The Breakfast Club

My strategy was to get her dependent on me for her safety, comfort, food and play. The four things horses need to be confident. I need to be the lead mare and provide these for her. I made her a safe home in the shady round pen. I fed her and brought her water. she would have to rely on me for these things. Only after I gain her confidence that she will learn to trust that I will do right by her. (Gosh that's a big responsibility)
Came down around 8am and had breakfast and tea with Violet. This time I sat on her hay she had to eat around me and therefore touch me to get her food. She was fine with it. My goal was to have her push on me thus initiating contact and more contact with more pressure. She did just that and brushed against my feet, legs, hands and of course sniffed and explored my face dropping hay all over me. I paid little or no attention other than blowing in her nose when she blew in mine. I read thru my L3 three pocket books and drank my beverage. It gave me time to focus on plans for my other horses. I then left her for a couple of hours. When I came back, I wanted to initiate some sort of contact. I removed her food and walked into the pen with my stick and string. Casually I walked around swinging the string rhythmically and low to the ground. It was my “tail”. I then brought the ball into the pen too. She came over and sniffed it immediately but nothing more. I headed to the fence and started to pick at some leaves on the ground. I then started to paw the dirt with my foot and continue to pick at the leaves. This aroused Violet’s curiosity and she came over and started to pick through the leaves too. This was great I thought, I really started thinking as if I were Rose, my lead mare. What would she do? Well she would definitely act like she owned the place and look for food. While I continued to pick at the ground I felt an itch and scratched it I looked ever at her and she was scratching too. Ah ha, a common irritation we shared. I went to the fence and started to itch my head on it. She did the same. Then I turned around to itch my butt on the fence and by golly she did the same thing. So we stood there itching against the fence and she got so close. I could of have easily touched her but I knew she would have just pulled away. There was no purpose for me to reach out and touch her. A few minutes later she actually rubbed her itchy eye on my shoulder and for a moment I thought she felt comfort by being in contact with me. I was thrilled. Then she went over to her spot and lay down, as she loves to do. She rolls in the hot sand and lays there for a bit to nap. I got down on the ground and rolled a bit (yes I got pretty dirty). Then I just watched her. She nickered in her sleep. Very cute. Then she got up and we continued to mosey around the pen but I could see was getting disinterested in me. I was standing in the middle of the round pen and she came off the rail straight towards me. Instead of stopping she walked right past me bumping me off the center with her body. Completely left-brain, calculated and dominant. My “Rose” alter ego popped up and said “No you didn’t”. I then applied some pressure and got her to move away. She is not at all scared by the stick or string. She moved away quickly and turned and faced me. We did this a few times. Not wanting to over do it, I was looking for a stopping place. I walked over to the ball, which was a few feet in front of her water. I then started picking things out of the water container placing all of my attention on it and not her. Next thing I felt was the ball against my back legs. She had come up and pushed it into me. Then she came right up next to me and drank her water. We stopped for the day.

Things that really stuck out for me
Think like a horse
Find a way to make her come to me esp.: if she can itch herself on me.
She is dominant so I cannot be afraid to match that behavior. What would “Rose” do?