This is Tanya a two year old paint filly out of a mare we call Sandi and sire Big Boy she is one of the last colored paints to be halter broke, She is real big for a two year old and I dreaded doing the job only cause she is so big. I had already worked with her sister and thought she might get a little bratty and throw her weight around. When picking her up I put her in the trailer last and so she would be the first to unload at home. When dealing with a herd of not halter broke horses panels are needed to get them in and out of the trailer. Now I had such panels when I pick up the first few trailer loads but sense then I have made more pens and used the panels I now need to unload these horses into the barn. I find and one half piece of plywood on one side and I stand on the other and open the ramp…
She just stands there looking straight ahead. I wait hoping she will turn around and come on out on her own for I’m blocking the other hole and can’t move. She wont move so I have to step in the trailer and urge her out, this works and she turns and heads for the hole I don’t want her to go, I jump in front of her causing her to whirl and take out the plywood I put up and get out. She is fee running all over the ranch with her tail in the air. Stallions screaming she strutted her stuff until she hit the hot wire and got nervous about her new surroundings. I couldn’t get her to herd into a pen, she would roll back and run over the top of me. I had to hit her with the lead I had in my hand to get her to respect my space but that just made her run harder. I finally managed to get her into the big arena and there she will stay for now.
A few days go by and we are getting to know each other a little but she still won’t let me put anything on her face. I need to get her in a smaller pen so I herd her into a pen that is the only pen connected to the arena but it only has hot wire and so I try not to push her to hard. This way I don’t have to walk so far and I am able to get up to her but she still won’t let me put anything on her.
She started thinking about taking out the hot wire fence and got shocked again so getting her back to just letting me pet her took a while. I let her go back in the indoor fearing she would take out my fences not understanding about it yet.

I have gotten busy halter braking the two in the barn and getting them ready for there Photo Shoot. I was by myself so I tied them to a tree to photograph. The two year old is a Fred baby is just like her mother who I had started years ago. Sweet but has her own mind and want to do things her way. She is smart and has some fire witch is frustrating when getting started but once she gets used to the new order she will settle down and work great. It is a real advantage to having trained both parents in the past with the majority of these horses, I know them already and it’s fun to see how they crossed with each other. Some horse stay in your mind through the years and these horses I remember well. I remember because I liked them and wished they would have stayed in training. I didn’t have sheep back then but I knew they would be great on a cow and wanted the opportunity to see. Funny how life works isn’t it? I still have not work any on my sheep cause just halter braking the lot is enough work right for now.
Realizing I really need to get this last colored paint haltered and out of my big arena. I decide today is the day. I will work her first as to have the energy for her. It is going to take some walking for this arena is big. These horses are funny they are tame when walking around them but when push comes to shove they are wild and can fight for their freedom with everything they have. They have been raised in a herd, so their social skills are great and easy to train but they don‘t like to be confined. Knowing how harsh life is in a herd and how if you can’t run from a dominate horse you are going to get kicked hard. I understand this and try to let her leave if she wants and keep her going and let her decide that what I want from her is not so bad after all. This pen is to big and after an hour I have just taught her to run for one end to the other. It’s a game now and she is have great fun cutting me and then taking off like a bat out of hell. She is quite the mover, flat kneed and up under herself, I think she could show pleasure and I’m excited about that, but right now My feet hurt! I decide to try this on horse back and go get a filly I have in training. I remember all to well working horses in the past, how easy they can kick you in the knee and so I keep my distance.
Tanya has not see anyone ride a horse before and is not sure if she should run or come say hi. She decides to run. I stand still and wait for her to settle and then start to track her. This works well for both horses but I’m still following her. I try to take control and herd her where I want her, she doesn’t like this and tries to take control back and pins her ears and comes at me. Yelling at her and swinging a rope at her reminds her this is not just another horse and she changes her mind and I am able to drive her. She still will not stand still so I drive her into a corner and block her. This takes about another hour to get her to stand still where I want her and relax. Because I had to yell at her and throw the rope at her she gets nervous and tries to leave every time I talk to her now. I have to block and talk, block and talk. Funny mare.
I still can’t get a halter on her and thought about roping her but the filly I’m on isn’t ready for that. She did great today tracking this horse so I decide to try and herd her through a few pens and into the round pen. This take another 30 minute but finally she is in the round pen. I put the filly I’m riding away and enter the round pen, I push her around the pen and within about fifteen minute she is ready to let me walk up to her again and pet her. I could have put the halter on but I’m tired so I leave her in the round pen and get to cleaning my stalls. I will work her first thing tomorrow.