Onyx

Onyx is a 3 year old, Running Quarter Horse, stallion. He had not been handled at all until I started working with him. He is at Lacey Oaks Stables where I am also working with several other horses. Onyx was run into a stall from his pasture. There wasnt a good pen to work him in, that was close enough to herd him into, so I started him in his stall. This wasn't my first choice as I would rather start in a round pen or any smaller type pen of any shape. However, one must make the best of the circumstances. It was a 5 day process to be able to put the halter on and be able to lead him outside the barn. I was asked to work with him one hour a day. I was very glad for the knowledge I had of reading horses reactions, being able to release pressure in a timely manner and being able to tell when the pressure was starting to be too much. In a stall there isnt enough room to give a complete release by getting clear out of the horses personal space. I had a couple of gaps to fill in when we were finally able to go to the round pen. Onyx learned to catch me in a much more effective way in the bigger space. The bigger space also allowed him to make more mistakes which in turn helped him learn more. In the stall there wasnt much room for error about which direction I was sending him. The round pen also allowed him to move his feet better, which in turn allowed him to learn to think more.
Starting Onyx and one other horse, Socks, in their stall, was a real good learning experience for me. I learned some limitations of the stall and also that I could get some basic education done. It also cemented my opinion that starting in the round pen is more effective, though it may take a couple of hours all at once.