Riding a newly backed youngster alone

[NZJenny]

I have all of my horses from youngsters and all though I have stopped doing the actual breaking in, I still do everything else. The big thing about youngsters is they take their lead from YOU. And they do leap and bounce and over react. And she is probably going to scare the pants off of you at some stage. All of mine have done same to me. I ride alone too - there is no else around, so I have had a bit of a safety net - I always rode after work at the same time and because I live alone, I would phone my parents when I got home. The deal was if they didn't hear from me by a certain time, come looking.

I do think it was very poor of the person who started your mare not to teach her about mounting - properly. I always feel so very vulnerable when half way between the ground and the saddle and it is such an important thing for a horse to learn.

You will need to push yourself out of your comfort zone with a young horse and what you do in the next twelve months will determine the type of horse she will be. That is the joy of having a young horse - you really do get to make them.

 

[Cortez]

Joyous, you shouldn't need to tell a breaker to get on a horse from a mounting block. It wouldn't in a million years have crossed my mind people would vault onto a youngster! Its the most stupid thing I've heard in a long time. There are certain things done traditionally with horses and one of them is we mount from the ground or a mounting block. Very very few adults are able to vault onto a horse, I cannot see what benefit there is to doing this (other than showing off and saving him a bit of time training the horse to stand still!) and as you have found, it means a young horse which is supposedly backed, cannot be mounted from a block without assistance. That is ridiculous and it is part of the training of the house which the breaker should have been doing as part of the horses daily routine. However wonderful he is, I would point this out to him as it is a massive hole in his training of the horse.

The vast majority of TB's in training are mounted this way, don't see a problem with it (and why would it be showing off?Don't understand that), but obviously the horse should also be taught to mount from the stirrup and the mounting block too.

 

[TarrSteps]

But this is not a tb going into training on a yard, it's a horse being started for an amateur rider who the trainer knows will be mostly riding on her own.

When I asked the person I saw doing it recently how he expected the horse's short, older owner to get on it that way he got a bit sheepish and admitted he does it because it's easier for him. He even conceded that few average horse owners would expect to vault on but stated he breaks mostly for a sj yard and they do leg ups so it's not an issue. . . .

OP, please understand I'm not criticizing your guy - he seems to have done a good job and is providing on going support. My comments are more to anyone who is sending a horse out to be backed - make sure the rider understands your needs and ask how things have been done. I agree, most well started horses will take easily to being mounted from a block BUT I've seen a few cases where the owner gets a nasty shock.

 

[Rollin]

First of all I would never hack out a youngster on my own. You are not a wimp. I have students working for me and always either walk with them, with a long lead rope to clip on in case of trouble or ride with a bomb proof companion.

I no longer send youngsters away for backing after two came home, impossible for my 63 years to climb on, as they did not stand still!!

I start them all myself. If it helps I use a mounting block in the arena about a foot in from the boundary, plus a helper. They cannot run back or swing quarters out.

I do lots of this before sending them away for schooling. The Clevelands are much happier standing still than the Arabs. No surprises there!!

 

[Twiglet]

FW judging from my experience here, I'd say it's pretty common! I've seen horses from at least 4 breakers who do it as a matter of course. Michael Peace has a whole 'hard to mount' video where that's how he solves the problem. I've also seen situations where the rider only mounts from the ground or gets a leg up.

I assume the good ones go back and install the mounting block skill later but I have seen first hand how it can cause trouble if the horse goes home sooner.

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I was under the impression it was quite common, particularly in racing. I can't say I would have an issue with it, as long as the mounting block and standing still are introduced into the process.

 

[DabDab]

I'm surprised that so many people are so shocked by a professional breaker vaulting on to a horse. That's how I was taught to back horses and how I still back them now. And the main reason I do it is because I am on my own and don't want to risk a youngster wondering off with me while I have a foot in the stirrup. Sometimes I vault from the mounting block, sometimes from the floor, and I then move on to putting a foot in the stirrup from the mounting block and then from the floor.

OP, I don't think you were being a wimp - you have to feel comfortable in what you are doing with her, and with youngsters it's just about finding a balance between that and being brave enough to gradually take those little leaps of faith.

 

[TarrSteps]

I'm not surprised people do it - I've done it myself! But I'm surprised a trainer breaking for the average amateur rider would not consider getting on from a block an essential skill and/or send the horse home with a caveat and instructions. I think it's telling that the people who break/have broken professionally feel it's perfectly normal and the people who are more on the consumer side are saying it would not occur to them. Seems more of a customer service issue than a theoretical/practical disagreement!

 

[DabDab]

I'm not surprised people do it - I've done it myself! But I'm surprised a trainer breaking for the average amateur rider would not consider getting on from a block an essential skill and/or send the horse home with a caveat and instructions. I think it's telling that the people who break/have broken professionally feel it's perfectly normal and the people who are more on the consumer side are saying it would not occur to them. Seems more of a customer service issue than a theoretical/practical disagreement!

