By George, I think he's getting it!

We took Max out for a walk yesterday, the Ent holding the reins, and me the clicker bag of pony nuts and spare head collar, just in case Max got the mentals.

We started in the school, a little obstacle course so Max could strut his stuff for the Ent, then out into the world.

We met sheep being herded into a new field by farmer, tractor and dog (we have established that Max is not fond of sheep), we met a child eating tree (read child, climbing tree, feet dangling out of branches where feet should absolutely not be dangling!) and we met a walker sitting in the long grass on the side of the hill eating an orange whilst a collie looked on.

These things all struck Max as most peculiar and a good reason to have a bit of an Arab brained hullabaloo.

So as we walked on, as Max tensed and got tall a blew hotly through flared nostrils, I asked for "Spanish", or "Whoa" or "Over" or "Kiss" and immediately I said the word, Max shifted his focus, relaxed, did as I asked and waited eagerly for the next instruction.

This is very encouraging! We need to transfer it to saddle of course, and I will only do that slowly with the Ent accompanying on foot or bike, but the fact that Max is listening to me rather than thinking about what is unknown in the landscape tells me that all the slow and patient work we have been doing in the school has been worth every second. Not just for bonding and putting the fun back in our time together, but in giving Max a focus that makes him feel secure in his world, and a willingness to hand over the responsibility of deciding what's scary to me.

I heart my clever pony!