Wolfgang's widow, Suzanne, is a tremendous dressage trainer in her own right. She recently moved to a friend's training facility in Ruston, Louisiana, and is having the time of her life giving lessons there. She invited me to visit, saying not only could I ride multiple horses every day, I could also teach under her supervision and get some much-needed pointers and advice. What an opportunity! I'm looking at mid-January, when I'll be ready for sunshine and warmer temperatures.
Dakota was still in the covered arena today. I thought he was going into the pasture, but he's perfectly content so it's no big deal. I finished his mane and played around with bridling. He's definitely head shy. I did get the bridle on and let him wear it for twenty minutes while we walked around the arena. I need to work on getting him comfortable with me handling his head and ears. He's a sensible guy, so I think he'll come around quickly.
I also lunged him off his halter. While he does know how to lunge, I kind of think he has never been lunged outside a round pen. He kept plowing off in a straight line. He wasn't being bad, just confused. He also really didn't want to canter and didn't hold it for long when he did. But all in all it was a perfectly fine first attempt. He has the basics and wants to please.
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