To continue with the steps of halter training....
Step 5 Give to the Rope. By the time I put a rope over the horse's neck they usually have a good understanding of yielding to fingertip pressure and will bend their neck towards me enough that I can ask for a hindquarter yield to each side. I choose to use a rope for leading before going straight to the halter because it feels less entrapping to a horse. Mustangs fight against pressure because they are terrified of being trapped and killed. I give them every advantage to be able to break away from me in the beginning so they can learn that the pressure is not there to trap them, but to communicate with them. I find that if I allow them to take the rope out of my hands and get free a few times they will accept pressure much more quickly. Also, lighter pressure is far more tolerable. I will often hold the rope with only my thumb and index finger to keep myself from applying excessive pressure, only if they are ignoring that pressure will I increase it . When you use extremely light pressure and release with the slightest yield, it is surprising how little it takes to get a horse to respond.
" I don't have time for all of these ridiculous steps!"
Keep in mind that giving a horse time to think things through and really understand what you're asking for will save you time in the long run. Horses can learn each of these steps in a matter of minutes if they are given the proper feel and timing. Patience is a huge component of having proper timing, a horse can only learn something in minutes if he feels like you are allowing him all the time in the world to figure out what he needs to do. Stetson went through steps 5-7 in about 20 minutes, and was completely confident at every stage. I can't stress enough how important it is to give a horse the time they need to think!