Communication, communication, communication!

Clever Max is helping me to hone my skills on making myself clear again. Well... saying that, he hasn't yet helped me on how to be more clear, but he has made me aware of where I need a bit more clarity.

I took him into the school this morning with his Dually and one very long line to see how we got on. I had intended to set up an "L" with poles, but didn't as we don't need the boundaries of the "L" anymore for Max to do his fancy footwork.

We started off as we always do, with me releasing Max and letting him do what he fancies. I want each unridden session in the school to start off completely calm, making it a pleasant place for Max with a relaxed atmosphere before we get down to work. I'm always especially happy if he uses this time to have a roll, which he did today.

After that, it was tail picking time. I have previously been charmed by Max's taking my tail picking as a cue to take himself out for a walk around the school track, but I've changed my mind about that and am now using this time for more schooling.

Having done some reading up on the importance of establishing the partnership and respect, it is theorised that being able to move a horse's feet, getting the horse to move where and which way you ask, is a good way of drawing the line in the sand about who is leader. By letting a horse move you around, or forcing you to move round him, you are declaring yourself subservient.

Going on from that, I considered that Max leading me round while I picked out his tail might be sending him the wrong message. Most horses are very happy to give up the big decisions about health and safety up to another; a stallion, a lead mare, a trusted human. But if the lines are constantly blurred about who is ultimately responsible, then possibly that can add confusion. Taking control of the feet is a way of firmly establishing that hierarchy. There's no need to be brash or pushy about it, it can all be done very gently and kindly.

So now, we're using tail picking as a "stand" exercise. No wandering off, but standing still while I do what I have to do. Max is catching on!

We set out the sideways pole again and had a few attempts sidling along it in both directions. Oh yes, he's picking this one up very quickly now! We were able to move well beyond the pole and get the same sideways action, then a bit of "over", then a bit of "back".

High praise from me and intent focus from Max. Whenever his attention wandered (there was a tractor outside the school, some dogs barking, some children cavorting) a gentle wiggle of the lead rope with "Focus" said calmly as a back up brought him back to me. Distracted attention is no longer humoured, but it certainly isn't punished either. It is... frowned upon.

Thus went the lesson for Max. Then came the lesson for me.

Having done brilliantly revisiting his newly learned manoeuvres, I decided to try and get Max out on the equivalent of a lunge circle, no whip, no fuss, just for a circle or two on each rein to re-introduce the idea that lungeing is not a Wholly Bad Thing for Max.

Since I had no whip to flick, I used the excess rope end, twirling it and saying "Walk on now, Max, there's a good laddie."

I did not get walk on. I got "over" with his hindquarters.

I asked again, I got "over" again.

I was momentarily perplexed, but luckily, only momentarily before I realised exactly what was going on. I looked at Max, now facing me, his big eyes, his pricked ears poised for the next directive.

So here I was, quite a distance from him, twirling the rope the way I do when I ask for "over" or "side" up close and personal, and now, he was taking in the movement and body language, and answering them at a distance.

No, it wasn't what I wanted, but goodness me, no surprise that that is what he offered. As I realised what he was doing, I was also struck by how clever he was to make the connection of the twirling rope and what behaviour that has most recently been associated with . He wasn't doing anything wrong at all, nor was he being stubborn. He was watching me, properly observing my body language, and giving me exactly what he thought I was asking for.

That's amazing!

Max is not at fault for misinterpretation; I am at fault for miscommunication. I will find a way round it, but for today, I played it down, gave him a pat and a scritch for a good effort, and got him on the long lines instead,to make a more obvious break away from what we had been doing, and what we were doing now.

The boy is keeping me on my toes! We went a bit wrong today, and I am delighted! What a wonderful way to find out just how much Max is paying attention.

My pole dancer

Today Max tried something new.

Having conquered backing up with ease through an "L" shaped pole obstacle, I was casting around for new ground work ideas for Max.

A friend suggested setting a pole up lengthways to get Max to move laterally, sideways, along the length of the pole, with the school wall at his bum to try and keep him focused on sideways, not forward or back.

We had a go.

This is all about Max getting his confidence back again, and both of us focusing on moves that we can eventually transfer to ridden work.

We started off with a groom and for the first time in ages, that included my back allowing me to find the strength and stability to pick his feet out.

We walked off to the school, and once in, I took Max's head collar off and walked away from him, to let him have a bit of leisure time to do as he chose. I hoped he would have a roll, and he did. Three full all the way over rolls, which always makes me happy because to do that, it must mean his back is in good nick.

When he was finished I gave him a polo to take the dust of the school out of his mouth (he always has a series of lusty coughs of dust after a roll) and then I moved to his back end to pick the school rubber out of his tail.

