Cob Jockey

 It's interesting, watching a baby horse grow up.

Blink and you'll miss it - the growth, the progress. One day he can't handle his feelings over being tied to the wall for even a second, and then a month later you realize he just stood still for 10, then 20, then 30 whole seconds, ears flicking but body still, processing, thinking, contemplating.

It doesn't last, and he goes back to mouthing the wall and shaking his head, but every week, the moments of stillness and acceptance get longer. It'll be years before stands as quietly as his brother does, but I remind myself that it took Connor years to get there himself, I just didn't go through it with him.

Baby steps toward ponying: learning if you're both being handled, it's not playtime.

Hoof picking, too. One day hoof picking suddenly wasn't a battle anymore. Then I blink and he starts cocking the next hoof in order as I finish the previous one. Understanding the question, accepting the task.You'd miss it if you weren't looking, though.

A couple times a week, I tie him up, I groom him, I sit down on the mounting block for a beverage while he just gets to stand there and be bored, and then as soon as I'm done and he's standing quietly, he's done for the day.

It's small, it's incremental, and boy is it fun!