Why won't you just STAND!?!?!?

Question

i have a five year old draft cross mare who was abused and now after i've been riding her for close to a year shes really gotten better and we've made a lot of progress but....

i cannot get her to stand so i can mount from a mounting block. she acts like shes going to die no matter what i do if she can't see me. i know shes nervous and i understnad that shes scared becuase of her past but i am sick of getting a leg up everytime i want to ride her (becuase shes too tall to get on from the ground). when i bring her up to the mounting block she turns out and faces me. she does the same thing when i lunge her. We've worked on whoa-ing and stoping from the ground and while mounted but no matter what, as soon as i bring her by the mounting block she refused to stand. She walks forward, backwards, swings out, circles and gets high strung. Even if i manage to get on (the three times shes let me, or i've been fast enough to) i have to spend half the ride calming her! What can i do?!

Answer 1

A lot of people seem to have this question, as I just answered another gal's question on the very same thing. I told her to read this article by trainer Kevin Wescott and try one or all of the 4 different methods he suggests. I know Kevin Wescott personally, and he is really good at reading the horse and finding out what is causing the problem. Here is his advice:

http://www.liverystable.net/kevin_advice...

My own personal advice would be to spend an afternoon just working on this mounting problem. Your goal is to get the horse to stand at the block and not move without you having to pull on him or hold him there. It will take some time, but you can do it. The longeing method in step 4 of the article I pasted will probably help. Also, you can use a longe whip to ask him to swivel his hindquarters back over towards the mounting block so he is positioned correctly.

Whatever you do, be patient and very consistent, and be willing to work with him on this EVERY time he acts up about it. For instance, if you longe him the first session and he does give up and stand at the block quietly for you to get on, great. But next time you come out to ride, if he turns away from the block, you have to repeat the whole longeing thing so that he knows he can't get away with it. His moving away from the block means he has to longe and work harder. So he will learn that the block means it's time to stand still and relax a little bit.

Also, ask your horse to stand still AFTER you get in the saddle. Don't immediately ride away from the block. It will help him learn that he has time to stand and relax and hang out and be happy just standing there. Practice a LOT.

Good luck!

Answer 2

This will take some time to break her, but try this.  When you mount ... make her turn her neck head away from you by shortening your right rein.  This will bend her body into you and will also prevent her from walking away.  At the same time mount her.  Yippee! There you are ..you're ready to ride!  Now make your reins even and there you are!  Happy riding.

Answer 3

let the reins very loose at the buckle when you mount. My horse is 3 and did the same thing. When i had pressure on his mouth he kept moving. But with no pressure he relaxed and stood still.

Answer 4

its gonna take time sence you siad she was abused she is probabily nervous, take it slow and easy have pationts maybe practice getting on and off a lot with osmeone holding her and on the side so she cant move.just an idea

Answer 5

I just worked on this with my mare.

I had done all different things suggested and in lots of different books.  Nothing was working.

This mare was NOT going to let me on her. hehe

What I did...I led her up to a fence and I climbed up on it. The second she started to spin her butt I had a dressage whip in hand and tapped her butt.  Don't wait til she is in full swing.   You have to catch her before she gets too far from you.

You may also have to pull the rein across her withers to get her to turn her head more to the inside, swinging her butt to you.

When she swings back to you just sit there, then scoot towards her head and get down...do not mount her at this time.

Repeat.

I did this for 1/2 hour and my mare is now easier to stand at the mounting block.

You may be able to accomplish this on the mounting block too but I say fence as it's easier to lean over and not get pulled off.

When I get on if she walks off before I am ready I shut her down with a one rein, then back her up to the mounting block and make her stand.

I used to lunge her in tight circles near the mounting block then go back to the block and let her stand quietly then try and mount again....but it didn't work for us.

Some people it will work for though, no doubt!

This is the "work harder if you don't want to do it my way" concept.  They learn that if they don't stand still at the block and swing around..they have to work their feet.  Standing still at the block is reward.

Remember to not walk off immediately when you mount.  This is sorta teaching them to move the second they feel your weight.

Edit:  You say you 'walked her in circles' when she walked off.  That is not going to work.  If you are going to do circles you need to do them quickly and make her work hard...then move to the mounting block and just let her rest there.  Move her away again and work her feet then go back to the block and rest.

I highly suggest working on the ground and not in the saddle first.  Once she understands the concept better then go to mounting and dismounting.  No stress of "Oh my God..she's going to ride me and I have to work"

She keeps bolting on you so it almost makes it sound like the people that had her used to hop on and go for a run immediately.  It's all she knows.

Slow and easy is what you need to go back to.

Answer 6

Well when you get read to get on turn her head to you , so she cant move it, all the way touching the saddle. it works every times

Answer 7

Make the mounting block a sweet spot. When you're sitting on it (don't saddle her or anything, just halter and lead rope and you sitting on the mounting block) feed her treats, scratch her itchy spots, etc. She'll start to LOVE it there. Then (still no saddle or bridle, just halter) stand on it and do the same thing. After that, lean over her back (no saddle, but if you want, bridle) and then scratch, treats, etc. You get the pattern. Just go really slowly for her, I promise she'll start asking to go stand by the mounting block for you to get on! And once you get on, feed her more treats or scratch her some more, so she doesn't just walk off as you sit in the saddle. Good luck! :-)

Answer 8

Well, one thing we have at my barn because there is a really old lady who rides, we built staris and placed htem near a wall with  enough space to fit a horse and you legs once you are on, you could move your mounting block near a wall, then you horse could only go forwards or backwards, and for the first few times have someone stand infront of her and maybe a gate behind her, and Giver lots of praise once you get on.

Another thing you could do is the side you mount on, drop the stirrup as low as it will go and use it as a "Leg Up" and then just fix it once you are on.