Whether Max thinks my position is akin to longlining I know not, but as soon as I pick up his tail, he strikes off and walks himself round the track in the school, moving purposefully forward while I pick out his tail. Funny boy.

When we'd done that, I left him in the centre and set up our reference pole. When that was in place, I focused his head on work by going through our well established
moves in clicker training, then collected his headcollar and put it in place.

I led him to the pole, positioned him over it and then worked on getting the sideways movement with his quarters, holding his head away from me and turned in the direction we intended to travel whilst trying to stop him coming forward over the pole.

From my right to left, we had limited success. With his head turned slightly to the left, I applied pressure with my hand on his side, where my leg would be in saddle if asking for the same move. One teensy muscle twitch in the correct direction got a click treat.

I watched Max's face carefully. He got the idea that this was something new, but he wasn't completely sure what to do about it. He was inclined to try "over" which he already knew, so I backed the movement and pressure with the word "side" to help him establish the subtle difference.

The pressure on his side wasn't really giving him a proper clue, so I twirled the rope at his hind, as I had done when teaching him "over".

Ah, lightbulb moment, he swung his backside, but lost his front end and stepped over the pole. Good try though, so he got praise and we repositioned.

Once we were set, I gave him the sign for "kiss" with click and pony nut for positive reinforcement (and to let him know everything was fine), and then we set to it again. Two good sideways steps met with enthusiastic praise.

He nodded and chewed his pony nut, but his face told the story. I have seen it so many times with clicker training - he knew he was doing the right thing, but he wasn't sure how he'd done it, or what bit of it to repeat to get his prize. It is always thus in the early stages for Max and me.

"I don't know what I did, but I know I did something you wanted! Ask again! Ask again!"

So I asked again.

One good sideways move, and then over the pole with his hinds, which was not so great.

No reprimand, just a pat, reposition, signal for kiss, pony nut, and focus.

We'd shimmied along the pole right to left, so I decided to try him left to right.

Much better! He knocked that one on the head in a much more fluid way, and to his great surprise and delight, was met with high praise indeed!

"Wow! What did I do? Ask again! ASK AGAIN!"

Again I set him up, again I asked, and off he went.

"Woo hoo, Max! Clever boy!"

"Hurrah! I still don't know what I did! Ask again! Go!"

We had another go at right to left with less success and much more concentration. He tentatively stepped forward over the pole, his back hoof hovering, like he wasn't sure whether to go forward or back. My boy was thinking about it and trying to work it out.

"Good try, laddie. You're almost there."

A pat, and a signal for kiss so he could work for his pony nut.

One more go, one good step in the correct direction and more effusive praise and the jackpot of a pear, head collar off, and pole put away.

It's a good start, and we will build on it. Best not to belabour the point in the early stages which just muddies the waters. It's isn't hard physical work for Max, this, but it is taxing for his mind and it's important not to let him reach the point of frustration. It should be fun, learning new stuff, so best to stop while fun is still being had.

I know it will take him a few more goes for the penny to drop for him, and to be fair, it will take me a few more goes to be implicitly clear in what I'm asking of him.

When he shows me his willing confusion, I know it is because I am not being direct enough in my communication. He's trying like heck to work out what I want, but it's new, it's slightly different and he needs me to be very clear indeed if he has a hope of offering up what is required. That is never his failing, it is mine.

So a rest, a re-think, and we shall tackle it again, a little at a time. Once he's sure what I'm asking, we won't need the headcollar, or the pole for that matter. Sooner than I think, I'll be able to say "Max, side" and point which way I want hiim to go, and he'll go for it.

Max aims to please, and I'm loving the ground work. Today was so calm for both of us, with such enthusiasm and energy from both of us.

I love my pony for his kind heart and generous, willing nature. Also for the very fact that he forces me to re-think so that I make myself clear. You can't skirt around it with a horse; they want honesty of emotion (they can deal with any emotion as long as it's honest and not hidden) and clear direction. They also give clear directions themselves, if you care to "listen" to what they have to say.

We haven't directly addressed Max's "Arab Mist" yet out in the wild, but we are indirectly addressing it through groundwork. It isn't just the new moves we learn together, but the bonding that happens while we're learning them. It's a trust exercise as much as schooling exercise. As we build confidence in ourselves and each other on the ground, so will the confidence build when we choose to venture forth, two friends adventuring out in the wild.

It may not be a quick fix, it sure as heck isn't a forced fix, but in the end, our slow and softly approach will pay much bigger dividends. You always get back what you put in.

