Day Seventy-Two: Samson's coat is looking glossy and beautiful right now. All his baby fuzz has shed off and he looks wonderful. Today was the first day Sam was put out to pasture (not the corral) with another horse for the day and night. I was a nervous wreck all night long tossing and turning...he's just a baby, did he do something stupid and hurt himself, did he jump a fence? - but when I arrived 7:30 am he was just fine. He is with one other horse, Alf, a 25 year old Appaloosa gelding and they appear to be adjusting well to each other's company.

Day Seventy-Nine: It has been a week now since Sammy has been living with Alf in the pasture and he is thriving. His coat is even glossier than before from all the grass he has been eating. He looks wonderful and comes to me whenever I go to the pasture to get him, which is twice a day. I do not feed him outside with Alf; I bring him into the barn every morning and every evening. He doen't get the same type of grain as Alf and only eats about 1/10 the amount that Alf gets, but the real reason I feed him this way is so that I can continue to have contact with him every day; this way he still understands that I am his sole caretaker and provider. It also gives me day to day lead rope training, etc.

I have been working with Samson about 2 - 3 times per week in a small paddock, putting a saddle on him, picking up his feet, grooming him and working on voice commands. I can't believe how quickly he picks up on everything! I have tightened the girthstrap on his saddle and put my foot in the stirrup and jumped up and down a bit; he is very accepting and trusting. Heather, a friend and volunteer at the ranch, laid across his back for about 30 seconds (she only weighs 100 lbs. soaking wet!) to accustom him to a little weight on his back; he accepted it without even a flinch. I am sure he will be wonderful to ride and will be totally calm when he is finally mounted for the first time. It will be at least a year or more (probably 2) before he can be ridden so we are just desensitizing him to the saddle and the entire riding process. I bought a bitless bridle and I am going to see if I can train him without a bit. He does have wolf teeth that need to be removed in about 5-6 months and by then I should have some idea of whether I will try a bit or not.