**stand still!!!??**

E

el_Snowflakes

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 May 2009
Messages
3,318
Visit site
Hi all,

does anyone have any tips on

1) getting my horse to stand when being saddled. Her saddle fits fine etc and her back has been checked but she gets frisky and i practically have to chase her around stable to get it on hre back sometimes!

2)stand still when mounting, she has a tendancy to rush ahead, i always mount from a block by slinging my leg over. If i put my foot in nearside stirrup she rushes of as soon as she feels the pressure in stirrup

She is good when your on board and ask for halt, but i would love to train her to halt square-any tips would be greatly appreciated!
 
I tack mine tied outside stable so it's easier to make him stand. I'd like to learn more tips to get him standing when mounting though. He also tends to walk off when being mounted from a block.
 
My boy did both of these, osteo and physio both just said a bit tender but only reccomended the normal 3 - 6 monthly treatment. I wasnt happy and took him to the vets and he has kissing spine so dont always trust "back people"!! But anyway....

1) Is there any way you can tie her up/use treats or food to get her to stand still?

2) Ditto the using treats, walk up to the block make sure she knows you have treats in your hand/pocket, put foot in the styrup, put pressure in the styrup, if she rushes off bring her back and make her stand. Repeat until she stands, when she stands praise and give treat. Repeat a few times then mount and make stand once on. Treat if you can once on and repeat every time you mount. That works brilliantly for my boy and i can now get on without even taking the reins up (gone from having two people holding him and me s****ing myself as he used to leg it sometimes bronking as well as having to squish him into the corner of the school to stop him spinning away from the block)!

Halting square you have to make sure you are sat with your weight equally on both sides of the saddle (so you feel like there is the same amount of weight on both of your seat bones) and when you ask for a halt make sure its foward and from the leg with equal pressure, she should then stop with a leg in each corner :). Sorry if you already know that but you did ask :p
 
There is a technique and it's one I've employed too which is to push then back if they move forwards, so everytime they take a step forwards - push them back. You have to put aside some time but I think it works. Say "stand" then everytime they move forwards push them back, just remember to praise them when they stand still.
 
Just cracked this with my youngster. In fact it was my saddler who really helped just as I was resigned to being a failure & needeing to get a professional to help. It takes a while & you will need to repeat a few times & may need to do it again if he shows any sign of reverting:
Use a realtively small space so he can't go far, but not so small he feels cramped.
Have someone to help by holding the bridle - she reckons holding the cheek peice works better than the reins but doesn't know why.
Wear gloves & put an aromatic treat in them. Show him the glove & let him know there is something there, but he can't have it yet.
Just lean over until he will stand still for you to do that. Important to be quick & confident so if you are anxious maybe someone else can do this bit. Each time you lean over him ok give him a treat. Treat must come from the person getting on, not the helper.
Then mount, give treat, get off. Repeat ad nauseam until he will stand still for you to get on.
Then mount without helper, treat, repeat as necessary.
Then mount & stand still, then treat. Repeat as necessary.

Depending on how long each stage takes you may need to build up over a few sessions. You may go backwards for a while.

Jason had had teeth, back & saddle checked & the conclusion we came to was that he had probably never been mounted from a mounting block & that his nervousness of it had made me lose confidence that had transmitted back to him. Once I made a point of acting more confidently we cracked it.

We are lucky & have humungous, high ceilnged stables, so I started in there & then moved into a barn & used the icy spell when I couldn't ride out.
 
bump


ok, so i think we have cracked the tacking up problem. I now tie her outside her stable and she doesnt put up a fight! but i still cant get on her without her charging off. I would really like her to stay still so that i can eventually mount her from the ground. Thanks for the ideas so far, although its not alway possible to have someone holding her.....any other suggestions?
 
Well I'm sure it will be frowned upon but I taught a re-break pony I had in to stand still to be mounted without any assistance by first making sure that he tied up and respected being tied, then I'd put his head collar on over his bridle when I wanted to get on board and slip the lead rope through a tie ring and hold on to the end of it.
He actually had panic issues about people mounting after the first people who broke him had the daughter fall off when backing him and then after that every time he moved whilst she was mounting either she or her mother screamed - so he was more than a little nervous about the whole thing.

First he learnt to stand still whilst I messed around beside him, adjusted girths, fiddled with stirrups, sang, shouted, put weight on stirrups but of course he couldn't walk off because I had hold of the lead rope as well as his reins. Then he learnt to stand still while I actually got on still holding the lead rope and then leaned over to pull the loose end from the ring. For some weeks whilst we got the whole thing down to just another thing that humans do to horses and is nothing to worry about he hacked and schooled with his headcollar still on over the top of his bridle and me holding on to the leadrope as well as his reins.

AFAIK he has no issues about standing now and I dealt with it as slowly as I did because the poor little sausage had been given a whole load of "issues" during his first breaking which all needed sorting out.
 
My mounting block is set so that ponio faces the fence. She's not pressed against it and I correct her when she moves but there is no big open space in front of her. I correct her gently once, then firmly twice. 4th one's a little smack on the shoulder if she's moving forward, bum if backward. Don't recommend smacking him if it's nerves but nothing wrong with being firm, it's assertive and should give him confidence.

I ruined my knee a few years ago and needed Beau to be infallible or I could have really damaged it getting on and off, so I spent lots of time getting it right, I couldn't get on and off the block to correct her though so did it as if I was driving, by using my reins just infront of the pommel to straighten and stop her.

Be calm but firm, spend time on it, get someone to hold him the first few times if poss. If it is really bad, get off and lead him away from the block then start again.

I'd be cautious rewarding as he will then turn round to get his treat!!
 
I suffer from the standing still to mount issue too. I've resigned myself to having to throw myself at him and hope for the best.

not ideal so watching this thread with interest for suggestions!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top