Standing to mount - solo tips please

[Green Bean]

My mare didn’t appear to have been exposed to a static mounting block when I bought her which caught me a bit off guard as my previous mare was very well behaved. I had to keep walking her round and try and stop her without her barging past the block. And when she stopped, her bum faced away from the block. After practicing over and over, but NOT walking around every time as that gives her a win we are getting there. If she goes passed I push her back with my hand until she is in the right place. She is bargy and opinionated anyway so this is what works for us.

 

[redapple]

I'm not anti-treat. If it works it works I can just usually tell the horses that owners give (food) treats to over the one's that don't! Sometimes it's a non-issue and the horse will just give me a look as if "where is it?" Sometimes I get unexpectedly nudged/headbutted! But its just a preference on training method, and I would try if consistency wasn't working.

 

[Cortez]

If any horse won't stand or moves away on mounting, I just put a headcollar on under the bridle and tie them up to mount (easy to lean forwards and unclip) until they get the idea and stop arsing about.

 

[Wheels]

I'm not anti-treat. If it works it works I can just usually tell the horses that owners give (food) treats to over the one's that don't! Sometimes it's a non-issue and the horse will just give me a look as if "where is it?" Sometimes I get unexpectedly nudged/headbutted! But its just a preference on training method, and I would try if consistency wasn't working.

Well that's the difference between someone training a horse with positive reinforcement methods using treats and someone just giving treats willy nilly - significantly different

 

[AandK]

I had this with the new boy (I am also on my own). All I did was every time he moved, put him back were I wanted him to be at the block (i.e. if he went backwards I moved him forwards and vice versa and then if he swung his bum out, I pushed it back). To start it was taking almost 20mins of him fidgeting about. First step was gathering reins, then foot in stirrup, when weight in stirrup and lastly getting on. Took about 2 weeks to get from fidgeting when I picked up the reins, to standing still throughout the process.

 

[oldie48]

When I tried Rose she stood beautifully for me to mount, when I got her home she was a pain. I have to have a horse that will stand where I put it and stay there until I am sorted, I don't do leaping (old with an injury). I spent a lot of time in my arena getting her to stand nicely by the block, rewarding her when she did, getting on and off until we were both bored out of our skulls. She got a lot better but she would still on occasion move her back end away just as I was about to mount, so frustrating and actually naughty as she knew what was required of her, we are talking about a generally well mannered established horse. Eventually one extremely wet morning I got rather cross with her and moved her HQs with a smart smack from my schooling whip,.She's been really very good since then and if she moves her HQs I just give her a poke with my whip to remind her. Not saying it works with every horse but Rose was just being a rude madam and seeing what she could get away with, with her new owner. Now that I know her, she gets short shrift if she tries it on an.d we are both happier.

 

[scruffyponies]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who doesn't use a mounting block.

 

[AandK]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who doesn't use a mounting block.

I'd hazard a guess that this may be why he is fidgety to mount, perhaps he finds it uncomfortable. The only time I don't use a block is if I have to get off out hacking, and even then I will find something to climb on from (fence, bank etc).

 

[redapple]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who doesn't use a mounting block.

Are you jumping body over and swinging a leg over or putting a foot in the stirrup and stepping up? The first is alright when needed but the latter does put a lot of pressure on horse and tack.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who doesn't use a mounting block.

I don't use a mounting block either, but my pony really doesn't like them and will be far more awkward than he's ever been mounting from the ground. He doesn't like people standing on boxes to plait either, but luckily at 14.1 it's not too much of an issue
I probably should work on making him put up with the mounting block, but as redapple said above, I try and jump up rather than step into the stirrup. I did know someone who mounted from alternate sides to keep things more even, which I thought was a good idea. It's surprisingly hard to learn though, after spending most of one's life mounting from the nearside.

 

[scruffyponies]

I'm old school. Face pony's bum, and up from the ground. Several of my ponies are quite, ahem, 'round', so if you don't have someone holding the off-side stirrup, you know if you're putting too much sideways pressure on the saddle because you're still on the ground, and pony is wearing his saddle under his tummy

Do keep in mind that these guys are not very tall. I can, and occasionally do get on from the ground bareback.
If he was 16hh, I'd be on a block.

 

[redapple]

Could you be accidentally catching your horse in the side when rotating on?

 

[JFTDWS]

I am starting to get the feeling I'm the only one here who doesn't use a mounting block.

Even on midgets, it's not really ideal to be mounting from the ground - the twisting force acting on the saddle does no good to the horse's back. My two ponies are little, but I still always jump on from a fence whenever possible. I do mount from the ground if I have no alternative, even on the big one, but I avoid it as much as possible.

 

[scruffyponies]

Could you be accidentally catching your horse in the side when rotating on?

i
If I am it's not having any effect - he dances around before I start to mount, but generally stands as soon as I put weight in a stirrup. At that point he knows the game is up.

 

[willowblack]

I had this problem for years with mine. I had a classical dressage instructor show me a way that worked in about 10mins and he still responds to now!

Mine either moves his bum away or goes backwards to stop me mounting. He taught me to stand on the mountain block, when he moves away GENTLY tap his bottom with a schooling whip. If he moves away keep tapping. If he takes one step towards the block STOP tapping immediately. Eventually they learn that tapping means move towards the block and you will stop as soon as they do.

Bingo!

Now, the minute you tap his bum he will happily position himself next to the block.

 

[milliepops]

Even on midgets, it's not really ideal to be mounting from the ground - the twisting force acting on the saddle does no good to the horse's back. My two ponies are little, but I still always jump on from a fence whenever possible. I do mount from the ground if I have no alternative, even on the big one, but I avoid it as much as possible.

Agreed.
There were some good videos on YouTube that showed the effect. Will try and find them. I almost never mount from the ground, cant even remember the last time.

 

[milliepops]

Here are 2 from centaur biomechanics Mounting from the ground

Mounting from a block

 

[rainni_day]

Too many to read, so sorry if this has been said, but when my mare was difficult, I parked her between a fence and the mounting block so that she couldn't swing her hind quarters out. We did this for around 2 weeks, then we went to the mounting block without a fence, and walked up to it and she was distracted by someone - we did that a few times. Then we moved the person away and now I think we are good - 4 times on our own and sorted x