Sheepish...

Max was one of the few horses on our yard who had very little trouble getting past the pigs that populated the field on our way out to the bridleways. He had been known to lead many an older, wiser and more experienced horse past them.

The pigs have gone. Moved to a field set back from the road, and set back from the one bridleway that comes close to them, so they are no longer a problem. There are a few still living right by the road by the farmhouse, but as long as they don't affront Max by daring to speak excitedly to him, he just turns his head and trots on by.

But now, it's sheep and although they do not seem to bother the others, Max does not like them. They don't speak, they don't run about like a many legged creature all bundled together, they just stare and munch as we go past, but this is enough to offend Max's sensibilities. Perhaps it is because they make such a show of grazing when he cannot.

It's not dramatic, he doesn't shy or refuse to go forward at all, a couple of circles and encouragement and he will walk along, but how he stares, and flinches if any of them make a move.

We were out today for a quite short, very muddy hack. A break in the weather meant that it was quite pleasant to be out, although more rain clouds on the horizon warned us not to hang about for long. The downside was that so much rain lately has turned our regular paths very swampy.

The good news, despite the sheep, was that Max went willingly every where I asked him, after his initial balking at the woolly jumpers. He didn't try to turn for home when I asked him to go straight on instead. He stood without fidgeting as I waited for a slow moving car to cross our path, and on arrival back at the yard, he willingly trotted into the indoor school and did a bit of work in there before I finally told him we were done.

A vast improvement in behaviour and co-operation from my boy. Taking a step back was the best thing we could have done; the result is steady steps forward.

Not such a happy report for the sheep. Apparently they will not be around to plague Max for much longer, but best to draw a veil over why.