Difficulty Mounting

tristar

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One of the reasons I 'hop' on, rather than put my foot in the stirrup. Far too much can happen between the time your foot goes in and the time it takes to swing over! Had a few very close calls like that on previous horses.
i`d love to hop on, but can`t manage it and have not got the nerve,i would be worried about landing too heavily on the horses back, so use the stirrup to control a light landing, but sure its safer without the stirrup.
 

sportsmansB

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You might find as a youngster in ireland they didn't use a block. A lot of the breaking riders will hop on like jockeys. If he did shoot off, he'll have been strangled back to a stop (potentially!) so he maybe is more sensitive than most and remembers it. Or maybe he wasn't that sensitively backed and associates you standing up beside him fiddling about with the first time someone hopped on his back ever when he wasn't quite ready.
Is he super sensitive to the reins when you are doing normal riding?
I would be tempted to use treats to get him to stand at the block and get on with no rein contact at all, as long as he won't bronc when you do get on? Another treat from the saddle when you are on will make him stand still to get it before he walks off.

To be honest we had one mare who was a bit like this until she was about 7. There was no obvious reason for it, she just shot off and didn't like being held back. We used someone on the ground to hold her (easier on a big yard tbf) and give her a fuss when she had not run away. Shes much better now but I still would be a bit careful getting on her - once you're on shes an absolute lady. Its weird.
 

SpringArising

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you guys have been so helpful keep those great ideas coming Im willing to try anything and as I am out of ideas you guys have been great hopefully my beautiful loving yet scared of life horse Jack will get there he is special and deserves to have a better start then he did before me its just so awful he is only 6 now to think in his tiny short life so much wrong has happened to him

He is beautiful. Do you have any other photos? I love that colour.
 

Muddywellies

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Sorry I haven't read all the other responses. But what I would possibly do for a good week or fortnight is lunge and then at the end, hop on from the mounting block, give pony a treat, then get off, and repeat several times without moving off.
 

Kittyheaths

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ok so I took your ideas ladies put them into practice used the clicker treat method worked on him not backing up when I picked up the reins from the ground when he stood still for a few seconds clicker treat and did the same from the mounting block but again the tension was high and he did not relax I did not crack it but now my question is Jack is now more interested in my pocket then listening he is very babyish for his age and decided chewing on the reins was fun so alittle bit of progress but tiny tiny steps
 

Ceriann

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When i had the beginning of issues with mine i spent some time just sorting the mounting. I broke my hip in a mounting related fall so standing still until im ready is very important to me (and my lack of confidence with this may well have caused the fidgeting)! Anyway we did a few things 1) got her used to standing still to be tacked (shed clearly only been tacked in a stable). 2) got her used to standing at block (i did treat for this) - we picked up reins, stood by the block, on the block (lots and lots) 3) treated her straight after mounting - she literally now turns to get her treat (never moves) 4) after i got on just sit there, drop the reins (if you can) and wait for her to relax. Minute she rested her back leg - dismount. It took a few weeks but it worked
 
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