In the dry times in 2005 Casper and some other wild horses ventured out of the bush in search of
food and water. They found a dam on private property. The new owners of this property were
most unhappy with this situation and talked about having them shot. Two local ladies approached
the new owners and asked if they could catch and remove them. Permission was given to do this.
The ladies obtained portable yards and lured them into the yards with hay. The gate was quickly
closed behind them.
Brumby Watch Australia later bought Casper and two other wild horses that were with him.
There were concerns when Casper and the other two arrived that they might jump the 4 feet
(1.2m) high fences so they were left alone and undisturbed for a few weeks to settle in.
There are various ways to gentle horses and wild horses. The method described below is just one
way of gentling/training.

5 Casper starting to become more approachable.
The lasso is looped around Casper's head to mimic a halter.
This is done a number of times until he is comfortable.

After some time Casper was lassoed. 4
Before lassoeing Casper, Rita threw the lassoe on the ground a number of times, eventually touching him on the legs and body. After being lassoed Casper became much more used to the lassoe. The lassoe was allowed to touch all over his body. After some time he was pulled in to face Rita. This pulling in was continued until he came right in so that his neck could be touched and then stroked. He was still a little shy of being touched on the face, although he did allow some touching on his face.
It must be mentioned that Casper was given a break every
20 to 30 minutes. This is most important as it gave him time
to rest and think about what had just happened to him.
Casper would often "lick and chew" during handling. This
is a sign that he was thinking about his new experiences.

5 Casper being haltered.
Casper is still a little shy of being touched on the face,
however this is not a problem. More handling will bring
trust. It must be remembered that there is no need to rush
gentling a wild horse - it is not a competition.

5 Casper being taught to lead.
The rope was pulled directly to Rita a few times with no movement happening so Casper was pulled from the side.
This would pull him off balance, and when he moved, the rope tension was quickly released. This was a sign to Casper that if he moved towards Rita the pressure would
come off the rope. This was continued a number of times
until he would 'yield' to the rope pulling. Eventually he
'yielded' to being pulled directly towards Rita.

5 Picking up Casper's back hoof.
The rope secion of the lassoe is used to pick up Casper's
back foot before doing it by hand.

5 Picking up Casper's front hoof.
Some people call it "picking up their feet".
All these steps in gentling are not rushed.

3Starting Casper in the round yard.
When Casper was first put in the round yard he appeared
intelligent as he did not circle the yard of his own accord when
Rita entered. It appeared as if he knew that circling would be to no avail.
After Rita caused Casper to circle within the round yard a
number of times he found a spot ("sweet spot") where he felt comfortable to rest, and look at Rita. Rita would then approach Casper when he wasn't looking and retreat when he looked at
her. Retreating has the effect of taking the pressure off the horse. This is a method where many wild horses will want to "join up",
that is, approach right up to the trainer. All horeses tend to favour either a clockwise or anticlockwise direction. Casper was made to go in both directions to reduce his tendency to favour one direction. Casper resisted joining up with Rita, however he became familiar and more comfortable with her, so it was decided to use the lasso.

5 Casper tied to a tree.
Casper pulled a few times after being tied up. This was good
as he then learnt to respect the rope and halter.