe he had been a saddle horse.

Based on my relationship with Gabe I wanted to be at his head for his first time.  My wonderful husband was game to be first up and Sharon was also at his head.  Guapo knew Sharon and I well and trusted us, so I figured that was the best arrangement to start.  J. leaned into the saddle and Guapo stood still.  Listening to what was going on back there, but not overly concerned.  J. slowly got onto the saddle, carefully ensuring not to touch his rump with his leg as it swung over and sat quietly and softly into the seat.  Nothing.  We all started joking that we were making a big ordeal out of the process and Guapo was probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

We were wrong.  We asked him to take a step forward and Guapo expressed himself for the first time in an explosion of incredible grace and power.  Sharon and I didn't stand a chance containing it.  J. sailed equally as gracefully off into the dirt, Guapo ran to the corner of the arena and turned toward us.  His head low.  No victory lap, no malice, just a look of concern and "whoa, what just happened!?"  I caught him easily, he put his nose into my chest, and I assured him that what he had done was not going to be reprimanded.  Honest expressions of fear would always be met with patience and understanding.  J. came over to assure him of the same and we brought him back to the block.  J. is a trooper!!  It took a few tries, but we did finally get a step before he would lose it completely.  One step at a time.

So, Guapo has shouted loud and clear that he has never been ridden!  J. is sound and healthy (albeit a little sore!) as is Guapo.  For me, the training moment was a beautiful one.  Gabe clearly thought he was going to "get it good" for his actions.  The trust that was built in the moment I rubbed his neck, the softening of his eye, the whites returning back beneath his eyelid, that is what this is all about for me.  Guapo is an "introvert" of the strongest variety and has only shown me glimpses of his true personality.  It seems he fears even making a mistake.  I look forward to him learning each day that his personality is very much wanted in the equation, even if it is an expression of fear.   Only when he comes out of his shell will he truly begin to enjoy the companionship he already seems to seek.

We have had several sessions since that day and he now understands that I am not a lion on his back about to sink my teeth into his neck.  He is still very concerned about my weight shifting or how he is going to carry me through a turn,  but each day he makes significant strides.  I would be remiss if I did not thank Sharon (shown in picture with the golden child) and J. heartily for all of their patience and help in getting Guapo through these important challenges.

I am working on posting video soon so you can see him move, he is truly beautiful!