Trot, trot, trot...

Max knows his business now, and gets down to it. He wears his school hat (I like to think at a jaunty angle though, because he is still a cheeky monkey) and there's no stopping him. Well, yes, there is stopping him, but only when asked, not just because he feels like it.

I noticed this yesterday when I took him into the school of a bit of lunge work after yard work. No need to coax or work up to anything, he just takes himself out where he knows he's meant to be, and waits for the signal to change gears. With a "Trrrottt!" from me, off he goes, and there he stays, trotting, until I ask something else.

Same today in the school doing ridden work. I only had about 20 minutes between yard work and having to scoot home to clean up and get changed for the office, but 20 minutes is enough. Little and often as a good friend just reminded me.

The fact that I was on his back rather than standing in the centre of the school made no difference to Max. I asked for trot, he gave me trot, and there was no suggestion of not giving me trot until I changed my mind and asked for something other.

This has crept up on me a bit. As much as I've hated "nagging" Max in the past, he did tend to give up and slow down if he thought I wasn't paying attention, or just didn't feel like it. And it's not that he's become robotic now, he hasn't, but he certainly has come on in fitness and comprehension.

I am having severe misgivings because it has been suggested, again, that what Max really needs now is a flash noseband as a training aid. For those who don't know, the flash is basically a leather strap that comes down from the standard noseband and is used to strap the horse's mouth closed so he can't evade the bit.

I have never used one, and I never want to. I have strong views about the way I want Max to learn and accept direction, and shutting his mouth so he can't express himself is not among the options. Why would I want him to learn by capitulation? Why would I want him silenced and stilled?

I don't want any of that, but was aware that riding him in the paddock on Sunday, evading was what he was doing, after ten minutes of good work. He just wanted to go his own way, and I could correct him with pressure from my fingers (my seat isn't up to it yet) - looking back, a lot less pressure than it once took to correct him.

I'd ridden in the copper snaffle then, because I wanted to try it out. Today, I switched him back into his Pee Wee today, and was even more pleased with the less wayward version of Max. Not foot perfect going round those bends, but no open mouth, head down evading, so I don't see any reason to consider a flash noseband to be wrapped round that sweet face with its open expression.

Let's keep the trust in those eyes, I say!