This morning I did the Parelli's suggested exercise of sitting for 30 minutes in the pen with Brego, not doing anything.  The rule is to sit still and don't touch the horse until he touches you first.  As I suspected, Brego spent almost the entire time hovering over me, breathing hot air into my face, mouthing my head, arms & knees, took off my hat (which in no time I put under the chair), and tried to chew my watch off.  Shortly after I took him to the round pen and let him loose he went and rolled.  Cody came over to see what was happening, and they sniffed each other a bit through the fence, then Cody went off.  Strider came to visit, too, and started to take Brego's lead rope from under the fence, until I got it back from him.  Occasionally Brego would wander off for a minute or two, but always came right back to see what I was doing.  After the 30 minutes, I got up and opened the gate, then sat down again.  He continued to hover over me for five minutes or so, then left.  I stayed there reading a bit, and I thought Strider was going to come in to join me at one point, but he just hovered over me with his head over the fence.  Needless to say, I removed my hat again knowing Strider would take it. :))

Later on, I went back out again to do the games with Brego.  They were all out front as I walked to the barn, but as I started to walk out back, they all began coming my way.  I met up with all three over at the side of the house and let them follow me to the round pen, and when we got there and I kept the other two away from the gate, Brego walked right in.  Good boy!  I'm really trying to do all the phases and get everything down good.  Today for the Yo-Yo Game I worked on shaking my finger first, then wrist, elbow & arm to get him to move backwards.  I don't think he's getting the finger or wrist yet, but he does move as soon as I shake the rope.  He stops unless I shake it pretty vigorously, then he backs up some more.    For the Driving Game I whacked at that rope with the stick and he just would not move.  After tapping the rope, the buckle, then waving the stick in front of his front legs he finally moved, but he sure didn't get the tapping thing.  I worked on getting him to move backward by putting my hand on his nose.  I kept it there until he moved and quickly released and rubbed him, but he was very resistant.  He puts his head way down to sniff the ground (or my toes) and I keep my hand there until he finally takes one step, then let go.  He did really well at the Squeeze Game, with more energy and better stops without coming in to me.  He still doesn't keep his speed up with the Circling Game and I have to keep pointing and kissing again and again.  At the beginning, he wasn't speeding up, but after a few warnings and whacks on the ground with the stick, closer & closer, all it took usually was a point and sometimes a kiss.  I also got him to circle (walking speed) around four times without me turning (transferring the rope to the other hand behind me) both directions.  We worked on the Sideways Game, but that's tough.  Putting pressure on like the Porcupine Game didn't work well, but he did a lot better with more of a driving action, sometimes tapping him repetitively.  He did much better on his left side than his right.  We also did more leading, and I walked faster and faster and eventually jogged a bit.  When I jogged I had to keep prodding him to keep up, and I had to keep bumping him forward, but he stopped real well, right when I stopped, and backed up great, even after going forward faster.  Little by little I guess we're getting there.  It's fun to work with him and see little progress here and there.  Hopefully I'll get out tomorrow and the stuff he did today will sink in overnight!