Haven't written in a few days although I've been steadily working with Balthazar. Had to stop and regroup. As usual I was in too much of a hurry, pushing hard and generally making a mess of things. This is despite trying to go slow and easy. Tonight I did nothing but shared territory and got brilliant results. Well, almost nothing.

When Balthazar has his feed in his tub and I or anyone walks by he bobs his head with his ears pinned. Mine, he says. I've combated this (combat being the appropriate word) by making him 'move his feet'. Tonight I took my little fold up stool and sat in the corner of the stall while he ate. He was unperturbed. Usually when he finishes he faces north, looking across the paddock. Tonight he faced SE so that he would be near me. He slobbered on me while smelling me all over. He 'lipped' me a couple of times but I just gently pushed his head away. When he returned to his feed bin, which was already licked clean, I moved to the SW corner of the stall. He followed me and put his head between my knees while I scratched him under his forelock. After a while I got up and let him out while I tidied up the bins and let the others out. He companion walked with me to the paddock followed by the other two, then the horse hierarchy took over and he was relegated to the end of the line. All the horses followed me to the front paddock and on to the SW corner. We admired the view and then walked, all three of us again, to the NW corner where, after again admiring the view with them, I slipped through the fence and picked them some grass.

It was such a small thing, this meandering with the horses, but beautiful. I was so chuffed that Balthazar seemed quite happy to hang out with me in the stall. His eye was soft and he didn't mind when, while he was standing over me so that when I looked up I saw the underside of his neck and head, that I scratched his chest and shoulder, areas which usually elicit pinned ears and a bite at his chest.