i cant dismount!

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amysmum

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Hi has anyone out there got any suggestions to my problem. IM presently breaking in a heavy cob for a friend, he was easy to teach to lunge and after some groundwork with long reins took to that reasonably well. I can mount him easily and he's happy to walk around school, i still have someone leading him, however as as soon as i try to dismount or he thinks im going to dismount he goes into panic mode and is very difficult to get off. Hes had his teeth done and his back seems fine, ive tried bareback to eliminate maybe the saddle hurting him. Last time i rode him it took an hour to get off him and i had to do it on the move. Ive tried working him in sheepskin blinkers but he seemed to lose his confidence when long lining as he could not see me at all.????????
 
Try going back a step and just lean across his back, sliding off so he gets used to that again. Have someone hold him to keep out of danger then perhaps when hes accepting that without panicking, go back to sitting on him. You could try dismounting by standing up in your stirrups and lifting your leg over to get off, without leaning forward to swing your leg over. It might be the leaning forward bit he doesnt like, maybe feels a bit threatening to him.
 
I would go back a step and try getting half on without putting your leg over just your weight in the stirrup or get legged half on, if that is how you are mounting and holding that before sliding back down, then a step further just lying over him and getting off, make sure he can see you at all times, pat the off side while you lie over him move the stirrup with your right hand, anything that unsettles him needs repeating until he is confident before you get back on fully.
When you get on again do so slowly stay on his neck just as you will when dismounting and get off before you have sat up, before he realises what you are doing, break down each stage of the dismount and see if there is something he finds uncomfortable with so you can continue to work on it, it may simply be when you take your feet out of the stirrups they bang on his sides.
 
Thanks i agree and have gone back to longleining for now. Have either of you had any experience of using a dummy? i was thinking of trying to make 1
 
Dummies are great. We made one that is stuck to an old saddle. we used foam and a spring up through the foam so even if a horse flips over, it just springs back up. For horses that were extremely difficult to break and that panicked easily, the dummy turned them around!! They quickly learned that the more they panicked and tried to run away, the more the dummy would move. And if they just relaxed a bit, the dummy didn't move as much.
 
Agree with be positives post entirely. Wouldn't use a dummy, if something is upsetting him about dismounting, then risking having objects tied to him & flapping about is the last thing I would do.
 
I dont like the idea of using a dummy, if this horse is already nervous of dismounting but otherwise good you could end up with more problems if the dummy slipped and being a heavy cob you may also struggle to hold him if he panics.
Whoever is helping you needs to be very competent and it may help if they do some of the ground work with him to build up the trust.

I backed a pony that was very nervous to mount and dismount, he was ok once on but getting there was a very long process, he was riding well but one day I was a bit distracted when getting on and I clipped the top of his bum with my foot, he panicked, I came off and he went back to square one needing the whole backing process doing again, he did come right and is now a super pony but it could have all been destroyed in one moment of inattention from me and I should know better having backed many over the years.
 
Whoops sorry I didn't read the other posts properly - i agree with the others and wouldn't advise a dummy in this case. We have only used dummies with breakers that freak out if you even try to put any weight on their back. Seeing as the horse is riding fine already it may freak him out to put a dummy up at this stage.
 
maybe i'll forget the dummy!! I'll def go back a few steps, ive obviously missed the signs to what is making him unhappy. hes such a nice chap and i definately want to get it right
 
You say he back if fine, but not whether you have had the saddle checked.

I know a lot of people dont bother too much about breaking saddles. Round cobs often cause the saddle to move when mounting and dismounting, it could be hurting him then.

If he is associating dismounting with pain he might not realise that it wont come when bareback, so reacts the same.

If he is so good about other things it might be worth getting the saddle checked by a good fitter.
 
One of ours was much the same. In the end we discovered that she had an irrational fear of people jumping by her as well.. it was the fear of the noise on landing that bothered her rather than the actual dismount. Once we finally sussed this out we worked on desensitising her to people jumping all around her (flipping hard on the ankles that was!!) and she was fine from there on. If all else obvious fails then it might be worth thinking of this.
 
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