mounting help

Shantara

Shantara

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Can anyone recommend someone to come out and help me with mounting issues with Ned? Milton Keynes area.Will post more info if needed, at work atm, thanks!
 
Nah said:
Can anyone recommend someone to come out and help me with mounting issues with Ned? Milton Keynes area.Will post more info if needed, at work atm, thanks!
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Bumping for you because I don't know anyone in the area but if you post what the troubles are maybe someone might be able to advise?
 
It's just another of his napping techniques, he's not in pain (had back checked) and certainly not scared!
He's just figured out that if I can't get on, he doesn't have to do anything. All he does is move his back end. I don't want to get on from the floor unless it's a last resort - I'm not that springy :P
 
My horse used to do this a long time ago (still does occasionally) i just kept bringing him around again and again to the block untill he stood to let me get on. he learnt that i would get on eventually and its a lot easier to just stand still.
 
Most of the time I can do that, but sometimes it takes nearly an hour and when I have to go to work, I just can't do that :(
He's fine if someone holds him or there's another horse there, but obviously I can't always have someone with me.
 
nikicb said:
Put him between the mounting block and a fence/wall, then he can't swing round. It is really annoying, but practise, practise, practise and it will come. :)
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He just goes the other way and knocks me off, or shoots forwards or backwards :( hoping to buy a bigger block so he can't push me off at least! The one I have is only a 1ft step.
 
nikicb said:
Put him between the mounting block and a fence/wall, then he can't swing round. It is really annoying, but practise, practise, practise and it will come. :)
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Was also going to suggest this. How about trying just getting on and then off again without working him, on the times when you have a helper, to try to lesson the association between mounting and work? A bit like you would catch, fuss and release one that was hard to catch because it wanted to avoid work. Not sure if this could be an option for you, because obviously you do need to work him so the logistics of timing it might be hard!
 
FubsyMog said:
Was also going to suggest this. How about trying just getting on and then off again without working him, on the times when you have a helper, to try to lesson the association between mounting and work? A bit like you would catch, fuss and release one that was hard to catch because it wanted to avoid work. Not sure if this could be an option for you, because obviously you do need to work him so the logistics of timing it might be hard!
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I will certainly try it again! Honestly, I'm willing to try anything, even if it's something I've already done!

Had a PM and hoping to get someone out :) I find it hard to explain things like this properly online. Thanks for all your suggestions so far though!
 
If you look on the Intelligent Horsemanship website you should be able to find an RA in your area who would come and help you.
 
My mare is also nappy and was a pain to mount when she came. I found that giving her a treat every time she stands nicely has really helped.

If you can set aside an hour and can get a friend to help just get on and off over and over again, treating him every time he stands nicely. Gradually your friend should be able to move further and further away until you are able to get on with no help.

It is a fairly easy problem to fix once you set aside the time to sort it but it is often one of those things that is pushed aside as the need to exercise them is greater. Long term though you would be better off working on it now and then being able to have more time to ride in the future (not saying you haven't tried to sort it though!).
 
BobbyMondeo said:
My horse used to do this a long time ago (still does occasionally) i just kept bringing him around again and again to the block untill he stood to let me get on. he learnt that i would get on eventually and its a lot easier to just stand still.
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nikicb said:
Yes, get something bigger! The only thing I can say is persevere. I've been there (well hopefully coming out of the tail end of it now) and you will get there. :)
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Exactly this.

My longest was 2 hours.

I went back to basics- took months of work, but now my boy is as good as gold (touches wood)

I'm afriad with some horses there simply isnt a quick fix:(
 
Thanks guys! Annoyingly, I don't have a friend who can set aside that kind of time right now, but when friend is home from uni, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to :)
 
All above advice is great - but try mounting from wrong side. My daughter did this on my horse who was a bit of a bu**er to mount when we got him as she's left handed and it feels more natural to her.

Took him by surprise and he's been much better since :rolleyes:
 
I've just gone through this with my mare, it's taken about 4 weeks of ground work before I could get on without her swinging her back end out. PM me if you don't get sorted and I will run through what we did. At work at the moment or I would have done a long post about how we resolved it.
 
I'm having slightly similar issues, just to say, watch out with the treats. My boy went away for a couple of weeks and I had a bit of an issue mounting - he kept walking backwards when I was on the top of the block - it turned out he wanted treats - I had some in my pocket for emergencies - he knew they were there so obviously he wanted his head to be level with my pocket/leg and not his saddle! Now trying to work around it!
 
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Just gone through this as well. Far from perfect but we are improving. What I did (some will probably shout at me...;)) when I was about to put her out after dinner, we swung by the mounting block, I popped on walked 10 paces jumped off then she went back into the field. She knew it wasn't a real ride, no tack, and the first time I could sense the confusion. (Another girl at the yard did it first to prove to me she wasn't going to do anything wrong and it was mostly in my head). My issue was the longer it took her to stand still, the more wound up and anxious I got about the whole ride - beyond even mounting.

