Day 7

I got the chance to go out to see Z Baby this morning before class. Poor thing was so cod because it's miserable and rainy and windy out. She was so good just relaxing while I pet all under her belly and her chest and neck. I got the halter out and rubbed it all over her body and latched it on her neck. I'm starting to think that she may have had something actually happen to her face/head because she would panic so badly when the halter touched it. I'm going to call Steffen in the next day or two to try again with the rope on her nose. I don't want to, I'd like to do everything slowly and naturally, but she's so good with everything else that I want to see her overcome this fear. I don't think she'll be bad to get under saddle or anything because she's already letting me lean over her. She also gives to pushing pressure on her neck and shoulder which makes me really excited. :)

Day 6

Short post today as we worked on many of our previous things.
She let me put my hand over her face, but still not on her nose. Getting closer though.
Other than that, she's getting SO much better with touch her belly and legs. I think halter in the next few days for sure!
I'm just such a spaz around her, poor thing is freaked out enough without my noises and crazy movements. I gotta tone it down more around her. :)
Also, crazy girl knocked her water over again. I think this is going to become a thing she does often, so i moved it and took away her full water tub privileges. She just gets 1/3 and I'll clean it every day. (The tub is big, so 1/3 is plenty in a day, even in the heat.) Silly, silly, girl.
(No pictures today either.)
P.S. I'm going to sell T-shirts to raise money for her cost of living. I'll post information about sizing/ordering tomorrow. :)

Day 5

So I was pretty distracted with some personal things today, so I tried to keep things simpler.
I just sat in her stall for a really long time, letting her sniff me and and the halter. I think it was good to have a day where she wasn't tempted to get angry.
After I felt a little better (the therapeutic nature of horses), I got the halter buckled around her neck and she didn't mind the jingling. Next, since I knew she wasn't so comfortable with me touching her face, I got the stick back out to work with he "trouble areas" She eventually let me rub over most of her face and her front legs with no problem. She wanted to kick quite a lot with her back legs, so there was a lot of touching her and then releasing the pressure. It ended up being a pretty good thing that she wasn't super comfortable. It started to teach her that she'll get rewarded for reacting in a calm manner. She's beginning to get that she can take her time figuring things out. There's no rush. She's just not allowed try to hurt whatever's unfamiliar or try to hurt me. She's getting it. Always slow and steady with her.

Day 4

Today was another amazing day with Baby Z. I went out to buy her a breakaway halter and came to the barn only to find she had knocked over her water tub from playing in it and her whole stall had to be stripped. The precious girl didn't even freak out when I came up with an exceptionally squeaky wheelbarrow and shoveled all the wet shavings and hay out. :)
I went right in when I was done with a body brush in hand. I pet her for a second and she didn't flinch when I started to brush her! I was so proud and she was behaving so well. I probably just brushed both sides (yes, she let me get to her other side today!) for over a half hour. I then decided to be daring and bring out the paddle brush for her mane and tail. She was a little wary of the noise, but once she got over that, she let me brush the length of her mane. By the way, her mane is so healthy and shiny and pin straight! Her tail, however was caked in mud, so I only brushed a section so she could hear the noise and feel me move her tail. I can now brush and rub from the pol, between her ears, all the way over the rest of her body (with the exception of her belly and the front of her back legs). I'm so excited to be getting this far after the long setback. :)

I'd like to say a quick thanks to everyone who reads this so faithfully already, and sorry it's up so late. Lol. (sorry, no pics today either)
Also, congrats to everyone who's getting to far so quickly with their mares!!

