Horse won’t allow me to mount from the left

[Horseperson432]

Not really something I am concerned about as horse has been checked by vets and physios etc… more just a question about equine psychology!

My horse, who is quite reactive and an anxious type, hates me getting on him from the correct side. If I’m legged up it’s fine as someone’s holding him and he doesn’t really have an option but whenever I get him off a mounting block, gate etc he will NOT stand to allow me to get on him correctly. He will however, at his own accord, turn himself and stand like a saint so I can get on him from his right side. I hunt and hack a lot and often find myself needing to get back on in tricky situations. He’s not bothered as long as im mounting from the right side?

Probably doesn’t help that because i often have to get on quickly I have just allowed him to get into the habit but interested to see if anyone has any solutions as to why this is?

 

[Snow Falcon]

Were his eyes checked?

No experience of this but if he's happy for you to get on the 'wrong' side, I'd go with it.

 

[Lois Lame]

I'd probably just go with it too, if I could mount from the right-hand side, that is.

Sometime, when you have the time and the inclination, maybe teach him to stand still while you mount on the left side. I think he's habituated to your letting him move off too quickly when you mount on the left (or others allowed it to happen). The right hand side I suppose is 'different' in his mind, after all, even he thinks mounting doesn't happen there, even when it does

But I think it's even better if you sometimes mount on the left and at others, mount on the right. All this one-sidedness we get into for no good reason anymore is best avoided.

 

[Lois Lame]

He will however, at his own accord, turn himself and stand like a saint so I can get on him from his right side. I hunt and hack a lot and often find myself needing to get back on in tricky situations. He’s not bothered as long as im mounting from the right side?

Probably doesn’t help that because i often have to get on quickly I have just allowed him to get into the habit but interested to see if anyone has any solutions as to why this is?

Hang on a minute, he will turn himself.

That's different. I think he's been taught that. I wonder whether his training was done by someone who, for whatever reason, insisted that he only be mounted from the right.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would just keep getting him to stand with treats until you can get on I teach all mine to stand and treat because I often have to get off, I'm older and don't want them turning and walking off, I just have a handful of fibre cubes in my hand and I get them to move back forwards and sideways with those.

I do groundwork with my horses as well so they do understand what I want most of the time but at a mounting block I use treats.

 

[Horseperson432]

Hang on a minute, he will turn himself.

That's different. I think he's been taught that. I wonder whether his training was done by someone who, for whatever reason, insisted that he only be mounted from the right.

Yep, if I’m honest I think that’s more my teaching. When I first got him he wouldn’t do it, he just allowed me to get on that side. But over time he now will specifically position himself!

 

[Arzada]

It would be great of course if you could mount from both sides but unless you have a sword hanging down your left side and/or you are in the Armed Forces (when it would be 'correct' to mount from the left) there is nothing incorrect about mounting from the offside. Mine does both and now only from the offside because I can't mount from the left. In a nonturning situation I could most likely scramble aboard from the left and the horse would be fine.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Hang on a minute, he will turn himself.

That's different. I think he's been taught that. I wonder whether his training was done by someone who, for whatever reason, insisted that he only be mounted from the right.

Towards the end of my horse ownership I taught my horse (he was very big for me at 17.3) to stand nicely while I got on from the opposite side. Ir was the end of life for one of my hips and the only way I could still get on without excruciating pain. Strangely I could get off on the correct side relatively pain free. I wonder if your horse has also been taught this for a similar reason? Luckily with mine though he would still happily allow mounting from the correct side too.

 

[Landcruiser]

I suspect he's had a bad experience in the past, something painful or frightening when someone was mounting from the left. Is getting off on the left ok? If you really need to mount from the left (and I think it's better to be able to do it both sides for safety reasons), have you tried jumping off onto a mounting block on the left then getting straight back on again?
I think if it were me I'd just do lots of incremental work, approach retreat, adding in a little bit at a time towards actual mounting. Also using "geography" to help - clever positioning using rails/walls to encourage horse to not move away sideways for example.

 

[dorsetladette]

I've got one who is very reactive on the nearside. We decided not to continue his re-backing as he wasn't ever going to be a consistent/safe riding pony. But with all other things in life it is easier to do everything from the offside. Rugs, everything happens with him from the offside.

I wonder if your lad has had someone jab him in the side with a toe while getting on and he remembers it. or the saddle has slipped and pinched from mounting that side. Could be anything with a sensitive one.

It's good you are able to work around it with him.

 

[Jambarissa]

We do pretty much everything to our horses from the left - lead, tack up, mount, worm, inject. I find nervy ones are much better handled from the right.

It sounds like you don't really have a problem and lots of horses wouldn't stand to be mounted from the right so no need to solve it. But it would probably be a useful learning experience if you had the time and inclination.

 

[ROMANY 1959]

A lady I knew, who had a knee issue, taught her pony to stand to be mounted using right side and her right leg, as she tried and failed to get on left side and left leg due to her knee issue . Even with a block , her knee could dislocate on left side.

 

[FitzyFitz]

If it's a horse that came to you already backed with this issue, it's almost certainly a reaction to something he didn't like in the past. I had one (unfortunately quite tall) who couldn't be mounted from a block at all when I got her. It was because where she'd been backed the block was by a metal barn door and once she'd collided with it and made a loud noise. By the time I'd had her 3 years I could mount from a block no problem, would have been quicker if I'd spent more time training for it specifically but frankly I had bigger problems she was quite neurotic! I have another one who for a while was dodgy to mount from the ground because when she was green I forgot to check my girth, mounted from the floor and hit the deck with the saddle under her belly. Complete idiot mistake on my part. She was absolutely fine mounted from a block/log/gate/step but took a while to let me on from the ground again without sidling off.

Sometimes it can only take one bad experience with the nervous ones. Good that he's fine to mount from the right, but it's probably worth taking some time to reteach him from the left. See if theres any common factors, is it all mounting blocks? Is he ok from the ground? Ok from a bank or something so it's not an obvious mounting block? Better on a yard or better while out?
I'd probably go for bribery and corruption and break it right down into tiny tiny steps. e.g get him to stand with the block on his left but you by his head, make a big fuss, treat, walk off. Do this until he stands calmly. Then stand by the block but you by his shoulder. By his side on the left. By the block on the left. Stand on the block but don't get on. Put weight in the stirrup. You get the picture. The tiniest tiniest baby steps you can think of and keep going until he's 100% relaxed about it. Might need holding in place at first but don't escalate until he's 100%. It will take AGES but it'll most likely work.