On August 25 last year, I brought home a beautiful Arabian 2 year colt that I found outside of Albuquerque. The vet that did the prepurchase exam told me this colt ‘wanted to be good but didn’t know how.’ Yes, this is Zum, my wild colt! I hired three trainers, one after the other. I never planned to train this young colt myself. I even had the colt set up to be boarded and trained at a reputable trainer’s ranch! Well, everything fell through. I ended up with a untrained colt and library books I borrowed from the Santa Fe Public Library! The first book I read taught me that horse’s actions reflect how they feel. A horse’s body is a mirror for his emotions. So I realized that my colt’s body informs me of what is going on internally. My colt’s actions supply me with information. I learned that punishment only reinforces the one who punishes. I do not want to punish my inexperienced colt! I want my colt to learn that being close to me isn’t all that bad!