Rio Halter-less?

Back in August when I brought Rio home, I never anticipated that it was going to take me 6 months to get hardly anywhere with gentling Rio. I figured I would have been petting her in the first couple weeks and teaching her how to lead, give to pressure and learn how to be haltered. I had also thought that I would have been able to pick up all 4 legs and be on our way to having her hooves trimmed. But now 6 months later and I am just now petting Rio, well, I have been petting her since back in November, but I have had many setbacks and weather related delays in this process. And she still isn't 100% comfortable with me doing that. So....

About a week and a half ago, I was out working with Rio and she was being so good. I couldn't get her to move down into the lower part of her corral, so I could lock her into the smaller area for our training session. So I just walked up to her and surprisingly she did not walk away. She usually will walk or scoot away from me in a "new" area of her corral. So I was very happy that she just stood quietly while I walked up and started petting her. I worked on both the right and left sides and she finally let me pet the front of her face, but I had to stand next to her and slowly move my hand above her eye and onto her forehead. While I was on the left side, I was standing pretty close to her and petting the side of her face and I could tell that her halter had started to rub behind her ears. I knew I was getting to that point where I needed to get that halter off, but seeing the rub marks made me realize that we needed to speed up that process, asap. I decided to try something crazy. Well, not crazy to most horsey folk, but crazy when you have a mustang that has an extreme fear of a human going for the lead (drag) rope attached to her halter. But I had to give it a try. Again. We all know what happened the last time I went for the lead rope. She lost it and I lost all her trust and had to go back to square one. I knew by doing what I was planning on doing, I would lose all of her trust and we would be back to the beginning. I was already saying goodbye to the last 6 months of all that hard work I put into Rio. I had to go back to the house for something, also hoping that would get Rio to move down to the lower part of her corral, where I would need to lock her in. I texted my OH to tell him that I was up to something crazy. I am sure he was a little worried about what I was going to attempt, and being home all alone. By the time I got back up to Rio, she had moved down to the lower part of her corral and I locked her in. I worked on approaching her, petting her and trying to get her in the right position to where she wasn't stepping on her lead rope and where I could bend down and grab the end without getting too close to her. She finally put herself in a position where I could pick up the rope, and I did. She didn't know I was holding on to the rope. It took her about 30 seconds to see the lead rope was not laying on the ground. She bobbed her head a little then gave that look that she was going to flee at any second. I had a hold of the rope with both hands and braced my feet in the mud. I was on her right side, because that is the side she is most comfortable with me on. I held on tight and she turned to the left and took off like a lightening bolt. I held on for about 30 seconds and was drug about 10 feet. I was hoping that at this point she would stop and I could reward her for stopping, but I should have known better. The lead rope was so wet, muddy and soggy from being drug in the mud for 4 months that I could not hang on. I had to let go. Damn. Not what I wanted to happen. I was covered in mud from head to toe. I really thought she might react then stop since she has been doing so much better with letting me approach her and petting her. So I decided that there was no way I was going to be able to get the lead rope again. I didn't even think she would let me walk up to her after that, if ever. I knew I had to get her to let me walk up to her and pet her before I could leave her corral. At first she said "No way are you coming up to me again", but then she gave up and I was able to walk up and pet her. I did that a few times and then just left her. I texted my OH and told him I failed big time. I also told him that we were going to have to run her into a chute that night to get the halter off. It had to come off asap, before it rubbed her face worse.

Being a good girl in the chute.

 So when my OH got home we went up to Rio's corral. I still had her locked in the lower section. I have 2 12' panels that divide her corral. We just took those 2 panels and closed her up in it. She panic'd at first. She sat down on her haunches and went up a little. But in just a few seconds she calmed down and relaxed. I went to the left side to unbuckle her halter. Now remember I have never touched her halter before, she would never let me, so this would be the first time she has had her halter touched since the BLM put it on her when I picked her up. Well as I reached my hand up to unbuckle the halter, she lifted her head up and panic'd a little but relaxed quickly. I could not get the buckle undone. After months of rain and mud, it was stuck. So I had to have my OH give it a try. I was worried about that because Rio doesn't do well with humans on her left side and to top that off, putting my OH who she does not know as well as me on her left side and then take her halter off, well, I was imagining the worst. I went to the right side and talked to her to keep her calm. My OH struggled with the buckle too. He couldn't get it and climbed up on the lower rail of the panel. Uh, not a good idea. I told him to get back down, that he would have to do it from the ground. I know he was hoping to get some more leverage by getting up higher, but Rio panic'd, went back on her haunches and was pushing into the panel behind her to where it was coming off the ground. I got her to calm down again and my OH tried again. He finally got it unbuckled and the halter fell to the ground. We rubbed and petted her all over while she was in the chute. She had a good rub mark under her chin as well as behind her ears. So I ran down to the house to get some medicine. I was going to attempt to put something on the rub marks while she was in the chute. The first time I reached in at her with medicine on my hand she panic'd, but relaxed quickly. She allowed me to rub her chin with medicine and behind her ears. She actually was licking her lips by this time. We then opened up the panels and she just walked out and to her water trough. I thought she was going to fly outta there in a panic. But she wasn't too worried. I was just so relieved to have that halter off of her. Of course I would have preferred to take the halter off the conventional way, but that could take a few more months and I did not have a few more months. I was also concerned that I would lose all of her trust. 

My OH looking at Rio's rub marks.

The next day I went out for a training session with Rio. I wasn't expecting it to go well. I figured I would be back at square one again as before. But she surprised me. She let me walk up and start petting her. Although I did lose access to her left side, again. And she wasn't too happy about me going to her face. But the day after that, I got the left side back and the side of her face. And the day after that I got the front of her face back. So that is where I am now. I can pet her down to her muzzle and I am starting to be able to slowly pet on the front of her nose. She has also been running down to the gate when she see's me walking up to her corral. I reward her with a carrot. I WANT her to want to come running when she see's a human. Plus when I leave after a session, she has been following me to the gate, which is something new to her. I give her a carrot. I want her to think following a human is a GOOD thing. Humans are not evil. At least this human is not evil. 

Moments before we let her out of the chute.

I was so happy to see that by putting her in the chute did not turn her off of humans. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it all turned out great. She has been making a little bit of progress every session. We are still not even close to where we should be. We just go along at the pace that Rio is comfortable with. It might be slow, but that's okay. My goal is to have a saddle on her this summer. At this rate I feel like I may never get there, but I have a lot of faith. And if she isn't ready for a saddle this summer, we will wait until the next summer. Heck, I still have to get her halter trained!! And I am NOT even close to doing that!! 

Halter-less Rio!!! She is so happy!

 I think she is a lot happier without the halter. I am sure the rub marks hurt. And she no longer has a stupid lead rope to step on. Yep, no halter= happy mustang!