mounting blocks. Anyone given up with finding a cheap one and made their own?

Hubby made me a mounting block - its just a big wooden stool with rubber matting tacked on the top - its fab and everyone uses it! It's higher than normal mounting blocks which is great as both my boys are whoppers!
 
I'm very spoilt. Our yard have a built in mounting block from the days when they did RDA. So it is built from concrete and breeze blocks and is level access. Takes a bit of training to get the horse to walk down the slope and stand parallel but it is lovely to be able to get on from a decent height with no pulling of the saddle/back. I would be very nervous about using the standard mounting blocks without someone to hold the stirrup on the other side, but I have seen some decent home made ones that are a good height made from hard board all blocked in with three steps. You can get wood cut to size in B&Q so all you need to do is screw it together and treat the wood.
 
I always use a block with my welsh pony, yes he is only 13.2 but its still stops me pulling his back.

My step dad made a small block for me out of an old pop bottle crate, with a piece of wood bolted to the top!! Its great and I don;t worry about leaving it outside the gate as it cost nothing. Probably not high enough for most peoples horses though.
 
Love the ikea step stool! Is it sturdy? I was thinking more of a mini staircase .. does that make sense?

They had a big breeze block one at a RS I used to work at, but sadly, not feasible where I am.

No a plastic chair is not a very good idea when mounting babies :) lol.

Thanks for the suggestions.

eta - pictures of the homemade ones would be good.. ;)
 
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I have the ikea one! It lives in the lorry, really solid, great bit of kit. Some thieving swine at a BSJA show tried to steal it (found it under their lorry ramp - 'sorry thought it was ours'!!) - found that somewhat ridiculous when it cost about £7.50 when I bought it. I've had mine for 4+ years now, still good as new, and I really really don't look after it!

ETA: I use the ikea one in a field all season, never had any issues even when it's been bottomless going. I also hose it off!
 
I made one last year. Wooden box for structure and tacked some roofing felt on the top for grip and to make it last longer. Will take a pic later if I remember.

Total cost was about a fiver :)
 
I normally just jump on from whatever I can. I hate putting my foot in the stirrup and pulling myself up so I stand on something then jump and land with my belly/chest on the front of the saddle and then swing ny leg over. Easier to do in a racing saddle though, in a GP it hurts a bit :p
 
jalapeno said:
Love the ikea step stool! Is it sturdy? I was thinking more of a mini staircase .. does that make sense?

They had a big breeze block one at a RS I used to work at, but sadly, not feasible where I am.

No a plastic chair is not a very good idea when mounting babies :) lol.

Thanks for the suggestions.

eta - pictures of the homemade ones would be good.. ;)
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Yes, the Ikea one is surprisingly sturdy and stable. There is a rather rotund lady who mounts her 17hh horse from it on our yard. I have one of the plastic block mounting stools, which cost about £40, but prefer the Ikea one for mounting with my dodgy leg.
 
I found an old wooden chair on the farm took the back off it and its perfect. Light weight, study and you cant get caught on it.. I was at one stage using a grass cutting machine to mount from, a massive boulder dug up from one of the fields and a whole host of different apparatus to get me in the saddle..

I dont think making one would be too much of a challenge as long as your good with a jigsaw and nails.. its just finding the time :)
 
My dad and I designed and made this one last year - I wanted a wooden one not a horrid pink plastic one, and also one high enough that I was getting down on to the horse rather than hopping up or having to use the stirrup.

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TigerTail, that one's great, very impressive!
I have a couple of wooden mounting blocks that my grandad helped me make, they're very high, so i can just step across even if the horse is 18h. some of those above are only 1'8", unless you're getting on a 12.2 i can't see that it's helping much, you'll still be pulling down on the left hand stirrup...
i had a big slice out of a tree-trunk that i used at my last place, nearly wrecked my poor little car getting it home from the wood yard (didn't realise quite how heavy it would be, oops) but it was very good.
usual warning - please please don't use a milk crate as a mounting block, i've heard of a few horses fidgeting and somehow stepping into them, with horrible (fatal) consequences... :( :( :(

p.s. for shows - if you have a lorry, the living steps are absolutely perfect. much safer than the ramp, fwiw.
 
I got a water butt stand from B & Q as well. Works a treat, I leave it in the field in the summer. We also use it as a little jump stand, you can balance tyres on top of it to make jumps bigger.

We also have an upturned toybox/crate made of plastic that I got from work, was going in the bin.
We also have a pile of old paving stones beside the road that we use when we are hacking that way,
 
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