No More | Phase 3

Listening to his mare and going at her pace was indeed the right move, Aslan thought to himself. His makeover horse, now given the name Juniper, was much more relaxed after the months Aslan spent taking her through everything in a leisurely manner and finally calm enough to be a safe riding horse again.

The first issue they resolved was catching and grooming. Aslan would spend his mornings picking up a small bag filled with treats and brushes, and walking to the paddock to spend time with Juniper and the other horses that shared the area. Initially the grooming was just pats and scritches, though eventually it turned into using brushes and a hoofpick with no issues at all. Soon enough, Juniper would happily stand tied with a haynet during grooming sessions. Refusing to be caught and pawing at the ground was no more.

The second issue was by far the hardest, but just as equally important as the first. Juniper hated trailers and would stomp and pull back, so Aslan ate his lunch and read books inside the trailer with a small pan of grain next to him. It didn't work for several weeks, and he was quite close to giving up and finding a different method until one day he looked up from his book to see his mare inspecting his sandwich. Aslan made a panicked double take upon realising his lunch was in jeopardy, but it was too late. What remained in its place was a very satisfied, and less nervous, Juniper.

As for the ribbons? Aslan had built an obstacle course for his cobs, of course he wasn't putting that to waste. He let Juniper loose while focusing on his ponies so she could observe from afar. The mare trotted around the area, snorting in disgust at the pieces of multicoloured fabric blowing loosely in the wind. Eventually, however, she calmed down and stood at the other end, watching Aslan lead his ponies through the course, and especially, the frame of ribbons. After some time, Aslan let the pony he was leading loose and approached Juniper, leaving some draw distance. The mare approached him cautiously, and he held out a palm of grain. From this day, they made steady progress until Juniper was like a normal horse again. They went on trails everywhere, and she loved it. No more would Juniper ever have to worry about being pushed past her breaking point for the sake of her rider's pride.