Progression?

This pic was taken in January after storm that dumped about 18" of snow. The pic shows the benefit of riding in the snow--Jeeves doesn't use his hocks like that any other time! This was such a miserable winter, with mostly ice, that I wasn't able to maintain any of his condition over the winter. When riding in snow, you don't want to ask for big strides. Small strides with lots of half-halts to help with their balance is the key. The other thing I try to focus on over the winter is my position and making sure I get a response from a light aid.

This pic was in late April after my first lesson this spring. Now, we're asking for a big stride. Getting him to stretch and move forward in an active gait.

This pic was in mid-May, asking for some collection. Not alot, but we're making progress. What I like about these pics is that I can see my position HAS improved. I started riding in my late 20's and have always struggled with my position. I've always been dismayed when I see a pic of me riding to see that I'm still in a chair seat and my hands are too high. I haven't seen any pics of me riding for about 4 years, so I was a bit scared to see these. Other than the fat that I seem to have accumulated over the last few years, I was pleasantly surprised to see that my thigh is finally down where it belongs, I have a good line from elbow to bit and from shoulder, hip, heel. The pics from 2 posts ago show these things more than these do. I'm slightly forward in the pic just above

I suspect I would still be dismayed if I saw a video of me riding. I think my hands are still too busy and my legs are not as quiet as they should be. It's all a work in progress and I have such a wonderful teacher in Jeeves.

He's been giving pony rides to my friend who is staying here recuperating. It's been almost a year since she's ridden and she has a lot of fears because of bad experiences with her horse. She wasn't sure about getting on Jeeves since he's so enormous, but I convinced her that he would be perfect and he was. My ex, who was a rank beginner, used to take lessons on him and he never put a foot wrong. Despite his enormous size, he's really not that wide to sit on. My saddle is a medium tree, so she wasn't uncomfortable on him that way. And, he's so relaxed and calm that she wasn't scared being up there. So far, I'm just leading her around on him with a lunge line, though the last ride she was able to do more steering and was able to use her leg enough to ask for the trot herself. She can't do much, but Jeeves has been the perfect mount for her. The hardest part has been dismounting. I stand Jeeves up next to my truck with the tailgate down and she gets off onto the tailgate, then gets down from there. As long as he gets his mints, Jeeves is happy. :-)