What are the steps of join-up with an untouched horse?

The join-up process with an untouched horse follows a specific sequence of communication exchanges that moves from establishing the trainer as a directive authority through the recognition and acceptance of the horse's submission signals to the invitation for the horse to approach and follow. The process begins with the trainer entering the round pen or working space and establishing driving body language — squaring the body toward the horse, making direct eye contact, and using active energy and a flag or rope to extend the pressure field — that asks the horse to move away and around the perimeter. The trainer maintains this driving energy while positioning on the horse's drive line to keep it moving forward, watching specifically for the first submission signals: the inside ear locking toward the trainer, the head beginning to lower, and the mouth beginning to show the first licking and chewing movements. When these signals appear consistently across several laps, the trainer drops all driving energy simultaneously — turning the body sideways to the horse, dropping the eyes to look at the ground, allowing the shoulders to soften, and waiting without any advancing movement. This invitation posture is the critical step — the complete withdrawal of pressure that signals the driving phase is over and that the horse has the option to approach rather than continue moving away. A horse that genuinely respond to join-up will slow, stop, and orient its body toward the trainer, then begin moving toward the trainer with a questioning, investigative energy that is qualitatively different from the flight movement of the driving phase. When the horse arrives at the trainer's shoulder, the trainer walks away, and the horse that has genuinely joined up will follow — maintaining the shoulder-to-shoulder position that herd members maintain with trusted companions.