I wish there were more hours in a day

DAY 12

This little mare is very opinionated and she wants everything done on her terms. It's going to make things move a bit slower, but my hope is that once she starts trusting me and wants to be with me she's going to be an amazing partner.

I've been doing a lot of walking up to pet her then just walking away without asking anything of her. Sometimes she's fine with it and other times she moves just enough to stay out of reach. This week I've started feeding her breakfast in another pen so that she gets accustomed to being caught and led somewhere for her meals instead of being served breakfast in bed. She's a quick learner. Especially when it comes to food.

I've been trying to find little things that I can do with her before work and between lessons so that I can keep her from taking steps back. The holidays are always a difficult time to dedicate large chunks of time to a project (especially when it gets dark so early). I also find myself putting her at the bottom of the training list because she's mine instead of a client horse. It's so easy to get discouraged when my other training horses are moving so quickly and she's not. It's a feeling that I have to talk myself out of because that mindset makes everything much harder. I also know that every rescue and/or training horse moves at different speeds and has their own unique problems. There will always be highs and lows. Don't focus on the current low. Instead, focus on how far you've come.