[phase 2] patience and perseverance

It had taken some effort getting the slate splash stallion home, but Harper had succeeded in the end. The vet had succesfully chemically casstrated the stallion during the checkup at the sancturary, meaning the stallion could safely share a pasture with Phoenix for at least the next 6 months. Harper had figured that the buckskin stained mare could offer some emotional support during his rehabilitation, and hopefully she could serve as a good example as well. 

One night had passed, marking this the stallion's first day at hopefully his new home. Harper entered the pasture the two loshenka's were in and was immediately greated by the mare. Harper smiled and rubbed the mare's face. "good morning girl, have you been good to your new friend?" she inquired. The could see the stallion behind Phoenix turning away,  eyes large in alarm. She continued greeting the buckskin mare, expecting the interaction. After the buckskin mare decided the attention had been sufficient she dipped down for a bite of breakfast. Harper  glanced at the stallion, making no move to approach him. "Good morning boy, how are you doing today?" she asked him, his grey ears flicking back and forth, curiosity and wariness warring behind the stallion's pale blue eyes. Harper sat down in the pasture by the fence. She had spent a long time pondering the night before on how she would approach the stallion's rehabilitation. Her first goal was to gain his trust and be able to touch his face comfortably. It would be essential in moving the stallion from  the pasture eventually. 

Harper was steadfast, sitting in the pasture for hours every single day. The buckskin mare would occiasionally walk by for cuddles, enjoying the extra attention she could sneak in daily. The blonde woman had made sure to always keep a stocked bucket of treats near. Phoenix got the most of them, but every day the slate stallion's curiosity grew. After nearly two weeks the first contact was made. Warily he approached the woman sitting by the fence, ears ever flicking back and forth, body taut and ready to flee at a moment's notice. Harper held out a piece of kibble his way. From the corner of her eye she saw Phoenix's head perk up, and she mentally begged the mare to give the stallion time to come get the treat himself. One step. Two steps. The soft pink nose of the stallion touched her hand as he carefully picked up the treat, retreating quickly after. Harper couldn't help but smile. the first step was made.

Their routine continued daily, the splash stallion growing bolder and more comfortable by the day. Sometimes even staying still after taking the treat, in hopes of maybe getting another? It seemed that phoenix was indeed a great support for the stallion and a little over a month of the stallion being at home with them, Harper got to pet his face. Phoenix had approached Harper as she entered the pasture one morning, the stallion following close behind her. The two had really bonded. After Phoenix had declared their morning cuddles satisfactory Harper cautiously approached the stallion. "Good morning boy" She said, offering him a treat on her flat hand. The stallion took it, ears flicking back once, but looking almost comfortable otherwise. Harper let her hand hang in the air, slowly reaching to touch the stallion's nose. He snorted once, making no move to retreat. Harper decided to go for it and gently placed her hand in the middle of his face. His ears flicked back in alarm, but the stallion stood fast. "What a good boy" Harper whispered breathlessly, slowly turning the touch into a pet. The stallion relaxed and leaned into Harper's touch. 

After that breakthrough the stallion's affectionate side really begun coming out. He started to trail Harper in the pasture and reluctantly allowed her to pet him every morning. Sure, he wasn't as elaborate in his greetings as phoenix was, but that didn't matter. Considering the stallion's behavior during their first meeting he had already improved significantly in a fairly short time. It was time to slowly start tackling his next issue; his lack of breaks. Harper hoped to use groundwork to teach the splash roan stallion a verbal cue to stop, which they could later implement in riding as well. Every now and then as the stallion trailed her she would stop, giving the stallion a clear "whoa!" and a treat if he stopped. It took him about two weeks to pick this up while stalking Harper around. He also became quite reliable in being guided, accidentally learning the "come!" command during their training as well. Harper had dared a few times to take the stallion to the arena at the other side of the path that connected to the pasture, which made the training feel more serious.

After 3 months of training and trying their hardest Harper felt ready to take their training to the next step. She had no idea how the stallion would respond to lunging, and she still hadn't dared to put any headgear on him. She settled on training at liberty in the lunging pen, to see how the stallion would respond to the lunging whip to start, and teach him the basic lunging manners if necessary. The stallion was wary of the whip at first, but their bonding had proven fruitful. She had gently raised the whip, resulting in the stallion sprinting away fearfully. Harper was able to shush him and their training session went smoothly after that. Due to his fear for the whip he was incredibly sharp on even the slightest raise, which let Harper set a solid standard for her aids. At the end of the session, as the stallion had relaxed into the situation, she practised her stopping aid. after a firm "whoa" the stallion did indeed stop, filling Harper with a feeling of victory. This stallion would be fine. Maybe not immediately, but his future ahead was bright.