justa little kid;;

[Snowflake]

JUSTA MUFFIN && MARISSA STAR/JOE TURNER;; YEARLING TRAINING

I walked down the aisle toward Justin's stall, a leadrope in my hand. The colt had been broken to halter and lead at six months old, when he was weaned from his mother. Now it was time to repeat weanling training and begin yearling training.

The colt ignored the rope as I let myself into his stall; instead he walked forward and snuffled my hand affectionately. I clipped the lead to the ring on his white halter, and stroked his neck and elegant nose for a few moments before snapping to my senses and leading him out. I had always been fond of the colt, and it showed in our relationship. He had grown to love and trust me, which always made training easier.

I took him to the round pen, where we would be beginning to teach him to lunge today. He followed me like a perfect gentleman, unsually quiet for his age, then nosed my hair as I stopped to open the gate. Silly boy I giggled. Joe was waiting for us there with a cavesson bridle and long rein and long whip. Justin eyed them with curiousity. We allowed him as much time as he needed to sniff them and grow comfortable with their presence, before we rubbed them all over his body. We had done this before - it was called the sacking out process. We had done it with a variety of things.

It didn't take him long to get used to it again, so we put the tack on as we had last lesson. This lesson we would go up to trot with him. He had the idea that he was to walk around in a circle, and did it as soon as I clucked to him. Walk on. I said as I clucked. Justin began walking faithfully around us in a circle. Good boy! I exclaimed, making a fuss of him with me voice. It was important that he felt good when training or he would associate it with bad things.