Recovery re-think

Things have been quite for us, due to weather and injury. Max has been lingering in his box and field, unmolested by any ideas of work due to "acute back strain" for me, and powerful anti-inflammatories and pain killers. Partly I've been in a daze, and partly, I'm cautious about handling any big crazy from Max when I'm physically vulnerable.

No yard work for about two weeks now, and no work for Max other than cursory grooming, checks for his well-being, and a bit of clicker training in his box to make sure he hasn't forgotten recent lessons.

We had an interesting day yesterday. Lots to think about. I asked the Ent to come and help me out, with a proper groom and a bit of in-hand work in the school with Ent in charge and me directing from the sidelines.

When we set out, after Ent did a stellar job of grooming dusty Max including picking out feet, we found the school occupied. I wasn't sure what to do, as we only had Max in his head collar, but Ent suggested a walk in hand to pass the time and see how Max reacted. I would not have attempted it on my own, but I had the mint lick in hand and a long rope, so agreed. The thing about the Ent is that he is so calm and quietly determined, I knew Max and I were in safe hands, so relaxed and felt happy to tackle the great outdoors.

Hmm... it was OK. We didn't go that far, just up to the pigs in the farm yard and back. Max only had one real spook, easily dealt with, but I had plenty of time to watch his face and watch how he moved. Something is definitely going on, but I think it's more mental than physical. He properly plodded, even on the way home (a bit telling; he usually perks up and strides out on the way home), but he was moving quite well from what I could see. There may be a little stiffness in his hinds but nothing extraordinary.

It's his eyes that get me. There's something in his facial expression that I don't like and I can't quite work out. He didn't look relaxed. Not sure that's even it - he just didn't seem very Max-like.

I am forced to slow down now, because of my back, and Max and as a result, Max and I are forced to limit ourselves to ground work. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

We got back from our walk to the now empty school. Max showed no hesitation about going in there. What he did was snatch grazing with the Ent in charge, and that narked me. He doesn't try it on with me at all, but despite my "No! Don't let him! Max! No Sir! You know better!" he still managed to get his head down and have a munch. He is such an opportunist I have to admire him. Max is very canny about what he can get away with when the Ent is in control - saw his chance and went for it!

Once in the school, Max showed that again, loud and proud. He was an absolute star for me, backing up and turning through that "L" set up with poles, and away from it too, at liberty. For the Ent? Not so much, even with the head collar on for added emphasis. I'd try to walk away and let them work it out together, but Max just ignored the Ent followed me instead.

I made a point of letting Max see me pass the mint lick to the Ent and then let them try again. A bit more success, but not much. It is partly because Ent's timing is off, partly because he is not authoritative enough in his direction, and partly too, I think, that he hasn't been involved for a while, so Max just doesn't take so much note of him any more.

There was a time when the Ent could work Max on his own, and they were brilliant together in the Dually - better than Max and I were, but that needs to be built up again.

Man, do I understand the frustration of being ignored by Max! Been there, many a time! We can work on re-establishing the chain of command in no time. I'm not worried about that at at, and at the heart of it, I know the Ent's way with Max is often better than mine. He doesn't ever get impatient with him, he is always kind and always relaxed. I have to work at that stuff, to the Ent, it comes naturally, it is innate. The Ent is a Horse Whisperer waiting to happen.

It did make me question, though, how much of Max's focus on me is strictly food related, and that has given me pause for thought, too. Maybe I'm not clear enough on my cues, and maybe I relent too easily and give him too much positive affirmation so confuse the issue.

Whether that is the case or not, creative thinking will get us out of this and creative thinking and loose groundwork is all that we can have on the cards for the next little while anyway.

Yes, a blessing in disguise. We regroup and reconsider, and find our way forward, gently and with patience.

Maxicle

Frozen Britain, frozen pony, frozen me. There is not much else to say. The unseasonal weather has put a halt to all adventures, and made yard work, which is already pretty challenging, labourious beyond a joke.

The photo accompanying this entry was taken on Christmas Day, as our first dump of snow was melting away under the frosty sunshine. We thought it was all over...

We're in our second week of snow, followed by slight thaw, followed by freezing over night, followed by ice layered on snow, followed by more snow, and so it goes.

Conditions are treacherous, under foot, under tyre and under hoof. I won't even attempt to take Max to the indoor school because it means navigating a wide expanse of ice covered cement, and I don't like our chances. I've already seen Max do the "Bambi on ice" homage and don't want us in a crumpled heap of limbs on the cold ground. Nobody is riding out because it's just too risky. At best, too slippery, at worst, the snow covers the uneven ground so we cannot see where there are dips to swallow up a misplaced foreleg.

