I RODE DOLLY last night!!!

definitely not flattering pics of me -





and I HATE the saddle



but....




Our Maiden voyage!





It felt like my stirrups were way too long, and she is so much smaller in the barrel than Arrow - who is my fluffy comfy couch. A little like sitting on a fence :-)
Did a bit of ground work with her the last couple of days, after I made up my mind to ride her last night!! I was really surprised at how she responded to leg, she curved around my inside leg like she was born there! I put my leg on expecting nothing, and she curved around it...

But I DID it!!!! I RODE DOLLY! That may not seem like a big achievement to some of you skinny young things, but last April I set a goal of a 50 lb weight loss to be able to ride Dolly - I'm only down 31 lbs so far, but one of my goals has been reached! D-Cutch - I may have hubby convinced that 30 days of pro training on this mare is a good investment....the trainer I have in mind will do undersaddle trail/road training, as well as put her in harness.....practical training - I think that would give her a great foundation for us to build on, for sure!

Looking good! Dolly looks nice and relaxed, her attention is on you :) Great first ride!!

Way to go!!! You look great up there!! Dolly looks like she is taking it all very well :flower:

It really isn't Dolly - it's me... my thing is about mounting horses, so getting on a horse as tall as she is has been the issue - she stood like a rock, hubby held the off -stirrup but left her head alone, she never moved - and once I'm up I'm fine - having some of those lbs off has definitely helped! And she is great to dismount too, could care less! D-Cutch - she is very relaxed - when I was getting on her she had a hind leg resting....MB - she is always tuned into me - one of the many reasons I really like this mare! Arrow is like, so, so, so what??? (which is OK too!) After I got off her, hubby rode her, he let the reins drop and she followed me all around the paddock, walk, whoa and turn....he said its like she is my dog and is heeling me :-)

And funny enough, when he is riding her she is maybe a little more tense, a little more forward, but still very good, & now having ridden her, and seeing how she responds to leg pressure, I wonder if he is gripping a little with his knees, where I tend to keep my legs off...my late mare Abby was like that too when hubby rode her -
While he was aboard Dolly, Arrow & Worthy came tearing up through the pasture (of course!) chased by horse flys, Arrow even threw a couple of bucks right by the paddock fence, hubby stopped Dolly and and turned her so she could watch, and she never moved her feet, although you could tell she was startled by the action....


are after I rode her, but before the other 2 came running - you can see how her head is raised up?
Maybe my imagination?


Can you tell I'm excited?

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD FOR YOU EM...........great job on your weight loss goal!!!! and you are correct about the difference in the riders.......you can see almost immediately in that one shot........he does look like he is clamping on her and look how high his hands are........maybe its just that one picture, you would know way better than me..........but it sure was nice to see him comfortable enough to still get on and ride....good for him...........and for sure......training with a professional sure helps .........I'm really happy to see you up and riding.

CONGRATS !!!!! I've just dropped about 15 lbs and I must admit that it makes alot of things much easier. I still use a stool for mounting because I'm pretty darned short, but I also know that I can mount on my own if I had to. I just don't like pulling to the side so hard when I try to "umph" into the saddle.

Dolly looks very relaxed with you on her. Great Job!

And doesn't it feel good to be excited? !!!!!

Dolly looks nice and relaxed with you for sure. She just seems a little more anxious with hubby aboard. He looks like he has a bit of a death grip on her though so you can see why she would be anxious.

It's great that he's learning though. Not many people are naturals, we all had to learn in the beginning.

Congrats on achieving your goals

you look awesome on her.. great Job!!!!

Way to go Tammy!! I use the stool too - I'm 5'7" but my legs aren't! Even hubby does now too, and he's almost 6'5"! Of course in our case, age is a factor, too LOL
Joan - I am after him all the time about those hands! To make it worse, he likes a high headed horse :roll: In his defence, though, regarding those legs of his :roll: -the stirrups are down as far as they will go....and she had stepped up a little "quicker" when his HELMET brushed the pine boughs LOL - but doncha love the helmet??????? Amazing how a little brain surgery can educate....even a man!
Joan, how's the show training going?????

I'm still excited!