I agree, but it was that some posts were so indignant about the entire technique and the insinuation that a horse that had been backed by vaulting wouldn't stand still to be mounted, when I don't believe that is the case. It's not the vaulting on that teaches them to wonder off. I agree that many professionals don't adequately teach the horses to stand still at a block, but I don't think that that has anything to do with the vaulting except that when you vault on you don't necessarily need a horse to stand stock still.

I also think that the cross purposes between professional providing a riding service and amateur purchasing the service happens in many other horse training environments - a professional will frequently ride an owner's horse very differently than they would themselves.

 

[humblepie]

Another who thinks you are just being sensible. To bring some light relief on the doing it on your own, got horse straight from trainer's yard, was fine being got on from the mounting block with someone else there, but sussed out if on own he could move his quarters out and arthritic old person (me) was never going to be able to get on. So....whenever I was there on my own I either had to drag very heavy mounting block across to side of barn to block him in or when mounting block decided it was too falling to bits to move, ended up putting up a construction of jump poles to keep him straight. A few days of doing that and he was fine just at the normal mounting block. It is good job he is sensible, as I have no natural spring and last time being legged up after he had been ride judged in the ring, managed to boot him on the way up - horse just looks at me as if to say "was never like this in the parade ring".

 

[FfionWinnie]

FW judging from my experience here, I'd say it's pretty common! I've seen horses from at least 4 breakers who do it as a matter of course. Michael Peace has a whole 'hard to mount' video where that's how he solves the problem. I've also seen situations where the rider only mounts from the ground or gets a leg up.

I assume the good ones go back and install the mounting block skill later but I have seen first hand how it can cause trouble if the horse goes home sooner.

I agree with you but I suspect we might be in the minority!

Like everything else, it has its place and can be very useful with certain horses, but, yes, I think there is an element of showing off.

Anyway, back to the OP. It sounds like you have a good support system - don't be embarrassed to use it! Remember you are paying these people to help you make a horse so it's not 'wrong' or 'weak' to get what you need. Have a chat with your instructor about how you should have proceeded in that situation and from now on make sure you get on by yourself even - especially - if someone else is there.

I'm just stunned as I've never known anyone up here do it. My friend breaks and schools horses (specialising in problem ones) and she certainly doesn't do it despite coming from the racing industry.

The vast majority of TB's in training are mounted this way, don't see a problem with it (and why would it be showing off?Don't understand that), but obviously the horse should also be taught to mount from the stirrup and the mounting block too.

I've never seen an amateur rider mount like that, that is my point. Someone breaking horses for the average rider which isn't a racehorse should spend the time teaching it to be mounted. I would have taught it to be mounted before I could describe it as ridden away, in fact before I'd sat over its back I'd expect it to stand still at a mounting block.

 

[MagicMelon]

I think it really depends what you're happy doing. If you're nervous then don't as it'll only upset her and then you're asking for trouble. If I was a little anxious which I have been in this situation (I keep my horses at home with nobody around, my mum helps me in the early stages but then I'm on my own!), then I'll even just tack up and lunge her, perhaps leading her over spooky things like tarpolin, then she's still getting something out of the session (and you're not just giving her a brush and going home). I know you're fear, having had a horse in the past that exploded when I first got on, its not a nice feeling.

With regard to the pro who backed her, I'm pretty shocked he didnt do the basics like standing to be mounted properly... the first thing I've always taught my youngsters when backing is to get used to every situation as all riders do stuff differently (so fine to vault onto her, but make sure she also knows to stand quietly if you want to get on the normal way).

 

[Joyous70]

I wanted to post a quick update - thank you to everyone who has replied to my thread, i don't think i have ever had such a response, it was nice to read other peoples opinions and views on the situation, of riding alone. I did not expect such a response with regards to the breaker vaulting on, as i said, HE DID MOUNT USING THE STIRRUP! once she had been used to wearing a saddle, I did not want to do this alone as ive seen people girth up and go to mount only for the saddle to slip.

On Friday and Saturday i took Nautika to the mounting block, and made her stand, which she did very well, so on Sunday when i tacked her up to ride her despite there being a few people around, i took her along to the mounting block, and successfully got on unaided, so im very happy in the fact that she will stand and does have nice manners, and now i know should i get to the yard and no one else is there, at least i can pootle in the school now.

 

[twiggy2]

great news well done

 

[TopTotty]

Hi, I have to ride all my horses on my own. I have started four myself from scratch. I obviously have some help getting on initially but after that I have to get on with it. When they are newly backed or fresh I ring my husband and say that if I haven't called him in 10 mins (or how ever long) then he needs to be getting to the yard or dialing 999.
I am very safety concious though but if I want to ride then I have to get on with it.
Good luck, you know your horse and your capibilities and you have to use your common sense!