So Max continues with his routine of living out at night with his mate. They tussle and frolic to keep warm, which has resulted in a trashed rug for Max. It still keeps him warm, but it's a bit shredded. Not sure I can fix it so will wait for the summer sales to invest in another.

I check and re-check to ensure that he's not feeling chilled, and he isn't. He's getting plenty of forage in his box and in his field (we're putting hay down to supplement the meager pickings of grass under frozen, crusty snow).

To pass the time during our visits, I groom him, seeking out any hurts or swellings that need attention, give him a good scratch to relieve him from his enforced time rugged and we practice his clicker moves to make sure he hasn't forgotten "back", "over" and "head down".

He hasn't forgotten, and many times performs with nothing but me pointing to indicate what I'm after with no voice command to back up my request.

Clever boy! Always willing for a bit of clicker. Say what you like about clicker training and "circus tricks", I am convinced that this is the very thing, with groundwork, that will get Max and I out of the difficulty we're in right now, so I will persevere. And he likes it. Bonus.

Determined boy, too. If I go too long without asking for anything, he runs through the gamut of his "tricks" to see if he can coax another pony nut from my fingers.

Nose offered for kiss.

"No Max, I didn't ask. No click treat."

Nose offered more persistently.

"Uh uh. We're closed."

Front foot lifted and hovering, expectant, eager eyes...

"Still no. Stop it, now. We're done. Eat your hay."

Snort. Other foot up, met by silence and hands behind my back.

Extravagent head shake for YES

"No."

YES YES YES YES. Nose.

Laughter.

"Ah ha! I've got her now! Once she's laughing, the prize is mine!"

Nose, snort, lip wibble, nod. Pause. Nose, head shake, reverse, hoof up. Pause.

"Oh, Max! All right then, give us a kiss," I tap my chin, my pony gives me a snog, and finally gets his click pony nut then protests as he gets clutched in a giggly hug.

"Mad pony!"

"Crazy lady. Get off!"

Clever boy!

More observing of Max today. Ent came with me and it was good to have an extra pair of hands, although I sometimes wish he was slightly more experienced, I have to keep my eye on him as much as Max. Ent can't really read Max that well so doesn't anticipate and doesn't always see when it's not a good plan to take the mint lick out of reach.

Anyway, I went into the school before them and left my working whip in there so we could see how he dealt with it - I didn't want to be carrying it as we went into the school.

That went pretty well. No head collar, just Ent at his head with the lick and me working all the way round him with the whip. Again, a couple of hesitations, but he got over it, stayed relaxed, and I put it away.

I set up the "L" again, and after some out in the open practice with backing up and moving quarters, we had a go in the "L" with his head collar on. Ent held and I directed. A bit hesitant, but Max did it. Tried a second time to get more "flow" and steady movement and that was good. He improved and was very happy with all the clicks and praise.

Ent then took Max off for a bit of in hand (Ent is very good at this and gentle with it), and I decided to try a little lunge on the head collar (no whip) just a couple of circles in each direction to see how Max coped with it.

Well, we went from happy, bubbly and willing pony to pissed off pony in seconds. He didn't look at all confused or like he wanted to hide, he just looked narked.

"No, No, NO!"

Got two good transitions out of him though, and switched to long lines and the whole school. Still pretty begrudging, but better than on a single line and a bit more energy for sure. Got him to back up (did that with the lunge too) and rewarded.

Then you know what he did? My clever boy followed me when I asked him, and allowed me to position him at the top of the "L" (he was naked at this point, no head collar).

Then we did a pretty much flawless reverse through that "L" on voice and pointing alone. No hesitation, hardly a step wrong.

Clever Max! He was just brilliant and he got a big jackpot for that one!

I think that's pretty impressive considering I only introduced it on Friday morning and we didn't get round to it at all yesterday because of the cows. I'm impressed, anyway.

So... yes, it all has me thinking all right. Lungeing is definitely not the answer because I think his opinion is pretty clear, and since I'm not much of a fan either, what's the point?

He's not dead keen on lining either, but I think we can work a bit more on that and if we keep it really simple, I may be able to get him on board again.

All this is an opportunity for me to learn, and I'm fairly well placed as it is to find the help I need to get us through this.

It's frustrating and throws up so much self-doubt and guilt just in case the thing that's going wrong for Max is me. Even if it was inadvertent, I can't help think that I must have done something, or not done something to bring us to this impasse.

But I have decided to stop fretting over how it happened, and concentrate on fixing it.

Fix it, we shall. Our foundation is solid so we've got a firm platform to spring from.

We can't catch a break!

