Patriot calmly walked out of the chute in Piney Woods, Mississippi and into our trailer. We remained calm the entire trip, eating and drinking every time we stopped.
After Patriot got a good night's rest, it was time to start the training process. He seemed calm enough that I didn't wait any longer. I started out in a round pen establishing lead horse with him. I do this by basically moving him around. I move him, if he stops I take his spot. This has worked with every mustang that I have ever worked with. Next, we move into a smaller square pen about 20 x 20 where I then introduce the cane pole. The smaller pen makes it easier to reach him and the cane pole is an extension of my arm, keeping me at a safe distance until he gets used to the feeling of something touching him. The corners provide a natural stop. When we left the facility in Piney Woods, Patriot had a halter on, but sometime between my waking up to check on him and my eating breakfast which was all of about 30 minutes, he managed to remove his halter. I wasn't overly concerned, he seemed calm enough I figured I would get it back on by the end of the week. Imagine my surprise when he let me slip off his neck rope/number and put the halter on that same evening.
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