Day Two: I arrived at the ranch at 7am (before work) to feed Samson. It was torture having to leave and go to work. My new routine is to go inside the roundpen and hold a flake of hay to encourage Samson to come to me. I gently and slowly try to touch his muzzle as he munches on his hay. Slowly hour by hour he lets me work my way up his cheek. Each time he digs into the flake of hay to find the choice leaves and grain seeds I move my hand towards him. I visit Samson every morning, every afternoon (on my lunch break) and every evening immediately after work. No one feeds or waters him but me; No one enters his pen but me; This is so in the absence of his herd, he will bond with me and I will become his next new herd buddy.

Each day I am able to move my hand further down his body until by mid week he lets me touch his neck. At first he only allows me to touch him while I hold a flake of hay, but by Thursday this has changed. Tom, my husband comes in the roundpen with me and holds out a flake of hay and Samson comes over to eat. I tell my husband that Samson will not allow himself to be touched after I put the hay down on the ground. Just to prove me wrong (of course!), Tom puts the flake of hay down and starts rubbing Sammy's neck and Samson allows it! Not wanting to be outdone, I move towards Samson and start rubbing and grooming him - he allows me to touch him also.
Breakthrough # 2!

Day Seven: One week already! I stick to my routine but by now I am also walking around the pen and cleaning up the manure piles. Samson doesn't even flinch as I rake around the pen. I bring in a lawn chair and sit down, away from him, so he can approach me if he chooses to. There is very little fresh hay in the pen and he comes over to me to investigate. Why is she coming into my space and not bringing me food? I am reading a book and he nibbles on it to see why I am holding something other than food...or is this a new kind of food? He has started to nibble on my coat which is kind of wooly and probably looks like one of his buddie's coats. I say "No" in a soft, deep voice and gently push his head away. I do not want to encourage any "people" nibbling, even if it is only curious baby nibbles. Each time he nibbles, I slowly say "No" in a deeper voice and walk away. Within two days he has learned that he cannot use his teeth on my coat or any part of my person. He learns so fast! and he does not get frustrated or cranky when he is gently corrected. Sammy has had his first lesson in manners and is learning quickly.
Breakthrough #3!

Samson allows me to use a curry comb on his nappy winter coat. Breakthrough #4! The little breakthroughs are happening more quickly now...should I push my luck? I show him his halter while he eats hay. He moves about 2 inches away from it and that's the extent of his reaction to the halter. He then nibbles it, I try to rub it on his cheek but he moves away. I decide to hang it on the side of the roundpen near his water so he can familiarize himself with it's texture and feel. He starts playing with it and nibbling on it.

What a difference a few months make!

Day Eight: Is this a dream? Do I really have my very own mustang? It's still hard to believe that I really did it! Sunday is always a quiet day at the ranch (which is a horse rescue I volunteer at). I am the only one at the ranch and it is my day for barn chores. Later in the day Carol, another volunteer showed up to help feed a newly orphaned foal, "Ollie". When Carol arrived, I was inside Samson's pen cleaning it. I was at the far end of the pen, away from "Sammy" when Carol came over, along the outside of the pen, to say hello. We started talking and Sammy came over - on his own - to say hello and check us out. This is the first time he has come over to me when food was not being presented to him. He is coming out of his shell and starting to trust me and become curious about his surroundings.
Breakthrough #5!

My husband Tom came over to see Sammy and I showed him that I have been grooming Sam. We were outside the pen so I decide to groom with a little more pressure to see how much pressure he will allow before he moves away. To my surprise, he leans into the pressure and just loves it! I groom harder and harder and he continues to enjoy the attention. He allows me to scratch behind his ear, something he would not allow a few days ago. He was being so good that I decided to go inside the pen to groom him. He stayed near Tom who was still outside the pen so I groomed him from inside the pen and Tom groomed him from outside the pen. He is just loving all the attention...all that matted, clumpy winter baby hair must have been so itchy!
Breakthrough #6!