Horse scared of mounting

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spacefaer

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I am open to suggestions as to how to improve my hard-to-mount chap.

He's only ever been vaulted on, or climbed on from the ground, and as soon as I get higher than him, he moves away from the mounting block. Put pressure on him, and he backs away. I've got him standing quietly next to the block, but can't move towards the stirrup or his head as he moves away. Scared not naughty.

He has also decked me getting off, as he doesn't associate "me" on top with "me" suddenly appearing on the ground next to him. I have to swing over quietly, and lie on my belly across the saddle, then slide to the floor. If I jump, he leaps away.

I have tried giving him a treat once I was on - leaning forwards with my hand towards his mouth, I very nearly got fired across the yard - not happy with my hand appearing like magic next to his head.

His back is fine and his saddle fits.

Don't have regular assistance.....
 
Start training as if he was an unstarted baby - right from the very beginning. It would seem that there is a huge hole in his basic training. Is he an OTTB by any chance?
 
how about grooming him from a box/mounting block (I am lucky, have a wooden moveable one but you could improvise with a crate). Get him used to you brushing both sides from one side over the top etc.


It sounds as though he is missing that part of training (and as an OTTB he probably has IME-they are generally mounted up at a walk). As an aside, my old horse got funny to dismount and then got funny to mount and it was a saddle issue-even though the saddle had been recently fitted.
 
No - he's not a thoroughbred, he's an Irish sport horse. He's fine to get on off the ground, from a leg up, or vaulting - he's just never been taught to be climbed onto. He's jumpy if you move suddenly on the ground, but fine once you're on.

Sadly I'm no longer bouncy enough to vault on a 17.2, nor can I get my foot high enough to get on off the ground!

He was ok when we got him last winter, but has come back off his summer holidays a bit freaked by the whole idea!
 
I've been wracking my brains, and I believe I have the solution

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Maybe try working out exactly what his issue is, is he worried about having people higher than him?

If so get imaginative, in a school or somewhere safe get a willing friend to stand on a mounting block, ride past see how he finds this. Try transitions next to the friend on the block. Maybe get two friends and two mounting blocks, ride/lead or long rein him through the middle?
 
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