Mounting

[Germolene]

Hi all, my new horse is being a cow bag at letting me mount her. She's spinning around, dancing all over the place etc. she does eventually let me get my foot in the stirrup (from the ground as mounting block is a definite no no atm) then once my foot is in, she's really good, stands perfectly still until I get other foot in and then ask her to walk on, fine, no poblem. It's just getting her to stand still to begin with which is very frustrating! I have had to get help from ppl on the yard to hold the reins In order for me to get on, which obviously can't carry on forever.

Does anybody have any ideas? Or is it just a case of persevering and not giving up.??

I don't think she's been used to a mounting block as she won't stand next to it, she swings her back end out and I try over and over again until she gets in a panicky state and backs up with head in the air ! Grrrrr then I give up and mount from the ground....eventually lol.

Any ideas??

 

[lhotse]

My mare was a fidget to get on when I first got her, as soon as you gathered up the reins she would get tense and wouldn't stand still. Maybe wrong in some peoples eyes but I started giving her a bit of carrot and the command to stand, this gave her something else to think about whilst I got my foot in the stirrup. I then moved the carrot to after I had mounted and got my self sorted out. She knows that 'stand' means she will get something nice, so stands stock still until rewarded. She doesn't have a tantrum if I don't have a carrot, a scratch at the withers will surfice now as well. I have also used this ploy to teach her to open and close gates, she was rushing away from the gate before I could close it (she was total novice at gates) but now she will stand quietly, and will even place herself in the best position. She then gets her treat and away we go.

 

[Big Ben]

PPP, Patience, perseverance, practice!

I don't do mounting from the ground, so everyone gets mounted from the block. I have a little Arab here with a totally fried brain from being asked to much to soon and the first time I led her to the block and went to stand on it she had a fit.

I started with a dressage whip just making her move her butt over with a tap on her hip, with me stood on the off side, then progressed that so I could move her over by reaching over and tapping her from the near side and getting her to step toward me.

From there I started leading her up to the block and just pausing and walking on, gradually lengthening the time that we stood. Once she could stand quietly near it, then I worked on getting her to stand straight, quickest lesson of all, walked her up a couple of times and taped her butt straight, third time she was crooked, I just moved my arm and she straightened up so fast that she knocked me off of the block.

Then we moved to mounting, every time I picked the reins up and went to mount, her head would come up and she would become rigid with tension, so I would just wait in whatever position and talk to her and massage her neck until she relaxed down. Then I progressed to leaning some weight on her, then had a smaller lighter friend mount her a few times.

Sounds like a long drawn out process but it was just several short sessions over a long weekend, but she is totally chilled about the whole thing now, in her case the whole mounting thing was first step to getting stressed, so we just broke it down into stages for her.

 

[Nicnac]

I had same with my new boy - swung quarters out to look at me rather than standing. I never mount from the ground as bad for saddle but mostly cos' I am too old and stiff!

I bought a portable mounting block which I put on one side of him with other side up against fence or whatever I could find to 'block' him.

3 months in we have made lots of improvement but still a work in progress. I tend to do mounting practice after riding when he's relaxed and tired!

I think he was used to young Irish lads just pinging onto his back. He's fine with a leg up

 

[Ashgrove]

My mare was a fidget to get on when I first got her, as soon as you gathered up the reins she would get tense and wouldn't stand still. Maybe wrong in some peoples eyes but I started giving her a bit of carrot and the command to stand, this gave her something else to think about whilst I got my foot in the stirrup. I then moved the carrot to after I had mounted and got my self sorted out. She knows that 'stand' means she will get something nice, so stands stock still until rewarded. She doesn't have a tantrum if I don't have a carrot, a scratch at the withers will surfice now as well. I have also used this ploy to teach her to open and close gates, she was rushing away from the gate before I could close it (she was total novice at gates) but now she will stand quietly, and will even place herself in the best position. She then gets her treat and away we go.

My horse was the same when I got him, a carrot did the trick.

I had the mounting block placed a couple of feet from a wall so he couldn't swing away from me.

We started with a slice of carrot when he stood at the block, another slice when he stood with my foot in a stirrup, a slice when he was happy with my weight in the stirrup and a slice when he stood nicely after I mounted.

We are now down to 1 slice of carrot after I've mounted and I can mount off anything. This has taken about 2 hours spread over a few sessions.

 

[petsywetsy]

Took 10 days with my boy - including letting me dismount at the block.

People held him near the block, I got on, immediately offered a polo near my foot - then the other foot. i.e. carrot stretches. Now doesn't like to move off without polos, but I can live with that!! They catch on really, really quickly.