I have a huge thing about it anyway (old nasty trauma) and its always my demon.

Have a look on you tube - lots of fab video's and demo's on there.

The best advice I had though is that I was making a big thing out of it. Treat it as nothing and it becomes exactly that...nothing.

Good luck, realy feel for you. Hugs..x.
 
Hippona said:
Lol...yeah.....mine won't move off now until he's had his ''good boy treat'':D

Better than when I first got him.....one leg over and he'd set off at top speed bucking...:eek:
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Good lord! I'm so glad all Ned does is shift his bum :O I think I would have lost the will to live! Well done for getting through it!
 
Hippona said:
Yes....they were 'interesting times' :eek:

Mostly caused by him being ridden in a medium fit saddle by his previous owners. He's actually an XW:rolleyes:
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I think that's one of the things that helped with Ned's issues. Even though it's not longer a problem, I'm sure he remembers!
Ned was in a small and he needed a wide!! I count my lucky stars that he never bucked!
 
Ok so this probably is not the right way to sort the problem BUT it worked for me.

Step on mounting block, once he stands still, give him a treat, when you are up give him a treat... lots & lots of repetition - took about 2 wks of doing this with my Mare & zero problems now.
 
I meant to add that one thing I've found has helped is lots of work on the stand command. Whether I am on board, standing in the yard, mid way through a ride, out on a hack, in the school - really reinforce it verbally and make sure that he stands until you say he can move on. And also when on the ground - if your yard is enclosed or in the school if not, get him to stand and stay where you leave him and move away etc - just like training the sit and stay with a dog. Mine couldn't stand still for a second when I first got him, he will now stand untied for quite a while (on my enclosed small yard). Lastly once you do get him to stand while you mount, make sure he stands for a bit longer until you ask him to move on, not as soon as he thinks he can. :)
 
Hippona said:
Lol...yeah.....mine won't move off now until he's had his ''good boy treat'':D

Better than when I first got him.....one leg over and he'd set off at top speed bucking...:eek:
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Mine neither :D She looks most disappointed if she doesn't get her treat!

Thankfully mine wasn't as bad as yours, she was fine once I got on she was just an expert at swinging away from the mounting block!

Hippona said:
Mostly caused by him being ridden in a medium fit saddle by his previous owners. He's actually an XW:rolleyes:
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That sounds sooooo familiar :( My mare was in a medium when I tried her too (they even told me it was too narrow for her so it wasn't through lack of knowledge!!) and is now in an XXW! :(
 
3Beasties said:
Mine neither :D She looks most disappointed if she doesn't get her treat!

Thankfully mine wasn't as bad as yours, she was fine once I got on she was just an expert at swinging away from the mounting block!



That sounds sooooo familiar :( My mare was in a medium when I tried her too (they even told me it was too narrow for her so it wasn't through lack of knowledge!!) and is now in an XXW! :(
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No wonder they weren't keen on being mounted bless em:( Glad yours is sorted and happy now:)
 
nikicb said:
I meant to add that one thing I've found has helped is lots of work on the stand command. Whether I am on board, standing in the yard, mid way through a ride, out on a hack, in the school - really reinforce it verbally and make sure that he stands until you say he can move on. And also when on the ground - if your yard is enclosed or in the school if not, get him to stand and stay where you leave him and move away etc - just like training the sit and stay with a dog. Mine couldn't stand still for a second when I first got him, he will now stand untied for quite a while (on my enclosed small yard). Lastly once you do get him to stand while you mount, make sure he stands for a bit longer until you ask him to move on, not as soon as he thinks he can. :)
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That's one of the reasons I'm so annoyed about it all, he will stand on command, except when I mount :( I can make him stand out on a hack wherever I want and I can on the ground too, but as soon as he gets the slightest hint I might be getting on, he just won't :(
 
It has been known for it to take 3 hours for me to get on because my bu$$er of a mare wouldn't stand for me to get on off the block.
I backed her up. I walked her round the block that many times its a wonder we weren't both dizzy. Spent that long stepping up and down off the block my hips ached. Once I was on though she was fab, she was just chancing her luck.

Next time I came to get on it took about an hour of the same before I could get on.

Time after that it was a few minutes. One of the things that helped was that I acted as though I had all the time in the world therefore wasn't going to rush.

After an 8 month break it took 2 minutes to get on because all I had to do was remind her that if she moved she would be turned in a tight circle and she's not a fan of those :p
 
With horses like Ned and Samba I use the you wanna move your feet, then I will MAKE you move your feet where I WANT you to move your feet.

So for example samba did want Ned is doing. I quickly ask three back up paces ( dont be scared to push him your only asking hom to back up) stand think about bring back up to mountain block try again and repeat, if he contines ask for quicker and further paces back you will get quicker responses with a pressure/ rope halter. Rmemebr to give him minute to think WHY you have made him back up. He will soon figure as like samba he is clever that its getting him no where.
Took us just under the hour to be hopping on and off with no problems.
 
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