Accepting the Halter

Kimi was introduced to the halter today. In her usual curious fashion, she sniffed the halter before I put it on her. I could feel her tense as I slid it up over her nose, but once it was secure and high she relaxed. Using a feed dish filled with chaff to reward her efforts, I tugged on the rope. We hook the lead rope to the side of the halter, which helps with the lesson. With a tug on the side of her head, Kimi needs to readjust her balance and consequently does just what we are hoping: takes a step. I was able to lead her through a gate and around back to the pen. At times, she pulled back on the rope, but the chaff was too enticing. The hardest part of this day's lesson was removing the halter. As I reestablished contact with her neck, she reared up on her back legs. I backed away to allow her to calm down, then made a second attempt to unbuckle the halter. This time she complied. I held her after the halter dropped and stroked her head. Releasing her when I am ready is quite important in establishing who is in control. But the best surprise of all was when she allowed me to stroke her neck in the barn as she was with the others eating hay.