Happy Saturday!

It’s amazing how far my precious Dante has come! I am so proud of him!

Here’s a timeline video of how much progress he has made in the past 10 days of being together. ♥️

When he first arrived, he didn’t even look at me. He would try to walk into me as a sign of dominance and disrespect, as you can see in this video. His transformation has been wonderful over the past 10 days.

He was nervous and highly anxious. I used a handy stick training aid for establishing my boundary when he was near me; it enabled me to create an invisible 'safety bubble' around me.

As he was running around hollering for Ziggy and Page, I did not allow him to walk into my space, especially when he was so hot and anxious (he was in a dangerous mindset of fight or flight).

Instead, I would walk into his space slowly and speak softly to him as I introduced myself as his new leader, alpha, and friend.

My method of training with horses is much like how horses establish their pecking order in a herd. I use their methods of communication when training and creating a new relationship with a horse by doing the groundwork first.

Horses always have a pecking order. An alpha horse always moves other horses feet in their herd to set the pecking order in place. They will do anything necessary to do so, even bite, kick, and chaise another horse who is testing their authority.

As an alpha horse walks towards the other herd members in a dominant (energy) manner, the horses in his or her path will naturally move either forward, backward, left, or right to get out of the way. That is their way of showing their submission to the alpha herdmate.

That is why I do free lunging; it establishes the same understanding in our horses minds. And it helps them learn human body language and allows them to lunge freely without restriction.

It's essential to set boundaries with a horse, particularly at the beginning of a relationship. Having boundaries, rules, and limitations makes for a safe, happy, confident, and respectful equine companion.

This was the first step in establishing leadership with Dante. I have spent countless hours with him as I work on building a firm foundation with him.

He now knows that I am his caring alpha and mentor. Doing so has enabled me to begin bonding with him on a soul-to-soul level. He is now confident and happy when he's with me.

He’s like a different horse already. It hasn’t even been two weeks yet; I’m blessed he's coming along so well. Day by day, he's improving; he isn't fully settled yet, but at the rate he's going, I don't think it will be long for him to.

It will be thrilling to see how far we've come six months from now. As our love and respect continue to blossom, our trust and bond will expand.

I am looking forward to riding him very soon. He has not been ridden in over a year, so I am taking it nice and slow for him. 🏇

My dressage trainer, Maddy, is going to begin training him on a lunge line next week with him under saddle. If all goes well, we’ll begin riding him the end is next week. I can hardly wait! I know he’s going to be magical under saddle. 🏇

I am in awe of Dante… What a glorious blessing to have his magnificent spirit in my life. He is truly a gift from God and Cor; they chose the perfect stallion for me. And I know that Dante also was calling for me to bring him home. His spirit sparked a light in my soul when I first saw his ad.

His character is angelic, and his exquisite gait is mesmerizing. I'm honored to have him in our loving family. My heart is overflowing with gratitude to be his forever momma. My heart is full! ♥️🙏

Thanks for jointing our magical journey. Enjoy the Memorial Day weekend, my US fans. And everyone else, have a fantastic weekend as well. Much love and hugs ✨♥️🇺🇸 #friesianstallion #grateful #answeredprayers #blessed #friesianlove #friesianhorse #horses