Max can multi-task!

My clever pony has joined the ranks of the creatures upon this earth who have worked out how to walk and chew at the same time! It’s been a breakthrough.

My grumpy boy was quite stuck in both his stifles this afternoon when I got to him, and quite fierce about not wanting to be touched or fussed on his hinds. At. All.

I tried a bit of massage to get him a bit more spongy, but it really was irritating him so I stopped. Decided I’d still take him out for a jolly, wearing his saddle and all, but would decide once we had been walking a while whether I’d actually get on or not. It does seem that the best way to get him looser and more comfortable through his hinds is to get him out and walking.

So off we went, at a slow and gentle pace up the lane, and then turned off on a bridleway to the left. Surprisingly, Max didn’t perk up, and kept stopping for no apparent reason. There was no look an anxiety in him, just a look of expectation at me.

“No click treats, mate, unless you do something for them.” I offered.

He stretched his nose out for a kiss.

“Walk on,” I said hopefully, to distract him and give him something he could be clicked for.

He did, I clicked and he stopped.

Hmmm… Don’t really want to stop every time he gets a click now, do we? So I offered the treat, but away from him and walked backwards so that he had to move on to get it. He grabbed his pony nut and kept moving. This, to his delight, got a very enthusiastic response. So we built on it, and by the time we’d finished “the triangle” he had worked out that he could get a click, get the treat, and keep moving all at the same time.

Hurrah!

Then he grabbed the schooling whip out of my hand and broke it with his big teeth. Snapped it in half, with a very satisfying crunch. It’s still useable, and actually, I quite like it a bit floppier, so I guess he did me a favour. Still told him he was a vandal though.

We carried on down the lane, away from home, and I contemplated riding, because he was moving well and was feeling springy. Found a convenient gate, hopped on, and away we went.

Max tried to turn for home, and found himself turning in a complete circle back to where we’d started. Twice. Then he gave it up for a bad un and off we went at trot, around a stubble field.

Then, as we rounded a corner and started heading up hill, bless his heart, my little man gave me a very determined and delightful canter!

This may not seem like much, but it’s our very first canter out on a lone hack. Ever!
He turned back to look at me when we came to a stop at the top of the hill, and gave a satisfied snort. I made a fuss of him, and then we turned for home, our heads held high, past the kids jumping from hay bales, past the pigs and the goat, past the honking geese, and past a tiny person with a tiny tractor that had quite scary flashy bits on. Admittedly, we went past that last one a bit sideways, but whatever!

Feels like we took a big step today, and I’m so proud of my Max!