finding it hard to dismount

Fieldlife said:
thanks all. Oddly was easier after my lesson today.

It isnt the jumping down that is the problem, it is swinging my right leg over to start the process that is hard. So dismounting back onto a block doesnt make it any easier.

I havent changed saddle / cantle height.

I did stop doing regular yoga / pilates in May, so maybe restarting will help.
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After a long discussion with the physio about exactly this, he/we have evolved something which involves taking my right foot out and bringing knee up/forward to shorten the angles, leaning forward and hoicking leg up with closed angles. Easier to get leg over cantle and then you can work out the actual getting down/ slithering to ground.
 
It isn’t easy to explain how you dismount because mostly you just ‘do’ it!
Anyway as increasing age has created difficulties this is what I do.
To obtain enough momentum to swing my right leg I lean forward strongly and pushing on the pommel swing my leg up and over the cantle.
Then holding both pommel and cantle I can control the landing and stop falling backwards as I land.
 
I just take both feet out of the stirrups, swing one leg forward over the horse’s neck and slide off. So far, I’ve not met a horse that objects.
 
Fieldlife said:
Thanks, I saw him a few months ago, and I think he is next my way in November. I do have some lingering issues from breaking my left big toe and damaging my right knee MCL in May. Some strange compensation patterns, but been doing the exercises he suggested.
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The body changes fast, for most people he would change the exercises every 2-4 weeks if you were having sessions with him regularly. He has two new people trained up (who already had massive skill sets in this area) delivering 1 to 1s so easier to get "updates".
 
I have quite tight hips and dismounting is tricky at times .. I did the cavalry dismount for a while but then discovered that if I hold onto the right stirrup leather it gives my leg swing a bit more oomph which is enough to get it over the cantle. After that, sliding down and landing with slightly bent knees is relatively easy
 
I have found that deep water aquafit classes has freed off my hips/groin area a heck of a lot.

stangs said:
I would strongly advise against dismounting with one foot in the stirrup - that's a huge amount of strain to put on a horse's back, and it's not great for the saddle either.
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A lot of western riders have videos on youtube showing how to mount/dismount without any girth on the saddles so no sideways strain at all.

This is the first one that came up on a search.
 
sbloom said:
The body changes fast, for most people he would change the exercises every 2-4 weeks if you were having sessions with him regularly. He has two new people trained up (who already had massive skill sets in this area) delivering 1 to 1s so easier to get "updates".
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Really there’s nothing about 1 2 1 availability on his website. I’ve messaged him but no reply yet.
 
Hi! I Work with a range of peoples with stiffness and injury in the gym as a PT - i would suggest opening and warming up your hip flexors before and after you ride. would do you a world of good as it sounds like they are seizing up by the end of your ride. if you either do it at home before your ride or even take some bands with you to the yard and do a few movements (youtube hip flexor band/body weight exercises) it will help open your hips up to movement. things like side to side walks or halfway squats with a band 15-20 mins a day will seem like small exercises but could really help you in the long run. Seeing a physio would help and they would also recommend the above exercises as i had ladies with tight hips/legs and they would come to me after their physio session to carry on at the gym and useful stretches you can do before/after riding. my body took a toll of riding for years and I started stretching before/after any exercise including riding and it made me feel so much looser and flexible. - also nothing wrong with using a mounting block to dismount, the shock of jumping off especially if high up wont help. try a longer stirrup too so your hips arent bunched up under you.
 
Don’t try the leaving a foot in the stirrup if you have grippy cheese-grater stirrups as it’s not easy to get your foot out. My friend did this on my horse at a mounting block and it nearly resulted in an accident as she couldn’t get her foot out swiftly and he started to walk off.
 
Sussexbythesea said:
Don’t try the leaving a foot in the stirrup if you have grippy cheese-grater stirrups a
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I dont use grippy stirrups but in any case if one uses this dismount propery on should be standing at attention with ones weight on ones hands in the saddle and then one's foot is easilly shaken free of the stirrup.
 
When my back was bad and I couldn’t swing my right leg over cantle unaided I found using a neck strap helped. Sounds weird, but it really helps give some leverage
 
Skib said:
I dont use grippy stirrups but in any case if one uses this dismount propery on should be standing at attention with ones weight on ones hands in the saddle and then one's foot is easilly shaken free of the stirrup.
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To be honest if one has difficulty getting off due to physical reasons which is why one may maybe using this method one may find it quite difficult to put one’s weight on one’s hands or stand to attention but otherwise one would agree with you. ?
 
Auslander said:
Mine did that once, but it wasn't as helpful as you'd think. There was blood loss...
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Am torn between ?, and/or ?. Do you have pictures?

On topic, I do a few "hops" to give myself momentum for the swing/jump. Both for mounting, and dismounting. Actually, when I think about it, when dismounting it's more a firm bend in the knee, not really hopping in the stirrup. I do lean over the saddle with my upper body as to not pull saddle, and horse, sideways.

Hard to explain though, I hardly ever think about it while doing it. Except in a western saddle, because of incidents involving clothing and horns.
 
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Sussexbythesea said:
using this method one [some people] may find it quite difficult to put one’s weight on one’s hands or stand to attention
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True. I was advised not to ride due to degeneration of the spine. But the rest of my body was and is still pretty much OK.
All one can do is assess ones limitations and use any means that can help one to start or go on riding.

Editing to add that I didnt start riding till I was over 60. So I never had the width or flexibility to ride some horses.
 
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