So my last post wasn't very positive and then I disappeared for a while, which might have left a person or two wondering about my little mare. If you were worried, don't be, she isn't going anywhere.
After I wrote that I decided that I needed to make a real effort to work with her a lot more. When her hoof healed I rode her every day for a week and she didn't put a foot wrong. She really does have a heart of gold.
Recently, I found a local trainer who not only uses Classical techniques but is willing to make house calls! She also has her own collection of redheaded mares (OTTBs) so she's very comfortable working with horses that might be labeled as "hot."
Today, for the first time ever, I had a lunge line lesson riding Gwen. She trotted up and down a hill, in a circle, with me on her back trying to fix my posting position- and she was a rockstar! Unfortunately I started out as a nervous mess, so the real point of the lesson turned into getting me to let go of the fear and actually trust my girl. That is hard to lose but after our experience today my fear level dropped about 25% and the trainer had only good things to say about my girl.
So yeah, we're doing okay!