Really good session with Maddie today. She spent a lot of time with a low head and a softly chewing mouth. I worked her in the halter first and it was fun because I had an audience that was really impressed. It also helped that another horse in the arena was dragging its trainer all over the place! Made us look good. Maddie was little Miss Perfect, sending, stopping, backing, and yielding. I set up some ground poles and backed her through no problem.
I put the bit in after a few minutes of head lowering and jaw preparation--piece of cake. I proceeded to lunge her directly off the bit. A lot of my sources advise against this, but I felt she really needed to feel someone pulling on that bit at a walk, trot, and canter, so she would have some idea what it meant the next time she pitched a fit. So I made her lunge at all three gaits, with lots of stops and transitions.
We took a break to put the saddle on, and I continued with more classical in-hand work. Shoulder in on the circle, shoulder in on the straight line, and backing. I used the dressage whip. She is still stiffer on the right rein, but with the bit now we can really progress. Did a lot of flexions at the halt, Clinton Anderson style. Interestingly, she was much stiffer on the left for this.
Ended with picking up all four feet and picking out the front feet. She's not quite ready for me to trim her hooves, but maybe in a few days. The rear legs I used a rope on.
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