Back issue / dissmounting

[Taffieboy1]

Hi All,

So a question of 2 sides here. A guy at the yard has a rather wide & chunky pony, this is where the first half of the Q comes, after riding him for around 15 mins lets say, his ball & socket joints start to sieze up as he rides him, guess probably due to pony being on the wide side ? I have suggested maybe riding rather short in the stirrup rather than long, so maybe his joints would not be made to part so much ?

Now second part is, due to the above it takes a little time to dismount, aching joints so he takes feet from stirrups, and lifts right leg up and over the back, stops for a second or two then off he comes on the left side, now the pony on last 2 dismounts has swung his quarters away as he dismounts completely on the left, so pony swings away from jockey, would you say its making his back sore, hence throwing away ?

I am no expert, and do not claim to be, but thinks could be worth him having a physio take a quick look at pony back just in case, what you think ?

Any suggestions/thoughts on both questions much appreciated.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I guess the pony has just got fed up of standing around while the rider faffs around, shifting his weight about on top. I find that stepping of onto a high mounting block is the best way to dismount.

 

[cobgoblin]

The pony may just be reacting to all the rider's weight being on the near side for a while when he pauses.. Might be idea to check if the saddle is digging into his withers as the rider dismounts.

 

[Shay]

OP - are you sure this gentleman would welcome advice from you? Sometimes the best thing to do on a yard is not to offer unsolicited advice to others.

 

[Red-1]

1. Wide pony/horse, yes it can help to shorten stirrups, but in the long term a narrower horse is better if you have creaky hips. Not too narrow though, as too narrow means you reach round the barrel. This is my experience anyway.

2. Could be many reasons. In the Police we did a Military Dismount by necessity as we had a stab/ballistic vest on with handcuffs, baton, gas, lights, radio and paperwork on the front of us, and saddle bags/long baton on the horse. To jump straight down meant we would get all hooked up. BUT it is perfectly possible to be balanced when half off, we could do the semi dismount, so standing in the near stirrup only on the near side, with a loose girth, and not move. Even in this position you can lean on the right hand on the right part of the saddle above the knee roll and all is balanced. When you step down it is in one smooth movement so even with a 'daylight' girth the saddle does not move.

When on display we would line up and be given a signal to dismount, and we would all have to wait in the on one side position until everyone was clear of their equipment, whereupon a signal would be given and we would all dismount in one movement. No-ones horse would swing away.

So, if the horse is swinging away either it has not been trained to stand straight, it is in pain from the saddle slipping due to the rider not being balanced over the centre of the saddle, or the saddle does not fit.

 

[Surbie]

If the guy has asked for advice and if it is a longterm issue for the rider, could they consider a different dismount? Either dismounting at the block, which will be easier on the pony's back or right leg over and swivel so he slides down facing the pony?