Alexios at 4 Weeks Old

It was a beautiful morning to be out with the horses. The sun was shining, it was warm and breezy, and it was lesson time for Alexios. We used the same method to catch him today that had been hatched the last time we were there, and he was on a halter and lead rope within 5 minutes. What a change! This meant we could spend some time working with him on things other than how to avoid being caught.

We sectioned off the front of the other horses pasture again, led Anastacia into the shed to feed her, and Alexios followed her right in. It was simple for me just to put my arms around him and hold him in place while Deb placed the halter on his head and attached the lead rope. We then let Anastacia loose and she walked out of the shed. We'd hoped that Alexios would just follow her but he has yet to comply with any of our wishes. He tried to take off and was not too pleased about the impediment around his head. He fought it a little but we were able to get behind him so he stopped backing away. Anastacia stayed close by and he soon calmed down enough for me to pick up my camera. I'm so glad he's been desensitized to having his picture taken or this would have been exactly the wrong time to introduce something new. He was very nervous.

Deb stood with him as he settled down.

He loves scratches, and so got plenty.

The contact seemed to reassure him and he slowly relaxed.

It seemed like a good time to lead Anastacia back into their pen and see if he would follow.

He did not.

He seemed unsure about what was being asked of him.

A gentle tug on the lead rope didn't work, and seemed to unsettle him a bit.

The very positive thing about all this was that, with his mother in the other pen, Alexios turned to Deb for reassurance. Here they are sniffing at each others noses.

Another light tug, and a few encouraging words...

...brought about the desired results.

He was back in the familiar pen with his mother. He hadn't much liked the process of getting there, but he'd survived.

This time he received comfort from Deb and mom, and once more relaxed. This was the moment to end the learning experience. He is still too young to be able to stay focused on anything very long and it is so important that everything be ended on a positive note.

He and Anastacia walked casually away. They stopped to sniff at the lead rope that had been used to bring her back into the pen.

Then each had a drink. Alexios seems to have also started drinking water but momma's milk is still his preferred beverage.

We were done for the day and starting to put everything away when I turned around and caught this moment. He may be growing fast but really, he is still just a big kid.

He is very smart, and I don't know whether our tactic for catching him will work next time but at least for today, we left feeling very pleased with the progress that had been made.