Apple & Gwin

The last few days and nights have been Gwin's first, alone. Monty and Angel are on a trail riding trip with Carrie and Gwen. I know it was kind of hard on her, but she wasn't as stressed as I worried she might be.
We visited her a couple of times a day. It was hard to leave her for the night. I know she was nervous.

We did take the opportunity to introduce her to Apple, since there were no other horses there and Apple has never been close enough to a horse to see what she would do.

The first day, they checked each other out. I don't know if it is Gwin's size or if they had a language, but Apple caught on really quickly that she needs to be cautious around Gwin. She was not scared. She just crouched down into a super submissive, low-to-the-ground position if she was in her "bubble" at all.

Gwin followed Apple around. To sniff her? To play with her? To scare her? I don't know. She didn't put her ears back at all, so I think it was friendly. Apple, of course, did NOT know what to do with any of it.

The second day, Apple was more interested in the surroundings than Gwin. She did agree, reluctantly, to sit next to her while she was grazing for a photo.

Yesterday, Greg joined us to visit Gwin. We did not take Apple this time. Zeek rode Gwin in the round pen. Then Greg took him home and I rode Gwin across the street to the trails. She was VERY hesitant to leave "home" without a partner horse to trail with. I expected it, though.

I have been watching Parelli's training series, and I learned that with Gwin's personality it is best to be patient, gently encouraging, and highly rewarding at any success. So this was the new approach I took rather than insisting, prodding, demanding, being stubborn back... It worked much better. I also focussed inside and out on where we were heading.

Our biggest success came when I started praying over her. I prayed for her to have peace and confidence. I prayed that she would ride knowing that she was covered by God's favor carrying His Child on her back. It was as if she forgot we were alone. She was comfortable, bold, and didn't dead stop anymore at new openings or forks in the path. She even quickened her step and asked to trot a bit the way she does when we ride with others.

I was very proud of her. She was pleased to return home, and sorry to see that her friends weren't back from their trip yet.