>>> Will he tolerate you rubbing it on him? If not, can you brush him and then >>> brush the >>> halter, so his smell / hair gets on it?
I can brush him all over, and he's fine with brushing. I've rubbed the leadline on him, and he's kind of ok with it, just not all the way there. The only real fear that I've seen in him so far is the electric fence, and that's ok. But, he hasn't forgotten that it was a rope that stung him. That's ok - there's no rush. He'll sort it all out soon. In the meantime, I will only use a colored - not white- leadline though... :) Melnir used to have a minor phobia about white rope reins - electric fence is about the only thing he's scared of too. I have limited time to work with him right now (my elderly mother fell and needs a lot of attention. That means that Cary or I, or my brother are with her a lot on nights and weekends, so when I'm home, I'm usually alone.) I'm not so worried about changing his halter that I'll rush to do it, and I don't want to do anything invasive when there's no one on the place to watch his ears and body language. So, in the meantime, we just play a little, taking it slowly. He SEEMS to be one of the most docile and even-tempered horses I've ever met, but he's new here and I don't forget that he's a feral mustang stallion. (Notice that I've stopped using the word "wild" - it's hardly appropriate.) I'm pleased that he stands quietly for me in his stall to clean his wound - no halter, no restraint, and I was downright exhuberant that he was so good for the vet. I also sponged on a good application of Poridon on him yesterday - the flies were really drawn to his wound. I've been putting the VIP fly ointment they sent with him on the wound itself, but that really wasn't enough, so it was a relief to get the long-lasting repellent on him. Karen Thomas, NC >