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I've gotten a dozen *very* helpful posts, some private, some to RC. I
guess partly to give all of them more info and partly to compare styles
of starting a horse I'll give you a bit more background on my horse.

He's a 4 1/2 Arab gelding, 14.1 (very quick!) . I got him in July. He was
raised on 20 acres with about 5 mares in a herd situation. Had had his
feet trimmed and knew how to load in a stock trailer. Loaded willingly
but sweated profusely when hauled. Took a little while to learn how to
back out of a 2 horse but learned. Used a rump rope with him with no
threats of kicking. They did not have any stock type dogs that may have
heeled him or anything at their place that I saw, and my dog doesn't heel
cause she won't put her frisbee down that long so don't think he's been
nipped.

I have no arena. I have no round pen. I have no flat places. I have no
soft place to land. I live on the side of a ridge sort of in a holler. I
have a single track trail right out the back of the house with about a
3/4 mile figure eight loop and a couple of good hills. I sat on him a
couple of times bareback, had him stand in the stall with a little
jumping saddle cinched up, introduced him to a bit which he "ate" before
I could put it in his mouth. (He's had lots of apples at his old house
and think he thought it was to eat.) Accepted the bit easier than any
horse I've ridden. He made no fuss when I put the OF on him. Lunged him a
little but I barely have a 20' circle to do it in everything's so sloped
and it's slick. He had a *big* round pen at his old house he'd been
worked in fast and he hurries too much on the lunge line. I did lunge him
a little with side reins but he does have a habit of getting faster and
faster. It's too wet down there to do it now anyway.

To start riding we sat on him a couple of times bareback, then let him
wear a saddle, then saddle him and just ponied him behind Ben on the
trail a couple of times, then I got on him and Josie ponied me. The trail
is narrow and there wasn't much he could do but follow the leader. After
a time or two ponied with me using the reins to ask him to stop as Ben
stopped he seemed to grasp the concept. We would stop, relax and I'd take
a deep breath and pretty soon he would do the same. He never offered to
buck or put his head down at any time. He's been *very* willing. He has
trotted just little short stretches on the level and seems totally
accepting of me posting. We had just gone a little stretch at a faster
pace not too long before yesterday's outburst because Josie was in the
lead and her horse has long legs. We had cantered a  tiny bit which made
him feel a little unsettled but as soon as we dropped to a walk he seemed
relaxed. It was not cold...low 60's. He sweated.

At the same time I was starting my horse we were doing the same thing to
Josie's new horse who is 5 and had no previous handling much at all. They
caught on quickly and I got lax after awhile and got tired of riding Ben
with them and we took the 2 new guys out together. Weedy (mine) was so
brave. He had no problem with leading and leaving the yard. He likes to
lead. He has not spooked at anything on  the trail and doesn't look for
things to spook at. He is not mean tempered. He's always looking over the
fence with his ears up and likes to come out to work. Not balky, or
surly, just cute as pie. I hauled him once 2 weeks ago to an arena where
he had a lesson. We took both young horses and it was their first trip
since we'd gotten them in Aug. They were very brave and didn't make any
fuss at all about being in a strange place. They went forward and did
circles in the open for the first time in their lives and did a very good
job until Weedy's Lipizzaner demonstration (Is that a Corbette, or a
Capriole or what when he leaps and kicks?) When he kicked the instructor
he kicked hard. She said it opened and drained later and he did not have
on shoes.

Yesterday when I walked home to find him down by the field he was calm.
The reins were still over his neck and he had one leg through them but
stood quietly for me to catch him not offering to move away in any way. 
I'm thinking for now I'm going to do the desensitising, lots of stuff
around the legs, and pony him on the trails so he'll be the one in the
back again since his demons seem to come from behind. We'll go back to
swapping out one green horse and Ben and I may have Josie keep a lead on
Weedy till I see he's not going right back into it. 

I'd better go out to feed and see what's left of that black hat...which
by the way he just leaped once when it first hit him, then walked around
the stall some always stopping and lifting his foot forward so the hat
wouldn't touch him. After the initial shock he decided it wasn't
important very quickly. I think I'll put a limb with dry leaves on next.

Angie

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