Approach And Retreat

I had a very intressting morning in the stable today. When I came there I saw a message on the whiteboard from Malin: "Can someone try to put the halter on Mandrick again?" Mandrick is a lovely two year old gelding out of Magica The Witch - and a whitch she is indeed.
Mandrick is a right brain extrovert I would think. I haven´t played with him, it´s just from the observations I made watching him in the pasture. Mandrick lives in the turn out stable next to Milva. He is super shy and doesn´t trust people very much. Those times he gets handled are for deworming, putting on the halter - whenever he has lost it again, and usually it looks like that - someone is cornering him and forcing the halter on him. Oh yes, he also gets handled for the annualy shots and he was in the ridinghouse a few time for free jumping.
Oh but don´t get this wrong now. I´m not blaming anyone for handling their horses the way they do. Everyone of us has a different view of things and everyone of us thinks we are doing the best for our horses.
So I gave it some thoughts. Shawn is very fond of Mandrick and whenever Mandrick sees Shawn he is actually coming towards him and following with his eyes all the time. Knowing Shawn likes him so much I thought giving it a shot.
Well anyway. I called Milva and gave her some breakfast outside the stable.
I took the halter and moseyed over to Mandrick.
Thinking: It´s not about....the halter.
Approach and retreat.
Observing thresholds and retreat.
Take the time it takes so it takes less time.
No direct line thinking...
If you get no for an answer, you asked the wrong question or the question
wrong.
Make your idea his idea.
Never knock out the curiosity of a young horse - or any horse!
The dignity of the horse comes first!
Thinking of his point of view.
Putting the relationship first.
With all that in mind I just hung out next to him. Actually outside his stable cause I know how intimitaded he can become when people are in his pasture/stable.
After a short time he became intressted in me and sniffed me everwhere. I started to carefully find his itchy spot on the neck and head. And after a while I could scratch him all over his head and behind his ears!! I started to play with the halter and put it halfway on observing his thresholds. I kept doing that for while and whenever I scratched him behind the ear, which appearently he loved, he would stretch out his neck and oh see there, the halter would be there - him stretching in to it. It didn´t take long and I could put it on with no signs of fear or suspicion. Just to make sure I took it off several times and put it on again - all the time scratching and sweet talking. No problem at all. Sweet!
Not to mention that Parelli works in the civilian world as well. Meaning outside the equestrian world.
Milva and I spend some more undemanding time together. I will start playing with her again after Ali is going home.