I need your help - mounting issue (rider not horse)

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jumpthemoon

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Please help! I could really do with some ideas to help out the girl I'm teaching. She has a real issue with getting on. Her horse is as good as gold and stands there patiently while she faffs about.

She uses a mounting block and puts her foot in the stirrup, then hops about 10 times before taking her foot out of the stirrup and checking the girth. (which has already been checked/done up etc). Then she tries again - hops about 10-15 times, then takes foot out of stirrup, wiggles back of saddle around (I guess to see if it is secure) and starts again.

Some days she will get on after a couple of attempts, but sometimes it can take as long as 45 minutes for her to get in the saddle
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I'm running out of ideas tbh - she doesn't know why she can't do it - she says she knows the saddle won't slip as she's seen plenty of other people do it etc.

Does anyone have any ideas we could try? Thanks!
 
Have someone hold the horse, and someone on the other side holding the stirrup to reassure her it wont slip x
she may have confidence issues or like a ocd thingy about it x
 
Vaulting!

I know it sounds silly but you don't have to do it on the horse. I went to an amazing place where we did it first on barrels on legs. They got my non-horsey OH kneeling on a real moving horse with his hands in the air. Made mounting normally (even from the ground) seem much less difficult! Cound you try bouncing on/off a sturdy fence or something?

Also: not sure about the age/size of your student but is it possible she has had difficulty getting on in the past due to height/weight and is now worried about being seen to fail at it? Not sure what to recommend for that expect lots of repetition. Or perhaps some PC-style games where the getting on/off isn't the main focus but just has to happen?
 
Definately sounds like an OCD thing to me but have no idea how you conquer something like that. There used to be a guy that live near where I worked and he would have it with checking his door was locked, he would get ot his car and go back and check the door then repeat that over and over again.

Google OCD and see what people suggest, I should imagine you may have to be quite diplomatic about how you approach it as she may not be aware that she has an issue?!
 
A higher mounting block........

Either so that she has no need to hop & just puts toe in and swings leg across or, depending on agileness (!!) just jump on without using stirrups.

We always used a mounting block with our racehorses & you dont/cant put a foot in the stirrup to get on with a racing saddle so I used to just jump up onto my tummy & swing leg across.

There is no need to put much pressure on the stirrup if you are already high up, no need for upward hauling & a huge relief for the saintly sounding horse. If you get this sorted for her & then demonstrate a few times & then MAKE her get straight on. It just sounds like a nervous habit that needs breaking.
Good Luck x
 
It does sound like ocd. Maybe some rescue remedy before hand might calm her a bit.

Good luck
 
Thanks everyone
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It is like an OCD type thing - its very frustrating for everyone! Last night she was crying afterwards because she felt stupid as there were people there watching, poor kid (she's only 13).

I think I'll try and find a higher mounting place for her, as the wall she is using isn't that high I suppose, and that might help her get straight on. I think if she breaks the habit of hopping for ages first, she will be ok.

She will get on if you hold the stirrup - she doesn't take so long, but she is going to a camp in a few weeks and we need to get her mounting on her own or she'll feel under too much pressure and it will end in tears!
 
If she is much happier when you hold the sirrup, what about getting her to get on a couple of times while someone holds the stirrup. Then a couple of times where they just rest their hands in the stirrup so that if it does slip they are ready to stop it. Then stand lightly away but close enough to grab stirrup and gradually move away.
 
I use our gate as a 'mounting block' works a treat as you don't have to do any 'hopping' to get on - just get to bars at the top and put leg across saddle. Simples!

So yeah, maybe a higher mounting block would help. Or the suggested leg up.
 
Hi AmyMay, she's not nervous about being legged up but she's like a sack of spuds and has no spring at all bless her! I virtually have to push her onto the horse. Also, there is not always someone around to leg her up and if she goes to camp she's going to have to get on by herself.

Minskikai - I'm thinking of trying that tonight - let her get on a couple of times while I'm holding the stirrup then see if she can do it without - it's a diffcult one as I can't decide which is the best way to go - let her avoid getting on properly for a while and see if she forgets about her issue, or get her to mount/dismount/mount /dismount until it becomes boring!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I use our gate as a 'mounting block' works a treat as you don't have to do any 'hopping' to get on - just get to bars at the top and put leg across saddle. Simples!

So yeah, maybe a higher mounting block would help. Or the suggested leg up.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've tried getting her to mount from the fence and she's too nervous because she isn't standing on something flat. I think the steps to the muck heap are higher though, so I might get her to try that.
 
In my experience once you go past 3 hops you can never find the right moment, you just keep hopping away ramdomly.

Def get higher mounting block, and if she could look up and away rather than at the saddle. Once you have tensed up all hope of any spring is gone.

Poor kid, I hope you can sort it.
 
[ QUOTE ]
In my experience once you go past 3 hops you can never find the right moment, you just keep hopping away ramdomly.


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i stopped hopping for that reason... i used to find myself hopping around. i've now got a horse who isn't fond of being mounted, so you have to get on first time... if there's any hopping, he just p*sses off... so i get on from a mounting block that's high enough to just slide my leg over the top. also means he's getting less fearful of being mounted as it's painfree for him now too.

mounting can be such a strange thing. i never used to think twice about it... but just one bad mounting experience can lead to a lot of insecurity. also, anyone with a sack-of-spud-like style must feel it ten times worse. poor little girl. i hope she sorts it out...
 
Can you get her to help you to write a check list of everything that needs to be done before getting on, ending with foot in stirrup, one two three and up you go. Then write it on the back of her left hand and get her to read through it as she is preparing to mount. Perhaps that would help the OCD aspect.
 
ANd surely if you explain the situation to the camp instructors they will understand and make provisions accordingly. Thats a lot of pressure on her and would probably only undo any good work you manage with her.

have you ascertained why she struggles so much with it? has she had an accident when mounting alone or anything? Is she nervous when she is on board?
 
I have a friend who struggles with this. I found that she is sooooooooo much better when the place she is mounting from is fairly high but also wide and solid. With her it's the feeling of going from something that's not solid to something that moves.

Leg ups can also be good as she's not the one in control so to speak.

I hope you work it out
 
I had a horrible fall from a horse that started broncing when I was halfway on and ever since I've had slight 'issues' about mounting. Everything has to be perfect before I get on and I have a bit of a thing about my saddle slipping. I find it so much better to have someone holding my other stirrup, but other than that I can't think of what else to suggest.
Hope she gets sorted out x
 
What about keeping her talking while she's getting on so she has something else to think about? Works with my v nervous daughter when she's doing something she's worried about.
 
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