21

Sessions deteriorate when we haven't had them for awhile. It's been two or three days. Initially I was pleased when I saw him standing at the gate nickering for me. Wow, he likes me! Nah, he likes the carrots. Groomed him thoroughly. It's been so hot and sultry that he was streaked with sweat mixed with dirt. His mane and forelock were sticky with cobwebs. He looked much better afterwards. It was nice to see the sheen come back on some of his coat. His spine and back are bleached with the sun but he gleams elsewhere.

So finished grooming and started the session. At least he didn't attack as he did the last time we had a break. He knew. I asked for head down. We worked on head down quite a bit. I want him to know the verbal cue so that there is no hesitation. He did okay. Not terrific but not bad. There was heightened stallion behaviour today. He even had a little stallion tantrum as before which I ignored. Just went on as usual. Notice that when he gets overexcited he sometimes initiates the break, the evasion. Like he can't handle it and knows if he doesn't stop something bad will happen - and not necessarily to him. Some of the evasions were quite long. I initiated some too when he got too mouthy - yes, we're back to mugging a bit, not like before, slobbering all over my person but getting a little grabby with the taking of the treats and if I don't deliver them quickly enough than he is shoving his muzzle in my space. So there is improvement there. Must remember that. It wasn't rgR long ago he was drooling all over me.

We also worked on mirroring and wwylm. He is catching on to the mirroring. I want him to walk beside me, at my shoulder so that eventually I can place his head in front of me so that he is doing a kind of shoulder in. But that's a LONG way off. There are moments when he is walking beside me, with me, and I'm c/ting all the time and then a few times when I can put a tiny bit of duration in and he's still with me. But it's sloppy and needs refinement. The excitement is the thing. When he's that excited he can't think and when he's that excited, to be honest, neither can I. I'm giving him treats because I want him to want this but also to keep him from turning into me and mugging.

I did growl at him once when his muzzle grazed my arm. Also when grooming, he still attempts to nip. It's not a bite, he's only grabbing with his lips but I'm unsure how to handle it. At the moment I'm only shoving his nose away. I don't want to use an adversive. I don't want to see his ears pinned again and lose that fragile trust that blooms and fades so easily with him.

Today was okay but lacked consistency, delicacy and timing. I need to slow down more than he does. One time when he evaded I waited and then decided, as it had gone on for so long, that I may as well end the session even though it wasn't on a good note. He came trotting to me. Which reminds me that when I left the yards, he was grazing. I called him and he walked with animation to meet me. That was good.

He's such a lovely horse. I don't know that I will ever get that 'invitation to ride' that I would like so much. We don't seem to make much progress but I suppose we are. It's just terribly slow which in a way is a good thing because it teaches me to slow down. I've always been too impatient and clicker training, if it's going to work, must needs be done with care and lots of patience and time.