Leadership training.

Leadership training is linguistic more than anything else. Think of the definition of leading, that you, as the leader, go in front, and your followers, follow behind. That's it. If you are the leader, you are in front. If you are behind, on top, off to one side or in the next county, you are not leading.

Leadership and dominance are different subjects. The leader can be dominant, or subordinate.

There are endless videos of wildebeeste in the great migrations on the Serengeti, which show that on arrival at a river, nobody wants to lead, as the first one in is highly likely to be a crocodile's lunch. So the widlebeeste frantically try to nudge each other over the bank. This is subordinate leadership. You see the same thing with penguins not wanting to be the first off the iceflow, to provide leopard seal lunch, and “accidentally” lurching into their maates to push them in.

Complicated dominance heirarchies aren't about leadership, they are about sex or survival. I have no desire to compete with any horse for a mate, and except when Obama is trying to nick my burger or Pizza, I don't tend to fight them about food, so dominance doesn't interest me very much. Obama is more than happy to let me think I am in charge, until it is something he cares about, when he decides he is the boss. But when danger threatens, I take the leaders position, between Obama and danger.

Most of the time this isn't any great problem. Obama has moments of worrying about lions round the corner, or behind hedges, and I am happy to lead the way past them. So far, my judgement has been vindicated. Ditto for the crocodiles off Exmouth beach and when crossing the Alphinbrook. It is the cars that will get me. Crossing a bridge on the way to Glastonbury, on our Exeter to London trip, we had set off across the single lane bridge when the lights went green, but we weren't right across before they changed. The driver of the lead car coming the other way could see us quite clearly, and still drove straight at Obama, shouting “the lights are green.”

This is the downside of leadership, and I stepped between Obama and the danger, and the driver, looking me in the eyes, drove into me. It didn't hurt much, but it is the hell of a shock to have a respectable looking, middle aged man in a reasonably new car, drive into you, while looking you in the eyes. Lee who was with me at the time got a photograph of the car and its number, but I never bothered to do anything about it. Obama is black and white, I was wearing a reflective road mender's jacket. We are obviously gypsies, so who cares.

The true test of leadership came a lot later in the journey. We were crossing under the London to Exeter main railway line just next to the summit of the Kennet and Avon Canal. The tunnel was 6” high, 6” wide and maybe 25” long. I had the Bannedwaggon loaded with luggage jammed in the tunnel so there was no way back. Obama was exiting the tunnel just ahead of me, when an Exeter bound express hammered down the line. The wheels were about 6 feet from Obama's head, the only route forwards appeared to lead towards the train, the tunnel behind was blocked. Not pleasant. All I could do was stand at his head saying “It's OK” “relax” and other fatuous comments.

We were both scared, but Obama was sufficiently used to the idea that I would keep him safe, and stand between him and danger, that he just stood there shaking till the train had gone. He was so terrified I had to take him down the road till I found a farmer with a field where I could park him to let him unwind. It was a few hours before he relaxed completely and we could continue the journey.

But when Obama meets danger, firstly I get between him and the danger as fast as possible. Secondly, I never punish him for fear. To be honest I never punish him for anything. The other day I was driving the Saddlechariot back from Exeter to Shillingford when we met a group of hunt horses in a narrow lane. They shied at the sight of Obama, or me, or the vehicle, and were promptly hit for it, and all three had to turn back to find a wide space to let me through.

The riders told me they were hunt horses and should be OK but sounded really impressed when they discovered I had been driving through Exeter. I then realised that the calmness I expect, is to most riders, stunning. But then when Obama is frightened, I don't hit him to stop him shying, or hit him to make him go past. I step off and lead him, reassuring him. So when he sees something new, he knows that if he gets scared, I will lead him past. The poor hunt horses know that if they see something new and scary, they will get hit. Hit if they shy, hit if they won't go past, is it any wonder they are nervous of new things.

Obama can still get scared, and so can I, but however scary the things is, he KNOWS that I won't hit him. So if it turns out not to be dangerous, next time he strolls past. If his memory had been that the last time we saw this scary object, I hit him, then hit him again. What will his reaction be?