Mustangs and Barn Babies

Melissa said -Do you do anything different when starting a mustang who just saw people for the first time two weeks ago than with a horse who grew up in a barn?

Actually I do the exact same thing, only it takes less effort on my part, because every tiny nuance is caught by a mustang and a barn raised colt might need to have my nuances pointed out to him.

When I first walk in the pen with a mustang she usually will take off and get as far from me as possible.
So the first understanding between us is when I move toward her she will leave.

Just for discussions sake, we'll make our barn-raised colt a bit of a pet. He was halter broke at a young age, is used to getting his back scratched and will pick up his feet, lead around and that sort of thing.

He will push at people a little for attention and is used to getting pushed away, he usually will kind of lean in with his shoulder and then finally wander off after he's gotten a smack on the neck.

Sound familiar? He's not rude, just friendly and nobody has ever really had to raise a hand to him.

So the first thing I have to do when I walk in the pen is teach him to move away from me when I send him out.

He'll be properly horrified when he gets a smooch and a crack with the longe whip (or rope and halter). He'll trot off a few steps and stop, sure it was a mistake and what I really meant was he needed a pet.

So I'll smooch and send him out again. This time he'll trot a bit and buck.

Crack! He gets smacked for the buck and takes off. He'll show me!

He runs around the pen, My gaze and my whip are pointed at his hip. He slows to a trot. I smooch and raise the whip and he spins around and takes off the other way.

I jump in front of him and crack my whip.

He runs faster, he figures it's time to make a point here.

I yell like a lunatic, smack him HARD with the whip in the chest and he stops, roll-backs and takes off the way he's supposed to.

I back away with the whip relaxed in my hand and he slows. I step forward and raise the whip and he takes off.

I back up and he slows. I step toward his head and raise my whip and he turns and heads off the other direction.

I step back until he stops and looks at me and we both stand there and wheeze awhile.

Now back to the mustang.

I walk into her pen. I almost always work this kind of horse with a rope halter and long soft cotton lead because I tend to trip over longe whips.

She trots to the other end of the pen and snorts at me.

I turn my back and lean on the gate, watching outside the pen until she relaxes and moves a little. Then I turn and look at her again. If she's really reactive I'll do the look, look away thing until she doesn't jump out of her skin.
Then I look at her hipbone and take a step towards it.

She'll move off, I'll relax and go back to the gate.

We'll do this a few times and then I'll head to the middle.

She'll watch me very closely or trot the perimeter because she doesn't know what I'm up to.

I'll move to her hip let her go forward a few rounds, then step to her head and turn her. If I have to I'll raise my arm and swing my rope a little, but usually it's just stepping to and away.

When she gets this I'll back away. If she can't relax I'll just step to the gate and look out so she can stop.

Now both horses know to move away when I go to the hip they know to turn when I step to the head and they know they can stop when I back away.

Same exact approach, but the tame colt needed some muscle.

I will talk to a tame colt and smooch or kiss to tell him to trot and lope, but I'm quiet with a mustang. My words mean nothing to her. They would only be a distraction from my body language, which is what she's interested in.