Complex sentence: However, he would remain calm and controlled even in very intense situations, and possessed with the ability to understand when to be "on" for a performance and when to calm down, he was notably gentle around children who wanted to pet him.
Split into simpler sentences: However, he would remain calm and controlled even in very intense situations, and possessed the ability to understand when to be "on" for a performance and when to calm down. He was notably gentle around children who wanted to pet him.