Leg Ups onto Horses- Why am I so useless!

J

JessPickle

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For some reason I have never been able to get on with someone giving me a leg up, at least not without ugly scrambling to get on!

Any tips on how to learn to be able to get on, I find it really fustrating!

Strange Question I know
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I cant wait to see what answers you get - my daughter finds it impossible if someone has to give her a leg up, she ends up in a giggling heap, sprawled across the saddle in a very undignified position!
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All I can say is find your bounce, don’t rely on leg-up person to much and get a good leg swing over, not easy on a 17hh-er though, hey!
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it's all about the bounce!

bounce.... and swing...
bounce.... and swing....

i also find if instead of pulling on the pommel for leverage, i bounce as much as i can, once i'm in the air i kind of push down on the pommel instead, to make sure i can control my landing and not go down with a bang... my horse HATES being mounted, so it's often about the speed for me. if i'm not swinging up there within seconds, he's off, and i've lost the opportunity...
 
I had a friend who was like this and she also couldn't get on from the ground. Not great when out hacking! She didn't really use her legs at all so she practiced hopping onto a fence. I'm not convinced it helped much though!
The legger is really important though as their is nothing worse than struggling up with extra weight hanging off one leg.
 
Less of a bounce and more of a huge step/lunge up onto his back, via the stirrup... think of climbing the stairs, you don't force the weight onto each step- it is simply a platform to rest your foot before going on to the next one. The stirrup is the same, it should just be a foothold for you as you climb on- too much weight in the stirrup will pull your saddle sideways and possibly hurt the horses back. I suggest practising by climbing onto a gate, you can even attach and stirrup and leather onto the top bar for authenticity!
 
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I've seen people go straight over the top, always bloody hilarious!

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....apart from when you are that person
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In all seriousness, get the person giving you a leg up, to take you from your knee, so then you've got a straight line from your shoulder, hip to the knee..they must support the knee, none of this holding from the lower leg/calves malarkey as that gives zero support..

HTH... P.S Your horse is GORGEOUS! ;o)
 
See I am good at giving leg ups, I regularly almost send people straight over the top
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I am just useless and having someone give me a leg up. I can get on from the ground thank god
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I cant wait to see what answers you get - my daughter finds it impossible if someone has to give her a leg up, she ends up in a giggling heap, sprawled across the saddle in a very undignified position!
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That describes what happens to be perfectly
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Less of a bounce and more of a huge step/lunge up onto his back, via the stirrup... think of climbing the stairs, you don't force the weight onto each step- it is simply a platform to rest your foot before going on to the next one. The stirrup is the same, it should just be a foothold for you as you climb on- too much weight in the stirrup will pull your saddle sideways and possibly hurt the horses back. I suggest practising by climbing onto a gate, you can even attach and stirrup and leather onto the top bar for authenticity!

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I can get on from the ground
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I mean when someone throws you up
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I can get on the ground onto my 17.1hh, so no problems there
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I have been catapulted over the side more than once
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Yea, just try and spring, and v importantly- make sure you are both counting to the same '1,2,3'!! More often than not, i end up going to fast or slow and either being catapulted into space when i am not ready or scrambling up by myself by accident
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Why do you need a leg up if you can get on yourself? Am I missing something here?
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Well getting on bareback to get to the fields etc
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as some of the horses won't stand by the wall
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Oh I see! Lol.
I guess you need to keep your left hip and knee (albeit bent) alot more rigid than normal when you get a leg up. And only swivel to sit on the saddle as your hips get level with the pommel (this is because when you mount by yourself you face the tail, so need to turn earlier as you need to turn more- but when you get a leg up you face the saddle so you have effectively already done a quarter of the turn before you start)
Ha ha that is quite tough to explain!
 
I cant do it either i either end up on the grounf the other side or just in a big mess on the sadle, usally use a fence or a mouting block or anything i can find to stand on really...once tried to use a log to mount though and it was rotten in the middle....ending up standing in the log...
 
I can't do it either
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I live in fear of people offering a leg up or trying a horse and having to have a leg on.
It's due to me being self sufficient and never having one, always use a huge mounting block or fence or a step!
I rode out once for a race horse trainer and of course they all get legged on, it took me and said trainer a few attempts to get on
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I am fairly rubbish at giving them too
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Turning out horses bare back - learn to vault on over the neck? Once you get your elbow over the rest is easy...well, it was 40 years ago...
 
it sounds like its your 'legger upper' thats at fault...i'm an excellent legger upper and always get people on without a scramble.... make sure you've decided between you whether you are going on two bounces or three....
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works best if you :

decide whether you are going ON 3 or if legger upper is going to say 1-2-3-up!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rider keeps knee bent until up, and uses leg on ground to bounce off (not using bent leg to push off - very heavy for legger upper!!!)

Oh dear - thought it would be easy to explain - but it isn't!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sorry - not much help
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