Things You'll Need
- Sturdy pen or paddock, 20 feet by 20 feet, with a 6-foot fence
- Rope
- 10-foot bamboo pole
Instructions
Select an appropriate and safe location for your first gentling sessions with your mustang. The ideal environment is a horse pen, 20 feet by 20 feet, with a fence 6 feet tall, and heavy enough in construction so the horse won't damage it or even crash through it. Any open spaces should be reinforced with heavy woven wire, so a panicky mustang can't get a hoof or even a leg entangled.
Enter the pen calmly and stand still while your mustang sizes you up. If it tolerates this well, move slowly and nonchalantly around the pen, ignoring the mustang and and pretending to be absorbed in different objects. Stop occasionally to pretend to examine a fencepost, or stoop to pick up a clod of earth. If the mustang wheels to face you, snorts in alarm, rolls its eyes, or shows other signs of distress, stop moving, bend your knees slightly, and gaze past (not at) the horse.
Begin walking slowly around the pen, moving in the same direction your mustang is facing, when it has begun to relax in your presence. Depending on your mustang's reaction, you may need to do this many times, or even many days, in a row before it is totally accepting of this. Speak in a low, reassuring voice, and stay well out of kicking range. Execute an oval shape, so that when you pass closest to it you are parallel to its shoulders and not its haunches. If it tosses its head challengingly at you, or cocks a hoof as if considering kicking, stomp your foot or shake your head emphatically to show this isn't acceptable. When it quiets, continue walking around it.
Continue walking ovals, getting progressively closer, but still out of kicking range. As you pass your mustang's shoulder, discreetly make a line in the dirt with the edge of your boot, being sure not to move in a threatening or aggressive way, and continue this for several rotations. As you get closer with your ovals, your mustang will probably shift its weight at your approach. This is a good time to withdraw to the far side of the pen and climb out, giving the mustang the space and privacy in which to sniff at, and investigate, your scratch marks--a very positive sign of progress.
Return to the pen when your mustang is standing calmly, and begin moving about. Now you can begin doing things like slowly swinging your arms, singing in a low voice, and whistling softly, as you walk both towards your mustang and away from it. Intensify and exaggerate your motions when you are walking away from it. By this time, it should be watching you curiously, but not be visibly frightened.
Take a rope into the pen when your mustang seems comfortable with your increased level of activity. Begin playing with the rope, swinging it slightly, snaking it along the ground, and direct your energy at the rope, not the mustang.
Use a bamboo pole on a calm, friendly horse in order to rehearse for working with your mustang. Controlling the bamboo pole takes a little practice, and you want to avoid jerking the pole, having it swing alarmingly over the horse's head, or inadvertently swatting him with it. Trace the friendly horse's body with the pole, and rub it gently back and forth over its withers, or shoulders. This soothing motion should feel like the reciprocal nibbling and grooming horses engage in to bond with each other, and will be a great help when you use it to soothe your mustang.
Enter your mustang's pen, carrying the pole, and wander about until the horse seems calm.
Lay the tip on the ground near the mustang, and allow it to sniff it. Pick up the pole and run it gently over the mustang's body.
Place the pole on the horse's withers, pressing down firmly. Don't look directly at your mustang, and try to project a calm, matter-of-fact presence. When the mustang seems relaxed, move the pole very slowly along its mane, then down the back to the tail.
Slide the pole under the mustang's neck, then down the chest and the front legs. Run the pole slowly back and forth on the rump, then down the back legs. Some mustangs may kick instinctively when their back legs are first touched, so use caution.
Gradually inch one hand up the pole, while holding it with the other, when the mustang is accepting both the touch of the pole and the decreased physical distance between you. Ease the back of your hand onto the mustang's withers, speaking slowly, softly and reassuringly. Lay the pole quietly on the ground, and begin rubbing and scratching your mustang all over. If your mustang shows discomfort, return to the comfort zone at the withers.
Continue touching your mustang as his trust and confidence grows. Soon, you should be able to progress to grooming and haltering him.