Day 3

Today was such a huge improvement over yesterday.
I tried a new method of trying to get close to her. I used a long stick to rub on her body. Once she accepted that, I left to go ride my horse.
I came back a few hours later and just sat and let her listen to me talk from outside the stall for a little. After a while, I put a Likit ball in there to stop her from chewing the wood. She loved it (even though it was empty, she could play with it on the wall). After that I went back in and started with the stick again. She really accepted it this time so I moved closer to her and I was finally able to rub my hand on her. She wasn't totally sure about it, but she let it happen. :) I couldn't have been more happy. I went in and out a few times without the stick and eventually she was okay with me coming right in to touch her whole body. Her legs and head are still pretty iffy, but I was so incredibly happy with how far she came in such a short time. I tried to get to her other side, but she stayed against the wall and I decided not to push it, and just finished with some well deserved scratches.
Things are looking up. :)

Day 2

She's wild. That's for sure.
I got a call this morning at work shortly after receiving a picture and a panicked picture. Zonta pulled her halter off her nose so the whole thing was hanging around her neck. I was terrifying thinking the whole day that she was going to hang herself. After finishing work and driving (totally not breaking any speed limits *cough*) to the farm, we decided to let her out in her field to try to join up and let he blow off some steam. Long story short, she's back in the stall now.
I spent nine hours trying any and every method I knew of trying to get her to trust me enough to let me touch her. I eventually hit a point where neither of us were making any progress, so I did the one thing I was trying my hardest not to: I called in some backup.
With the help of Steffen, a local cowboy with extensive mustang experience, we got the halter off of her neck and got her back in her stall. I really didn't want to do that, but she really is so tough and so smart that there was no other way to get her to stay close enough to me to touch. We couldn't get another halter on her, but Steffen's going to come back next weekend and we'll try again.
I mean, I obviously knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it was hard to leave without ever even touching her. I've definitely got my work cut out for me. (Maybe this is a sign she wanted to be called Jezebel. It's fits her personality a little more. Lol.) It's going to make it that much better though when we do have our first real breakthrough.
I do have to say, though, when I called Steffan and decided I was done for the day, it was definitely time. I was so sunburned and so exhausted. It's been a long weekend for both of us, but the only way to go now is up. Slowly, but surely, up.
I just have to keep reminding myself of what my boyfriend just told me; "You shouldn't be comparing yourself to other trainers...your partner is unique. your story is your own. turn your rock into a diamond."
We'll get there...

Day 1

After 15 hours of going nonstop, I'm finally home and showered. :) It's hard to believe that by 9:45 this morning, I was already on my way home, my gorgeous Zonta in tow.
I woke up at 3:25 this morning, and, deciding it was too early, but I was already too excited to go back to sleep, I just stared at my clock for the next hour until my alarm actually went off. By 5:30 Caitlin and I were in the trailer, pulling out. We got to Lorton around 9 and I signed my life (as I knew it) away to become a mustang trainer. When they gave me my slip, it simply said "1147 brown 4yo mare". When I found her, just put back after separating from her pen-mate, she stood, resting, with her head down while horses on either side of her carried on and ran around. I knew immediately that I'd love her. She looked around with such an air of sensibility; something I found rare in my quick look around the pens. She had a few struggles getting the halter on and standing in the small, confined chute, but she went right on the trailer and stayed pretty calm most of the drive home.
I stopped by my house to show Zonta her adoptive grandparents and when I got out of the truck, she was facing the back door of the trailer, trembling, and covered in sweat. Her next stop was Wawa (of all places) to get gas, which she handled quite well, just looking around quite a bit. Finally we headed to the farm to unload and formally meet each other.
I parked the trailer up next to the barn, but decided I wanted to spend some time in the trailer with her before running her into the stall (yes, stall, because of a current situation with another horse at the barn). She was incredibly wary of me and pretty skittish, but after a few hours of just standing and talking and slowly shifting my weight to get closer to her, we were to the point where I could walk away and she'd take a few steps toward me. I was so incredibly pleased with this that I decided it was time to try to get her off.
We opened the trailer and set up a sort-of chute to guide her in, but she just stayed contently on the trailer. We ended up having to chase her in. but even that didn't traumatize her that much. She's pretty happy, finally went potty and ate a little, she even had a drink from a small bucket.
I'm so excited to go over after work tomorrow, let her out and really work with her and try to join up and get to touch her.
It was also so cool to see everyone else's updates on Facebook, especially those already on their second day with the ponies.
I have to thank Caitlin, first and foremost, but also, my parents, Bekkah, Des, Casie, and Josh for all their help getting me here today. :)
See you next update!