It just keeps Getting better.

Another week has gone by and I haven't lost him. 

What have I been doing for the week?

We have continued our dragon slaying introducing him to the white poles he met previously this time laid down as an s in the pony paddock. 

We have repeated the mini hacking loop, we have met the other liveries painting show jumps all stacked in his normal tying up area. Loads of plusses here the smell of paint and turps, the whole area looking like a jump painting factory instead of concrete hard standing.

Today I decided the mini hacking loop should be extended so instead of leaving the yard and turning right up the hill we turned left! Now this doesn't seem like much but in Charlie's worst anxious times leaving the yard going left instead of right would have been extremely upsetting if not impossible.

This involves a longish steep hill to go down used extensively as a rat run and by HGVs it was very busy and he tootled down the hill ears pricked happily hacking away from 'home'.

At the bottom of the hill we turned left back onto farm tracks and took the long lane round the farm and back up to the yard.

We met a chunk of baler wrapping that he hesitated and snorted at. This would normally cause a prompt turn, a mini rear and refusal to take the selected route even though it was towards home. Today a pat, an it's ok and my little man happily tootled on up the track with a perky pair of ears realising he was heading back and supper would be served. Only a brief 15 minute hack if that but a hack none the less and on his own. He has never left the yard and turned left ever.

This brings me to this beautiful Arabian proverb

'The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse's ears'