So my morning started early, just a little after 6:00 am. Of course Harley and Ace were in their corner between some cement blocks. They were a little weary at first but warmed up again quickly. I feed them. I started with desentitizing them to the whips string and I let it go all over there body and legs. Harley was most comfortable with me only by his head, so I used calm ...boy Ace, who was much more trusting to stand by Harley's side. I decided to bring out the rope halters. They were already very fond of the whip. Ace and Harley love rope and strings. So the rope halters were easy for them to like. The only problem was they liked them too much. As I rubbed the halter on Ace's head and around his nose all he wanted to do was chew on it. When I went to Harley same thing, except Ace was right there chewing it too. I wasnt planning on putting the halters on at the first introduction anyways so I decided to give them a quick break and go check out the fields to see if we could load them back up and drive them in the back if the mud was dry enough. I had left my rope halter on the other side of the fence, but by time i got back Ace and Harley had it in their pen. It was on the ground chewed nearly completly through. I frowned and went to pick it up. I got a lovely suprise when I picked it up, all wet with warm pee. They just stood and watched me with a semi amused look in there eyes. I stomped away to clean it. But boys will be boys right?
I continued to work with them through the day. I ate my meals and snacks in a fold up chair in the middle of there pen. When one of the farm dogs came down she went in the pen. Though I tried to shoo her out, Ace and Harley spotted her. They started to follow her, even past the wheel barrow. After that there was no stopping them. They moved all around investingating the whole pen. I couldnt get them to go into their shelter so I had a trail of coastal hay leading into it with the grand prize of a big flake of alfafla hay. They were weary at first and would take a bite and walk back out but they soon calmed down. Harley didnt like me in there with him and even though Ace was okay, when ever Harely would run off so would Ace. With my handy whip I progessivley made my way closer and to were I could rub them again. Harley kept wanting to walk off so I swung the whip string around his back and followed him around the pen. When he would stop I'd keep it there and rub his back and sides. This became the breaking point and Harley was finally won over when I found his itchy spot under his chest between his front legs.
That afternoon around six or seven they took a nice long nap. I had worked with the halter several times but with them napping they were not worried about chewing the halters so I was able to slip them on and off. I tried to let them know what I was doing but they had long day and were out. First Harley and then Ace. I took my shower and came out to find them still sleeping the day away. I made my dinner and sat out watching them. When they finally woke up Harley shook his head. Thats when he noticed the halter on his face. He kept shaking but when it didnt come off he trotted around. Ace of course followed. Then they noticed thier hay and the halters were long forgotten.
As the sun was setting I clipped on Ace's lead rope and let him drag it around. I was suprised that he didn spook or jump back when he stepped on the rope the first few times. He was very pacient and moved his head side to side to relive the pressure on his face. By late dusk I was leading him around and yeilding his hindquarters a bit. He was really pushy but I left yielding the forequarters lesson for the morning since it was late and I was tired. I still had to work with Harely too. Harley caught on quicker than Ace with the lead rope. (I didnt want them both to have a rope around them at first at the same time.) Harley is very soft with pressure and didnt pull me around as much as Ace did. I was proud of them. Very tired, I went to bed eariler than I thought I would at eleven. Ace ame and vistied me in my cott a few times in the night since I put hay under the shelter again. It wasnt a comforatble sleep and it was cold, but I had my long awaited mustangs there, so all was worth it.
End of a good day.
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