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Mixed bag tonight. He was brilliant with wwylm on the right, staying right with me but on the left he tends to drift behind me so that he's almost walking on my heels. Even though I am holding the carrot at right angles to get him as far from me as possible, he just curves that long elegant neck around and takes it without shifting his body. It's something to work on, difficult because I can't turn around to see what position he's in, I can only judge from the angle of his neck...or feeling his hooves or chest. Still not a good thing when he's aroused.

He nickers almost constantly. Again he trotted over to meet me when I entered the paddock. We had a few evasions for I got enthusiastic and worked too long. But it was more playful tonight. Naturally. Not because I had to think about it. Was just so pleased he was pleased. Head down either prompt or with hesitation. DId some rapid fire c/t's for head down to try and implant the idea. He offers it when I'm not asking, along with backup.

Worked on having him back and stay back until I walked over with the treat, a matter of only a step. Half successful but as we've just started that I'm not concerned. Did have him back four or five steps so that was good. He had a little mug attempt, not quite touching but leaning in and sniffing. If I hadn't blocked or twisted away it would've got worse but at least he isn't as determined as before so there is steady improvement. The mirroring is getting better. Sometimes with very little hesitation. Tried tonight to introduce the first steps of 'playing', me trotting one side to the other in front of him to get him to change direction. Hopefully this will lead to a dance as I've seen on you tube.

I don't want to mix things up too much and confuse or overface him (and we did get those couple of evasions tonight) but I also don't want to drill either. We are covering the same ground with mirroring, wwylm from both sides, head down and a little back up but as he gets the idea I think it's a good idea to playfully introduce some other elements. Tried again to walk into his face with my hands at shoulder height to get him to yield. He kept backing up so I backed up with him so that I didn't lose my position at his face. When he side-stepped a tiny little step I jack potted. Tried again immediately and got the side step much faster, only one back up step so rewarded that too.

We almost stopped on an evasion but I returned to him and asked for a head down so that I could give him the last two carrots.

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Yesterday I wrote how nice it would be if Balthazar was the first to meet me at the gate. Today when he saw me at the gate, he trotted over nickering. That is a first. He's walked over with speed but never trotted. I am so happy. The session was great too. I had my energy up as before and he responded in kind. He did better with wwylm with him on my left. His head down was much better. Less hesitation, so much so that I waited until his nose was almost touching the ground before I clicked. May as well refine it now that he's getting it so well.

I think we've had some kind of breakthrough. Today he seemed more willing to play. When we had a break I didn't walk away rather I moved beside him and scratched his back. He did get a little too excited a couple of times and was a little too close with wwylm but I think we'll be okay. I also tried a little of walking into his space at his head with my hands at shoulder height to ask him to move sideways as the start of turn on the forehand and he did. Jackpotted for that. I know it's not shaping, that it wasn't training him as though he was a dolphin but he didn't seem to mind and he got a big reward. We may be able to move into playing, perhaps where I can even start to free lunge - sending him away and calling him back. I would love him to expend some of his excess energy in galloping and bucking and whatever when he's away from me free lunging.

We did some mirroring too. Very good. Three steps back with alacrity. Very little hesitation today - like he is really, finally, getting it.

Asked him to back with cue, something he already knew. He did it very well. Want to refine that so that I walk forward with the treat rather than him coming back to get it. Want him to stay where he is after backing until asked to come forward again. A kind of yo-yo affect. C/t for backing, c/t for staying, c/t for coming forward or perhaps c/t for backing and c/t for coming forward when asked although I think it would work better if he learned to stay before I c/t for coming back or he'll always be coming back. Should be easy to train as he does take note of my posture and I can make myself Big to keep him in position.

He did want to mug a couple of times but they are half-hearted. He doesn't touch me and as he doesn't get a treat until he's stopped I think it will slowly fade completely away. The mugging is already nothing like it was.

I suspect and hope that we can start to make real progress as he understands that this work is more like playing, that only good things come from it and it's fun to do. As he understands this we may have offered behaviours or things I can capture with c/t that will start him thinking. He's a bit reactive (especially with the stallion behaviour) so with him understanding that there will only be positive things or no thing but never a bad thing, he might be more open to learning and playing.