Wildairo get's 'owned'.

This evening I was in the corral with Wildairo pretending to be busy by banging in loose nails in the boards and getting him used to new activity. He didn't like it at first but then quickly grew used to it and went back to his eating. I was petting him while he was eating and moved around him with a the rope and halter. Just because I got the halter on him once I won't consider him halter broke till I can put a halter on him no matter what mood he's in.

I was just standing there, at a safe distance, talking to Brad the other side of the fence, when something startled Wildairo. We have no idea what made him jump, but he jumped back away from us a step and threw his head up. I didn't jump but I flexed enough to re injure my poor healing foot. Ouch! The little startled jump he did was acceptable, it was what he did afterwards that I didn't like. He put his ears flat back at me to warn me and I told him "NO" and he did it again! He made a slight gesture to let me know he'd take me on if he had to. After 45 years around all kinds of horses I can read them very well and he just messed with the herd boss!

There was need for him to threaten me and it reminded me of when he first came to live with us. There will be many new situations he will be facing and he has to learn to deal with them without becoming defensive. Even though he's known me for almost two months he still doesn't fully trust me. Because of my surgery and I wasn't able to spend as much time as I would have liked in the corral with him. I approached him and touched his face and neck to assure him he wasn't about to be attacked then I showed him I was his boss.

I got my long whip and put him to a trot around the pen. I have to point out that he wasn't running wild and scared from me. This lesson was to show him I could stress him and not hurt him. He did not want to move around the corral and kept stopping and facing me with his ears perked looking me right in the eyes. It was kind of hard for me not to go and give him a kiss because I find the little stinker so lovable. Every time he stopped it's was hard to get him going again for two reasons, I move very slow because of my ankle and also he refuses to move unless I'm really dramatic with my arms and whip. He acts fearless!

When he did get going he lashed out with his front hooves as he cantered off in protest. He really needs to know I'm not just his feeder and his full time back scratcher. When I stopped him he turned immediately to face me ears up and forward staring at me like I'd gone mad and no matter what I said or did he wouldn't come to me. I can usually call him, gesture or if all fails a plastic bag will get him right over to me because he knows baby carrots come in plastic bags. Not this time. He just stood like a statue staring at me and after awhile it became really funny. Before I adopted him I watched him in the BLM corrals with the other colts and I believe before he was captured he had big plans to be the boss stallion one day. And now here was some lame mare pushing him around! HE WAS GOB SMACKED!

I kept approaching him petting his face and cheek and doing that sweet talking that horse love, then walking away. He just stood still not taking his eyes off me. After awhile he followed behind me when I walked away and stayed right with me. Of course I was rubbing it in by saying, " who's your boss" and stuff like that. I stroked his neck and we called it a day.