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University Suggestion Box

More on the Mounting Block

By:
stephaniekbradshaw
Date:
Hello!
Hello,

My mare has perfected the walk up to the mounting block, thanks to your videos on teaching your horse to approach the mounting block. She is fine once there, but then we go to mount and she begins to walk off, no longer to the side, but forward, until I stop her with the reins. Sometimes it's as soon as my foot touches the stirrup, sometimes it's when I'm swinging my leg over, sometimes it's once I'm sitting down. 

She always stops as soon as I ask, but doesn't seem to get that I don't want her moving like that in the first place. If I pull back early, to prevent her from moving forward, she backs up, and what can I do? She is technically being good, since pulling back from a halt is asking to back up. But then she's too far back for me to mount. 

If I wait until she starts moving forward it's too late, because it's hard to balance asking her to stop and mounting at the same time, so she gets a step or two in before I'm balanced enough to ask her to stop. She then stops, and all is well, but I worry someone will get hurt or scared when she walks off like that during the mount.

I'm at a loss, hopefully someone can help! I just need a video that covers the next 10 seconds after the horse walks up to the mounting block lol

Thanks so much!
JoHewittVINTA
Please upload your photo 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed
Hi Stephanie & welcome to the forum. Your girl is anticipating leaving the mounting block. I have a couple of suggestions. Firstly, be more incremental - go to the block, ask her to stand whilst you just lean over her back & come back off her. She gets much scratching of neck & shoulders for keeping still. Repeat this simple task lots & lots, a dozen times each day for as many days as it takes for you to be 100% solid without even touching the reins. Remember your breathing needs to be slow & deep to impart her with your calm confidence in her success. The next incremental step is to just put your toe in the stirrup for a short time. Once she stands without you touching the reins every time progress to mounting but be very careful you do not bump her sides. Repeatedly get on & off, giving generous scratching praise for every positive effort she makes. Lastly, once on board ask for a couple of steps backwards. If you always go a couple of paces backwards your girl will never focus on walking off before you are ready. My Apollo was cold backed, he would dip down as he was first mounted. We developed a coping strategy of I never mounted from the ground, I put my toe in the stirrup, nudged him to walk off and swung my leg over but remained standing until he had walked a dozen or so strides before I gently lowered down onto the saddle. Good luck. Keep us updated with your experiences. Cheers, Jo.
Lucie (france)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed
Hi Stephanie
in addition to what Jo suggested, you could also place your mouting block so that your horse is facing a wall or a hedge (or anything big enough to block forward motion). 
When i started working on the mouting block with my horse I had the same problem you're describing so I moved my mouting block that way then gradually as my horse learned to wait i would move the mouting block further and further from the hedge until she was able to stand and wait in the middle of the working area. I found it made things easier for both of us.
Hope this will help,
Good luck !

Lucie
bahila73
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed
Hi Stephanie;  You have been given ROCK SOLID ADVICE by Jo and Lucie.  They are right -on spot.  The only suggestion that I might offer in addition to what has been already written about is stretch-out the time between steps 1 and 2, then 3and 4 and so on.  These pauses between steps seem to work magic on horses that are predisposed to anticipating their handler`s next cue.  Most horses seem to anticipate commands of their leaders because they are eager to please and get into a rhythm of movement, especially when standing.

Have some fun with this training issue, but be sure to get THIS RIGHT before you go -on with additional training.  For your safety, it`s one of the big.

All the best, 
Bud
lmdjohnston
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed
My sister and I are also having problems getting her quarter horse Lucky to stand 
by the mounting block or a fence for mounting.   We position him for mounting but he 
moves off as he seems to be anticipating our mounting.  When I am on my own I am 
unable to mount him when this behaviour persists as I cannot get on without a mounting
block or fence.

Will try the suggestions.  Thank you.
Miriam (Holland&Germany)
Hello! 100 lessons completed 150 lessons completed 200 lessons completed 250 lessons completed 300 lessons completed 350 lessons completed 400 lessons completed 450 lessons completed 500 lessons completed 550 lessons completed 600 lessons completed 650 lessons completed
Hi Imdjohnston,

The word 'anticipating' is the key to your answer...
If you watch the 'mounting block' lessons here on the UNi, you will find that very much time is spend letting the horse find value in standing still, NOT anticipating what's coming next.
The value is getting lots of praise and getting rubs at the wither and neck, maybe all over.
It takes some time, but every horse will feel this as a reward for standing still.
Don't start mounting too early, spend lots of time just praising the coming to the block and standing still. Forget that it's about mounting, it's about trust and timing.....
Only when this is in place, you might start thinking about taking your foot towards the stirrup. Don't put it in, only bring it towards the stirrup. Also now, the horse shouldn't anticipate! Do it lots of times, come away from your own patern of expectation.
Take your time, you'll find that using this method in the right way, you'll save yourself and your horse a lot of time and trouble! Watch these lessons over and over again, there's so much in them one would not notice the first few times of watching them.
Stay safe and keep us posted!
Miriam

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