dismounting

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E13

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How do you dismount? Just asking as I normally do the feet out and over normal way, but I saw someone today do it by right foot out, swing over and hold, left foot out and down. So do I do it wrong?!
 
I think I know what you mean, if I'm picturing it right my friend used to dismount like that when she had a bad back, usually onto higher ground like back onto the mounting block.
 
Never seen anyone dismount in this way, what you're doing is perfectly fine. Both feet out and swing the right leg over then landing with both feet on the ground is normal practice I would say.

Don't worry about it!
 
Western style I've been taught to leave one foot in the stirrup, swing the other leg over, then as my feet get sort of level kick free of that stirrup and land on the ground (like hayley.t's friend). As usual, I don't think there's one "right" answer to this. I now dismount that way all the time (on near or off side of the horse) due to physical issues, it's easier for me. I always have a slight feel on the rein on the side I'm dismounting on though, so a slight bend of the neck towards me, meaning that the horse can't suddenly shoot forward and leave me dangling.
 
Keeping the left foot in the stirrup as you swing over and then stepping down is the normal way in western riding, but in English it's both feet out and hop off usually.
 
With western and stock saddles it's difficult to dismount English style, that's why it's best to keep foot in, swing right leg over and then jump down both feet free of stirrups , this is cos these saddles have high backs
 
I hadn't ridden for ages & find it difficult to dismount because of painful shoulders. When I asked my husband to help he took me by surprise as he just lifted me right up in the air & out of the saddle & gently placed me on the floor! :)
 
I usually dismount by leaving my right foot in the stirrup and dismount on the off side. I have stiffness in my right hip joint and cannot always guarantee to be able to swing my right leg backwards. Sometimes I can dismount on the near side. I have also trained pony to accept me mounting from either sidetoo, though I mostly mount from the near side. Riding has improved my hips, and walking is no longer painful, just an odd twinge or two now and then,
 
I tend to leave my left foot in the stirrup when getting off unless on a horse I dont trust. This is cos I have dodgy ankles and I can control my descent better... it's more dangerous but hurts less on a day to day basis.
 
I too get off as described but on the off side. This due to an injury many moons ago and now its a habit. Right foot left in stirrup and then slide down the side.
 
Western rider so I do the leaving a foot in thing & find it much better - first time I rode western I nearly hung myself off the horse with my shirt trying to dismount english style! Nobody warned me!
 
Not so dangerous after all... I think it's a good idea to have the head turned towards you and a hold on that rein when dismounting. I don't know if riding schools and BHS-style teach that?
 
Normally a fling legs out back as per the 'norm', but sometimes cock a leg forward and slither off if he's eating. At least I did until I got the Acavallo pad. Completely forgot about the stickability and nearly ended up under his belly, as my legs went under him due to bum sticking to saddle and I went forwards. Good thing they're both sensible with that sort of thing. :biggrin3:

I also dismount on both sides (and mount). I also hold the reins short and with the head turned when I'm being sensible - this is because he won't stop eating, otherwise!
 
When I had a knee op the two I ride got used to just about any method of dismounting. Legs cocked over the front... me getting a bit stuck half way off and scrabbling... and even on one pathetic occasion off over my pony's back end. (Sob!)
 
At the end of my first lesson after a 30 year gap from riding, I dismounted as I always used to: both feet out, swing leg over and drop to the ground... only I'm not a young bouncy thing any more. :redface3: When I made contact with the ground all my joints crashed and I fell over backwards. :redface3: Fortunately my quick-witted instructor caught me.

So now I cling onto the saddle as I lower myself very gingerly while feeling for the floor with my feet :redface3: :redface3:

It's not very graceful!
 
I used to spring athleticly off with both feet out of the stirrups . These days I keep my left foot in the stirrup (toe only ) and sort of swing over , grabbing stirrup leather on the opposite side and slide down. It has more in common with descending a mountain than elegant equestrianism.:eek:
 
And if all else fails there is always plan B ]grrr what is wrong with this new format for HHO ,nothing works , cant even post a picture now.
 
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When I'm riding western (most of the times these days) it's first foot out of stirrup, swing over and once the free foot is parallel with the foot still in the other stirrup then slip the other foot out of stirrup and gently drop down. By keeping your foot in the stirrup it gives you a softer and more controlled ground landing but also means you can quickly swing back onto the horse again if anything untoward might happen.

When I ride English I take both feet out of stirrup and swing over either front or back depending on which horse I'm riding. Swinging back is correct however.
 
I do it the usual English way making sure to bend my knees on landing... I do however often seem to get scratches down my midriff somehow, I think I scrape it on the stirrups or something but I have three of these weird scrape lines at the mo! I think I must be doing it wrong!
 
It is the military way of dismounting to keep one foot in the stirrup. Perfectly safe as long as you kick the foot in the stirrup free when the other os level with it.
I dismount this way and have down for years, even before my knees lost their give!

The reason I started was because riding a lot of racehorses out of training many had never been mounted using a stirrup and this taught them to accept the one sided weight. For some reason they rarely objected to it when dismounting but did when being mounted.
Someone mentioned that it would be difficult if the horse did something unpredictable whilst the rider was on one side but it is easy enough to either kick the one foot free or, to shove the leg back over.
 
I know it's not the BHS way, but I do feel very much in control dismounting the way I do (OK, apart from the one graceless exit over my horse's arse). If the horse moves I can either get up or decide to get down, but as they'd only be moving in a small circle around me it isn't really an issue. Mine have had to get so patient with me over the last couple of years that they'd be unlikely to do much moving. On a bad day my Arab will patiently line himself up beside my home-made mounting block so that I can get down on to that. We've worked on it, but he is also a saint.
All I can say is, it's interesting how open we can become to alternative ways of doing things as we get older and creak more!
 
E13 said:
How do you dismount? Just asking as I normally do the feet out and over normal way, but I saw someone today do it by right foot out, swing over and hold, left foot out and down. So do I do it wrong?!
Click to expand...

I do it the second way now as I am not as mobile and atheletic as I used to be and I find that I can get my leg over the horses back more easily.


Both are correct though both feet out is more common!
 
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