Friday was great. At the yard early to work, so when done, Max and I had a very gentle and productive session in the school doing clicker and whip de-sensitising. I didn't use my own whip (that is to come later) but the one in the school. He was unsure at first, but genius me brought in the mint lick, and that took care of any reservations. We did one whip session at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end. That was especially good as by that time the Ent had come over to the yard, so I got him to stand at Max's head with the lick (warning to be ready to get out of the way if Max shot forward) while I went all round him with the whip, touched his quarters, raised it up and down, etc.

There were two points when Max froze and stopped licking, one over his hinds, and one over his head. In both cases I just stood still and kept the whip where it was until he relaxed and started licking again.

In between all those, we did moving quarters over, raising front legs, backing up, and then backing up through an "L" shape I made with the jump poles. This caused a little confusion, but with lots of praise, Max didn't get his confused look - or at least not the scared confused look, just the slightly baffled confused look. With that look, he offers something else that he thinks might get him a pony nut, usually a kiss.

So we left the school upbeat, Max relaxed and jaunty.

Yesterday after I'd done the boxes, I took him back in there again. We were just warming up, hadn't decided exactly what I was going to do yet, but head collar was off. We'd just done the whip work again (thank goodness the danged thing had been put away) and had gone through some simple backing up and quarter moving when Max's head shot up and he tensed. He stared into the corner of the school and moved away from me.

I just watched for a bit, waiting for him to relax but he wouldn't. I could see nothing. I walked to where he was looking but couldn't find anything.

Then Max kicked off. Trotting, snorting (proper stallion snorts) shaking his head. His trot was beautiful, one of those really lifted ones that seems to hover over the ground for a bit. Neck arched, tail high; he was a picture all right, but oblivious to anything I might say or do.

Tried the mint lick. He didn't acknowledge it was there or that I was there holding it. Arab Mist descended.

So I stood there wondering how I was going to get him back to his box. Outside the school in the open, had to get him to the gate, close the gate, across the slippery yard by the muckheap, through the barn. How was I going to do all that when he was loopy? It was a proper consideration. I know it doesn't sound like much, but when he's like that, I'm pretty helpless.

I broke it down to just having to get him as far as through the gate, because if he got away from me then, at least he would be contained in the yard.

So I waited a bit longer, but no change in Max. Rigid, alert, maybe looking more excited than scared. He let me approach and I did get him to give me a kiss for a click, but it was absent minded and he strode away again.

I thought with the lick though, and a teensy bit of attention, I could get him home, so I seized the opportunity. I was aware too that obviously something was happening outside of the school that Max knew about and I didn't, so prepared myself for Max being outside the school instead of in it and able to see whatever had him so worked up.

We haltingly made our way to the gate, but it was not easy. Once through the gate, along with my boy standing tall and rigid, I could see two others on the yard on high alert looking out of their boxes.

Loose cows, is what it was. Loose cows roaming around the hay and straw storage behind the school.

Let Max stare at the cows with the whites of his eyes showing... he grew up with cows, lived in a herd of cows with his mum. Still, now they are foreign to him, it would seem.

Didn't settle in his box straight away either, and wanted to barge back out, but a new bit of hay sorted that out.

So today? Don't know. Really didn't need Friday's work undone by Saturday's random cow escape, but there you go.

There is no sign of any pain in his movement or any unsoundness, though I will still have this looked at.

Another owner suggested that Max's whip fear might not be because he's been hit, but perhaps an association with something else scary in the school that has now made the whip scary in general.

That's possible, and I'd rather believe that than that he'd been scared by threatening behaviour. We have had a few quite scary school sessions (weather, wind, hammering rain and rattling roof type stuff) and each time it has been either lunge work or lines and yes, the whip has always been there.

But that doesn't explain his Arab Mist out and about and as illustrated yesterday, he does always have a proper reason for the excitement or fear (hard to differentiate, but adrenaline is up and that's what counts).

I really daren't take him out now. I wouldn't in this weather anyway, but when it clears, I can't take the risk. It's not safe for either of us because it's so random. He might be fine, but if he isn't, if something unforeseen happens, we're buggered. I'd never forgive myself if he got hurt.

Pah. Stupid cows.

The thing I keep coming back to that troubles me is Max's respect. If he truly respected me as a leader, then would he get so anxious? Then again, as I know, as Monty Roberts says and as many of my follow horsey friends have said too, when adrenaline is up, learning is down, and the fact that I can't get through to Max when he's like that may have nothing to do with my leadership abilities in his eyes.

But why is it happening so much now? What's changed? The calmer supplement I' ve been using certainly isn't making a dent in it. The Top Spec has been introduced but the loopy behaviour started before that change in diet. It has increased since Top Spec has been introduced, but I think that's coincidental.

More things to ponder.