Well, it's not the saddle...

... its just mare-itude.

My coach rode lil miss Cadence yesterday, in her saddle, and had the same experience with her that I did.  Great w/c, NO right bend in the trot though.  The only difference is that when she couldn't get it, she got off and long lined her.  The fact that my coach couldn't get her to bend makes me both disappointed and happy.  It pleases me because if a former Canadian Olympic team member who's ridden at the FEI level in both dressage and eventing can't get her to give, then I shouldn't feel bad about not getting it. Its displeasing because, well, she won't bend!  After a 45 minute long line session, Cadence did give in and release that right side.
Apparemtly this 'new development' is solely attitude based.  My job is to be more firm and demanding.  I think I deal quite well with nervous horses, as I can keep my calm, but I know when to push.  The bossy ones however are a little bit of a new experience, and more of a challenge.  I'm not exactly submissive, but I am not 100% comfortable with asserting dominance.  However, the observations my coach made did strike a bit of a chord, so I guess I'm going to have to toughen up a bit.

On another note, I have a blog rec: If you want to have a laugh, go check out The Dressage Curmudgeon.  Read it from the start, and enjoy; you can thank me later.  Have a great weekend!