May I introduce: This is Corazon. She’s a mustang and was born in the wild. Then she was rounded up and she got abused. Now she lives with Sara Fancy at the Silver Horse Retreat.
During my time here Sara and I want to get her used to having a rider on her back. Or even being ridden properly.
You all probably know that I’m not sure how I feel about riding.
That is why I think it is very interesting to see the process of starting a horse, to see how a horse reacts to riding when it hasn’t had any bad experiences. When riding is still completely new
and neutral. How will she like it? How will she react? Will she accept it? Will she enjoy it?
So, I’ve been working with her over the last couple of weeks now. Sometimes we would just go into the paddock to meditate together, sometime we did something more “serious”. That means having her
come to me and getting her used to being touched and brushed on her back. After she was very comfortable with that I added leaning on her. And now, look what happened today! I felt like she is
“ready” that I can climb on her back.
What I really like about the way Sara and I are doing this is that it is completely at liberty. Well, okay, we are in a small paddock, she can’t run away very far. But we don’t even have a halter
and rope on her. Yes, that still doesn’t have to mean that she has freedom of choice, but to me it feels like she has. She can go away and there won’t be a punishment for that. I am only using my
body language and energy to “manipulate” her.
However. I’m just really really happy to see our progress. I wouldn’t have put very much weight on Cozzy in the first sessions. I knew she wouldn’t be comfortable with that. But now we ere at a
point where she knows the feeling of it. You can see (swipe for the videos) that it is still new for her, she had to balance herself and had to think about how she likes it to have me on her back
and all that. But she is paying attention, she always stays calm, doesn’t freeze and relaxes.
I’m doing all these things to her, touching her body, climbing around on her, ... but it feels like I have her permission. She doesn’t know exactly what’s going on but it seems okay for
her.
It’s kind of really cool to see this. I know she feels good with what we are doing because we are really bonding. I like to spend time with her and she likes to spend time with me as well. And is
happy to start another session every day.
And with that in mind the already great feeling of sitting on the back of mustang and hugging her gets even more amazing.
Thank you Corazon ♥
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