Thanks for posting the updates on Melody... she has just been such a wonderful experience for us!!!  She is so kind and such a girlie horse.  As you know, we were spending a lot of time on ground work with her as she was such a nervous horse when she arrived.  In May, I had a conversation with my trainer who had concerns about my safety with Melody as she was so skiddish.  That evening, I was free lunging Melody in our outdoor arena when she came to a complete stop... she assessed the fencing (52")... took two steps back and literally hopped over the fencing to get back to her herd buddies. My husband was watching... his thoughts 'she's going to break my fencing,'  My thoughts, 'she's going to hurt herself and get caught up on the boards.'  She did neither.  She cleared the fencing cleanly. I was beside myself.  What do I do with a horse like that? 

 

I changed our training approach just a little.  I still continued with much of the natural horsemanship.  The change was my attitude.  I became more assertive and our entire relationship changed.  On June 29th, I rode Melody for the first time.  She is the first horse I have ever taken from ground to saddle.  I expected to be tossed around a bit, but she moved off without a buck, kick or rear.  She was a perfect lady!  We are working on our gaits now, still taking it slow.  I love this horse more than I could have imagined.  She follows me like a puppy and she opens herself completely to anyone willing to show her love.  She's a total Love!

 

Here is a picture of her first time under saddle.  You can see how relaxed a situation it was.  Had I known that these Walkers were so kind and gentle I would have gotten one a long time ago.  My back would be grateful...

 

Thanks!
Marie