Backing advice

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Hecken92

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The mare I'm currently working on with a friend has been backed before (lightly) but has had 2 years off in which she had a foal. Foal is now weaned and the owner has asked us to reback and school her. The only problem is that she doesn't like the initial getting on stage. Once you're in the saddle she's quiet as anything. In the paddock we work her in, she runs forwards as you try to mount, despite being held by myself. What do people advise? Do we continue with working in the paddock or move it to her stable (which I thought would be too dangerous, but maybe I'm wrong?)? Or should we use a mounting block of some kind and build her up to mounting from the ground?
So far, our plan is to work on bombproofing and wait for her top line and weight to increase through feeding and long reining as she is obviously a little run down after her baby and we thought this may aggravate her dislike of a rider mounting.
 
echo Amymay. If you are trying to get on from the floor, then that is frightening for unbacked horses. When YO backs horses at our yard, they spend time getting on and off the mounting block (which is really tall) so horses are used to people being next to them, then time reaching over and patting, then leaning over gradually adding weight, then finally getting into the saddle. Takes as long as it takes. Have seen that irish horses "typically" can be quite reactive as would have had a rider legged up quickly and some don't like it. Have seen quite a few broncos arrive who had had that done, but with time they stopped doing that. YO does put a lot of time into really ensuring the horses are very used to movement and weight before actually sitting on the horses though.
 
Worth putting time in, agree with mounting block. Repeat just standing up on it with her still and going further, definitely worth getting right! Someone on here was saying about using mounting block to groom the other side of the horse, that is something I've tried with mine (on ground) and is useful (over just leaning/scratch).

I was advised stable for first time leaning over youngser tacked up and thought it the most terrifying idea. Not a chance in hell you'd get me working on a new or panic problem in a box with no escape. School is personally my favourite for working. Its contained but you have enough space to get out. Round pens too. I'd stick to paddock if only option over stable though.
 
I sympathise with your problem.

I have had two horses backed in France by a very reputable trainer but when they came home they would not stand for a mounting block. In the case of my 4 yo Shagya stallion for me, an OAP, he proved unrideable so I sent him to another trainer who worked magic.

I know he spent 10 days working just from the ground and then taught him to stand still with a rider on board, far from needing to get him going forward this young horse was taught to walk on then stop till he lost some of his impatience.

One of my CB mares was backed in Scotland by a very experienced BHS instructor and another CB in France, I did myself with the help of a BHS instructor. I have had none of the problems we encountered with the stallion.

One tip which might help. I have a bomb-proof Highland Pony who has been used to help with youngsters over many years. We stand him sideways on in front of the young horse who is beside the mounting block, this stops the youngster rushing off.

I never mount from the ground anyway, even out hacking I usually find something to stand on if I need to remount for any reason.

Good luck.
 
Ok, you've disappeared, so going to make some assumptions here.

In your previous post about this horse, I made the mention of ensuring that you had a nice lightweight little jockey for the backing. This is for two reasons, one obviously is that you don't want anyone too heavy sitting on the back initially, and secondly it enables you to leg the jockey up easily and repeatedly to get the horse used to being mounted. Only once the horse is happy with a jockey being repeatedly thrown up do you then move on to mounting from a block. Always keeping head and body low initially - until again horse is happy with being mounted from block (no foot in stirrup) and then moving on to light weight in stirrup etc. Only when all of this is 100% do you move on to mounting from the ground.
 
i would suggest you carry on with her from now and feed her up as you go, she will become stronger and harder to hold on to when she has feed and muscle behind her as soon as getting on is not an issue then of course feed her and build her up!
i would get a leg up but only going half way between the floor and lying over and repeat as many times as it takes until she stands still rewarding as you go, when she is comfortable with this i would then go to lying over and keep repeating. when you get to lying over you should be able to put you foot in the stirrup and and stand up as if you are on but with both legs down one side this means you can push away if nessercary however dont get of unless you are in danger as she will know how to get you to stop if you just give up at the first movement she does, when she is comfortable with this and she is stood then swing your leg over and genetly sit down you need to pin point at what point she is worse and work form there, i suggest you find a quiet corner somewhere where she cant get far! repetition is the key here she has to be comfortable with every step!
 
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