A few days ago I spent some time Sharing Territory with 'the boys' in the creek paddock. I was amazed and humbled when Balthazar came over and stood with his muzzle lightly resting against my forehead. He stayed like that for 3 or 4 minutes then wandered off. (Have a suspicions that I wrote of this already but perhaps it's because I told Peter about it. If I have written about this, too bad).

This behaviour, almost too cold a word for it, is astounding considering where we were with the clicker training. He didn't move and neither did I except to gently scratch under his forelock. It was as though he recognized that I am trying to make amends for being so blind before.

And then of course I went back to hard and insistent last night when I again tried to teach him head down with four phases of pressure with no success. He didn't budge. I had my fingers pressed firmly into the flesh behind his ears and he did nothing. I waited. He did nothing.

This morning it occurred to me, as that was the second time I tried teaching him head down in that manner, that it wasn't working, so what was I doing continuing? It's the same blind mindset which has lead to blind ends before. This is what it says so this is what I'll do and if I continue long enough we'll have a breakthrough. But this is Balthazar we're talking about. Balthazar with the baggage I've given him in addition to the baggage accrued at the racetrack and the baggage picked up while being retrained as a showjumper. If an approach doesn't show any indication of working within a reasonable time than it is time to rethink things. At least it's taken me a few days rather than months to realize that this particular approach wasn't working.

Tonight, as it was beginning to rain, I did very little. (Last night was grooming and the abortive head down exercise). They'd finished eating the hay which is put out on rainy days or Saturdays (or both) so went out to say hello to everyone. Pagan is always fine, ears pricked and happy to exchange breath. Dakota started to look away so I backed off. He pricked his ears with a real look of surprise - you've never said hello propertly before! and then smelled noses with me. Balthazar nickered, walked over, smelled my hands for carrots (none) and then when no carrots were forthcoming, pinned his ears a little and made to nip my face (he never does it's just a shallow show of strength). I gently asked him to move his feet and then, after a moment or two, approached him again. Again, he walked toward me, smelled my hands but didn't say hello. I retreated, waited and then tried again. This time I got a friendly hello and a short companion walk. Bingo! Luxurated in that awhile and then asked him to walk forward a few steps with 'leading from behind'. He did and I quit.