Make your intentions clear

Max was teacher today, and admittedly, he was patient because it took me a while to catch on.

A friend at the office went to the green grocer's today to pick through the discarded stuff for her chickens. She came back with a bag load of baby carrots (along with a lot of other stuff) no longer considered fit for human consumption, but in perfectly good nick, and she thought Max might appreciate them.

There were far too many for Max to eat on his own, and I gave the bulk of them to my YO to mix in with feeds so all the neds could share, but I kept a good couple of handfuls aside for Max, and I went into his box with my pockets stuffed full.

They were wee little carrots, and I thought they would make a nice change for pony nuts, offering a little carrot bite for good behaviour.

I did not take into account the very sensitive equine nose!

Oh, Max knew I was loaded with carrots all right, and there was the problem.

As I crouched by his side, asking him to lift his feet to have his hooves picked out, we got into a bit of bother.

I assumed the position, asked for front left foot to be lifted, and Max turned his head right round to stare at me with the big eyes. He nudged his shoulder, he nudged my arm, he went further back and struck his belly, but he did not lift his hoof.

"Come on Max, don't play silly buggers, Up! Hoof up!"

He rested his muzzle on my back and I turned my head to look at him.

"What's up? Hoof, up! Up!"

No go. I stood and looked at him again, with his head turned far back, straining at me. He started to nod his head, seemingly with impatience.

Stupid human, I tried again, crouched, and said "Up Max! Up!" and instead of up, his head came between his front legs, and we peered at each upside down, equally puzzled at what the other was up to.

"What are you doing, Max?"

"Bow!"

As I looked at his expressive eyes, the penny dropped. Yes, he was doing a bow, and he'd been attempting a stretch. That's what carrots are for!

How much does that tell me about our routine, and what I've taught Max?

Every day after work, we do carrot stretches, back to his hips, then to his shoulders, and finally a bow between his front feet for a carrot bite.

We use pony nuts for lifting his hoofters. Always have done.

So I come into his box reeking of concealed carrots and ask him for hoof up, and he's smelling the carrots and thinks, "Stretch and bow!"

I stood up.

"I've got it wrong, haven't I, Max?"

Little head nod.

"You want to stretch for your carrots, don't you?"

Slightly bigger head nod.

"Shall I get some pony nuts so we can get these hooves cleaned out?"

Big head nod.

Oh, I know it must be the inflection of my voice that cues the head nods, but for all the world, it seems like a proper conversation.

So I went to the feed room and got a handful of pony nuts. I got all feet up when I asked, gave him the pony nuts, and then threw the carrots down with his hay for a bit of a surprise.

"Sorry for confusing you, Max."

"S'ok. Stick to the syllabus in future, eh?"