Here, in the picture to the left, Samson has been brought into the round pen and I'd already spent time sending him around a few times (read about "Training Belle" for earlier beginner round pen details & pictures). This session we are going to follow here is actually Sampson's second round pen session with me, and this time he had already learned how to join up in the first session, and therefore, this one went far faster than the first. It only took a couple of circles around before he gave me his signs of great interest in joining up: ears upon me, worked his mouth, lowered his head, and now he's making smaller and smaller circles around me in this picture, facing me at all times. I reward that positive step by turning my shoulder to him, not facing him squarely any longer.

 

After I turn my shoulder to Sampson, he quickly lines up, facing me. I shift my body language, as you can see here to: low, averted eyes, head down, shoulder to him, which is horse body language for inviting him in to connect with me as I go to "pick him up" to begin following me, without a halter.

 

Here is a close-up of the same picture above, to show what my body language is more specifically that says to a horse, "you're doing the right thing thinking of joining up with me, and all pressure is now off of you." Soft averted eyes, shoulder to the horse, head down, and slowed-down movements. Hence, releasing all pressure off of Sampson. Horses learn from the RELEASE of pressure, not the pressure, what it is you want of them, and that they are doing the right thing.

 Sampson steps forward softly, not afraid, and I greet him with my "hand nose," my head and eyes still down softly. This is how horses greet each other when on "friendly" mode. My hand serves as a substitute horsy nose.

Here is a close-up of the same picture above, of what my body language looks like when he's made the decision, then the effort, to join up with me, voluntarily. He's sniffing my bypassing hand much like a horse sniffs another horse's nose.

  I don't make direct eye contact at this point. Direct eye-to-eye contact is a pressure to a horse. And all horses learn what it is you want from the RELEASE of the pressure, not from the pressure itself.  No eye contact is: no pressure. To pull Sampson along on an "invisible lead rope," I turn my shoulder to him and walk in the direction of his hindquarters to "pick him up." If I need to, I will encourage him to move his hindquarters over with a gentle swish of the rope in my left hand towards his rump.  But it wasn't necessary this time; Sampson turned and followed the leader, with natural herd-follower instinctive behavior, as most horses do at this point, and he pivoted nicely on his own, keeping his head respectfully turning to remain facing me at all times after the "pick up."

To "pick up a horse," to keep him continuing to stay connected, simply circle around him, towards his hind end and his head will follow, staying, as you see here, pivoting around along with you. If they break away and decide to leave at any point, simply toss the rope at the hind feet and simultaneously "send them" around for a couple of laps.  I.E.: making it harder to do what it is they want to do (break off), and making it easier to do what you want them to do (joining up). This way, the (any) exit quickly becomes your idea, not just theirs, if that is necessary, and with you still remaining the director, the leader, in this small herd of two.

 Since Sampson tended to exit if I tried to walk a straight line with him (his trust issues showing), I simply set him up to succeed more by making circles, widening my circles as I went along, until he was actually following me nonetheless, just in a circular line, whether he realized it or not. He remained rewarded for that accomplishment by no pressure put on him (I don't face him, I don't make eye-to-eye contact), translating to Sampson, "life is easy when you follow the leader."

Here you can see Sampson circling with me as we make figure eights, him following me nicely at each turn. If you have a horse with trust issues who is fighting the inner urge to bolt, to leave, disconnect, simply remain doing circles, widening them slowly, until you find their threshold bubble, and returning to smaller circles when necessary. Set them up to succeed so that you have an opportunity to reward. Sampson is fully focused on me by this point, intensely following my every movement, trying hard to do just the right thing, nicely latched on. Real nice to see in this session, since the last (his first) session it took far longer to get him to this very spot. He trusted more.

I didn't stop to bond just yet as I did in his last session to get him to this spot. He was doing nicely without the need for that just yet. Here he's completely latched on, and ready to start a lesson, but by his choice, and that sometimes can make all the difference in the world in helping a mistrustful horse get to a better, more trusting spot. Horses only trust and respect: competent, confident leadership.

I stop finally to turn and bond on Sampson, reward him for a job well done. He's much more relaxed this session and in a very good spot already as you can see with his body language. Round pen exercises of the last session (his first in the round pen) really "took" and it shows big time. Often this is the case. Give them time to digest a first session, and if you ended it on a very good positive, as I always make sure to do, they come back into the next session even farther along than where you left them last.

More Training Sampson Photos