Progress

I'm really beginning to see a difference in Merlin since I've started the Parelli. I'm not doing too much with Merlin, as I'm still learning the techniques myself, but the principles have gone a long way to understanding how he views the World. One of my favourite quotes is "Take the time it takes, so that it takes less time".

Basically this means, put the work in today, and tomorrow there will be less effort needed. An example is Merlin's fear of all kinds of fly repellent. Obviously he's been forced to have it put on him in order to save time. Coming from a busy farm, as he did, I doubt that there was much time to introduce him gradually to these things. Unfortunately the result is a battle that gets bigger every time the issue is raised, so a quick fix to save time, costs more in the long run. I followed the principles of putting on the pressure and then removing it immediately I got the desired response. I moved the pot of cream towards Merlin and kept it in place all the time he darted around (he even tried to bite me), then when he stood still, I took it away by an arms length. This was repeated until I could get almost to his neck, and then finally I was able to touch him with the pot. I then started the whole process from the beginning with the cream on my fingers, and was able, without too much stress, to put it on him. Next time it should happen quicker and so on until the whole issue is forgotten, and then we'll move onto the next problem. I'm already able to touch his feet now without explosions, so this system really suits Merlin and me!