Working the Duns

Today I started working the fillies, using a combination of round pen technique and Stacy Westfall's rhythm. I worked the red dun first after I split the two up into separate pens. She started out quite soft, wanting to face up right away, so I used the stick rythmically to move her and control her direction. It wasn't long before she let me touch her face with the stick,

and after a little more work, I was able to rub her on her rump.

(I think she liked the scratching) and she let me touch her on both sides. It shouldn't be too long before she'll let me touch her with my hands. I know I said in my last post that I was going to try to rope them to get my hands on them, but I think this way will be better for them even though it will take longer. I may yet use a rope, but not until I can rub them all over.

Now Chickory was a different story. She is much more suspicious and less trusting, as you can see in this picture. She never did turn and face me like the other filly did. She is very quick and catty, true to her Doc's Hickory bloodlines

which, of course, is why I like her so much. Can't wait to try that move goin' down the fence! She did relax after a while;

but still wasn't as soft as the other dun. The best she would give me

was allowing me to touch her face with the stick; as compared to the red dun, who checked out the stick herself, sniffing it. I'm not too worried about the difference between the two girls. While the red dun may be easier to start than Chickory, in my experience, when you get through to a horse like her, you've really got them solidly. Once you build their trust, it can only be a really solid foundation because of the amount of effort and time it takes to get there. I'm really enjoying the challenge.