PS

Reading back, that last one is pretty flat story telling for me (I was barely awake, it has to be said) but I am still so chuffed and about what Max did, both the leaving ponies he wanted to follow, and the incident with the dog.

We have had so many troubles with his "Arab Mist" and spent so much time, sometimes quite frustrating time and also sometimes wonderful inspiring time filled with laughter and applause, going right back to basics and doing such simple (to other eyes) ground work, and "circus pony tricks" with clicker training.

"Why aren't you riding him?" "You have to WORK it out of him!" "Horses aren't pets, they need a job!" blah blah, blah in the background. "How did he go today? You're not working him hard enough." "He's getting fat." "You need his respect!" and on and on until I just about wanted to pull my own head off.

So I ignored the back chat from the peanut gallery and followed my own path. When I say "ignored" I don't mean I didn't hear the back chat. Oh, I heard it all right, and it kept me awake at night sometimes, full of doubt, losing confidence in myself, wondering if I was letting Max down and then screwing my courage to the sticking place and getting up the next morning and trying again.

And it often felt like we were just playing, like we weren't really achieving anything but Spanish Stamp and "gimme a kiss gorgeous!" Going through obstacle courses, backwards and hands-free, doing in hand, working on transitions and lateral work, all by the seat of our pants and figuring out what worked for us.

But now, I know we have achieved something, and it's something pretty special.

Will the back-chatters notice? Course not! I have done nothing worth noticing. All I've done is FINALLY got Max going and obeying like all good horses should do, and it's about time too. Certainly nothing to crow about!

Well cock a flippin' doodle doooo anyway!

I will crow because what we have achieved, small as it is, maybe momentary as it is (tomorrow's another day with another Big Bad to face) we didn't get there through force or submission, we got there through playing and patience, experimenting and larking about. And a bit of determination and resolve too.

It's not a flat story, it's a story of great promise and respect.

Max really is magic and he's coaxed the best out of me so I can coax the best out of him.

Well, he wouldn't want me getting big headed about this stuff, but every now and then, he shows me I'm doing OK, and yesterday's hackette, that's what he did. All those hours sweating and laughing in the school resulted in Max responding to a finger twitch on the reins and an asking voice.

So I'm giving Max a dancing ovation