We spent a lot of time the first few days just standing outside the fence and talking to him. We tried to be plenty animated, moving about and making noise...typical busy family stuff. He seemed casually interested in what we were doing.
On the third day I entered the pen. It was due for a cleaning so I donned a helmet just to be safe and joined him inside. He kept his distance but wasn't overly concerned by my presence. After cleaning the stall I started touching him from a distance using a bamboo pole. He tolerated that touch fairly well.
The next day I went back inside the pen and approached him slowly as he was eating breakfast. He didn't move away so I slowly extended my hand and touched his shoulder. He tensed up so I retreated and repeated the touch. Once he accepted my touch I began to stroke his shoulder, chest, and even scratched his withers. He seemed to be almost enjoying the attention. I decided to end on a positive note and left him to finish his breakfast. I was thrilled to have touched him.
We discovered that Maverick has a huge appetite and doesn't waste anytime in "cleaning his plate". He is a hay munching machine! He also has a very cute habit of "clearing" his water with his front foot before drinking. He always splashed before he drinks. A mustang habit or silly yearling thing?
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