Training progression photos

[klark_kent07]

After reading a FB post last night, I went back and had a look at some very early pictures and videos of my horses training. It was such a good thing for me to do, to really confirm to myself how far we have come.
The first photos are after about 2 or 3 months under saddle and the last ones are from January this year (3 years in between).
Who else has some photos to share?

[Flight]

Very cool photos, not only the change in your horse, but your riding too. He's matured/ing so nicely.
I was only looking at an early pic of my horse, when he was just started under saddle - he was so small! I'll have to share.
Can't wait til we can compare our early pics to our Grand Prix ones hey

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[Brydie]

Thanks so much for posting this! Has made me look at how far we've actually come (sometimes I get down about only riding prelim!)

Old photos are from I think September 2014, new ones from Dec 2015 about two months after starting lessons (taken from video so quality not very good). Also tried to take them at the same moments in the stride.

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[demi]

Nice studies! KlarkKent, Flight, and Brydie, you all look good. Thanks for taking the time to post. I may have some progression photos but it will take some digging to find them. Hopefully I can post them later.

I noticed some interesting things but don't have time to comment right now. As an amateur myself, these pictures are well worth looking at carefully. Seeing real progress is inspirational.

[Flight]

Demi, pics!

Yes, it's like the riders balance up as well as the horses.

[demi]

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In the first pic, Demi was 12-13 and I'd had her not quite a year. If I tried to sit into her, stretch my legs down, and flatten my back, she would hollow and brace her neck against me. The best I could do was try not to cause her to resist me. I haven't ridden lots and lots of horses over my life time and lacking skill and experience, I just wanted to keep her happy enough in her work that she would continue to try through all my mistakes and experimenting.

The second picture was 2-3 years later. At this point she allowed me to sit up straight, lengthen my legs, use my back, and she was responding to subtle half halts. Also, she was happily accepting a shorter rein. She was comfortable in the program and trusting me.

Something I noticed in several of our comparisons were the horses ears. In the early pics, the ears were forward, but in the later pics the ears were focused on the riders. They seem to be waiting and ready for instructions. Demi and Flight have one ear back and listening, and Klark kent, in one pic,has both ears zeroed in on his rider. It's hard to see the after photos of Brydie because of the bonnet.

My after pic is too fuzzy to see if Demi had any muscling improvements but I doubt she would have had much. At that point with her, I was still just trying to go straight and forward in a nice contact.

I am just an amateur but I can see that Klark, Flight, and Brydie all have some nice muscle improvements, as well as improved carriage.