Horse will NOT stand still to mount

[friedmas]

Hi everyone, please help me. I’m desperate

I’m having some issues with my boy and I can’t figure it out. He WILL NOT stand calmly at the mounting block and I’m so sick of it!

I’ve checked everything pain related. Teeth, Hocks, sheath, saddle fit, Chiro, feet, ulcers. He’s had 2 full lameness evaluations and he is completely sound and comfortable. He works wonderfully under saddle but I can’t get him to stand at the block.

He either doesn’t know what I’m asking, or he really dislikes it. I’ve tried backing him up. I’ve tried waiting until he stands, giving him a treat, and walking away. I’ve tried working on it from the ground with just a halter and lead. I’ve tried moving his feet when he doesn’t stand.

He has wonderful ground manners other than this. He is soft, bendy, and responsive to all my groundwork and under saddle cues.

He isn’t anxious under saddle, so I don’t think he is Anticipating something terrible, but I could be wrong.

What am I missing?

[SuzieQNutter]

Start with leading. When you want him to lead use one click to walk forward. He walks before you walk. When you say halt he halts before you stop. Back is a finger touching his chest and the word back. There is always 2 signals for back.

When you sat halt. He stays halted. For grooming, tacking etc.

So to you do this everywhere. The mounting block, just say halt when he is where you want. He should stay halted until asked to move.

[endlessclimb]

If this is literally the only place he’s anxious, I would double triple check the saddle fit. Also reassess how you’re getting on - are you thumping him in the back? Jabbing him in the side with your toe? Scraping along his loin? Accidentally goosing him with a whip or spur? Shortening the reins abruptly?

When you get on, do you immediately walk off? That needs to stop. Count to 50 after you get on - if he takes a step, start over. He needs to disassociate mounting with getting going. <-- this said, some horses will blow if you try to force this issue too much, so if you need to walk a quick circle to avoid that, fine - but it’s to be a tiny little circle and followed by a whoa and stand again.

Will he stand around indefinitely and hang out on the buckle after he’s been mounted and worked for a while?

Have you tried turning his head one way while you mount? (some say towards you, some say away, use what works)

What about a sugar cube right after you get on, so he learns to wait for his little snack?

Lots of options here.

[kande04]

You can shape standing at the mounting block using clicker training, which will not only identify when and why he gets anxious, but will help motivate him to stand and wait. I have friends who don’t feel they have to the time to do much clicker training, but they do find it useful for teaching their horse to stand at the mounting block.

Clicker training isn’t about one (or a few) treats though, any more than pressure and release is about one release and then you’re done. Teaching a horse to orient and stand at the mounting block often identifies other holes in the horse’s training, which can then be addressed, too.

[walkinthewalk]

1. You have checked and re-checked for pain issues and that should include ulcers.

2. If you are absolutely sure this is not pain related and you are sure you are getting on the horse in a way that does not hurt him, that means it is training related and you need to go back to square one.

It takes a lot of patience to re-train bad habits out of a horse. The fact you say “you’re sick of it” is a huge indicator that you are impatient and do not have the skill set to help the horse.

Hopefully you can find someone who isi experienced and fair-minded to give you some pointers.

3. I am sorry I sound sharp but I once had a horse come back to me twice when the owner grew impatient with the horse evolving into not standing still to get on him and she could not see it was her fault. Everyone else could get the horse to stand still——-

When she called me a third time and blamed ME for the horse not staying broke, I told her it was actually her fault and to either find someone else to bail her out or sell the horse. Living in a small rural county, I later found out she sold the horse for a song, the guy had the horse “fixed” in a matter of minutes (literally) and he sold the horse for a big fat profit.

[Foxglove]

I had the same problem when William came to me three years ago. Great horse, but would walk off the second the rider put foot on the mounting block! Two things helped me: granddaughter’s trainer (whom I’d asked for help) said, "Well, he’s been walking off at the mounting block for his whole life (he was 10 then); how long do you think it will take to teach him something new? My expectation for retraining Will changed from “a week or so” to a couple of years --probably. The second idea came from here --as someone just posted for you --teach him the meaning of the word “whoa” --ironically, we did that with all our showmanship horses —on the ground, the handler says “whoa” those four feet are planted (squarely) and the horse stays put until another command is given. It takes 2-3 years of almost daily work (15-20 min) to make a solid showmanship horse who will do that consistently —but eventually, they all do (or did). I just never thought to do that with my new horse! Once we had the concept down (I know it sounds repetitive, but what we did was what you said you tried —in hand --say whoa --wait. If Horse takes a step— back (and I don’t mean 5 steps --I mean back to the moon, then walk on again, say whoa, wait —REWARD by praise and quiet rest if the horse does not move his feet. But don’t make him stay parked forever, either.

That whoa becomes really solid when the choice is moving feet backwards (and I don’t mean get all mad and flog the horse’s front legs --just a quiet in-hand back --but a long, long way). THEN translate it to the mounting block. Make that mounting block the place where horse always stops and has a break. I also turn William’s head slightly away from me with his outside rein when I mount --that keeps his booty straight. I’d say he’s 98% now --they do learn —but it can be frustrating!

Another training technique you could try (I work alone so did not have this option) is to have a second person hold the horse at the mounting block while you maybe mount, maybe not —sort of get on, immediately get off. Over and over. I’d do that at the end of a vigorous ride --horse will be less fresh and more willing to stand. Gradually, the header, moves away —but the concept of stay quiet at the mounting block may stick with the horse. We usually start with two people loading (straight load trailer) one at the head outside the escape door, one at the tail. Horse loads and the header keeps him quietly standing until butt bar is up. Eventually, horse learns to stand quietly until bar is up without the second person.

[xeroxchick]

Whenever you get on your horse, stand a minute. Yes, your horse won’t stand. Just adjust your gloves, sit, talk on your phone. Just make sure that you never move right off. Vary the time. Sometimes it is a minute. Sometimes it is five minutes. Reward them when they stand. A pat, a treat. I’ve had many horses who wouldn’t stand to mount. Every one eventually would stand. They think I am a slow idiot.

[c0608524]

My OTTB wouldn’t stand at the block originally. I “fixed” it with a snug grip on the reins, which worked until he started going backwards… ugh. The fix was having a person on the ground give him a treat while I got on. This moved to myself giving him a treat once on his back - a small piece of carrot. He starts perfectly now, and waits for me to ask to move forward.

another way would be ground work. Stand at the block, and if you want to walk away you’re trotting or cantering. Then, back to standing at the block. They figure out pretty quick that it’s a lot easier to stand quietly then not.

Standing quietly is such an important, safe thing to teach. I’ve seen riders who are OK with the horse moving off immediately and one day it will end badly for them.

[pony4me]

Does he like scratches? I had very good results retraining a gelding by leading him to the mounting block, and then scratching his butt, and neck and withers and giving him a treat. After a few sessions he was happy to just stand there and get scratched. Once I got on, I’d reach back and scratch his butt and make a big fuss over him. Only then did I ask him to walk on.

[seriously1]

I also used the treat method. My horse used to be terrible at the mounting block.
We started about 2m out - we would take a step, halt, wait, do it again. Then, when we got to the block, halt, wait, treat. Gradually, the halts become longer. Now, he doesn’t move when I get on him. I get on, get organized, he gets a treat.
He also preferred (now, he doesn’t care) if the mounting block was in the middle of the ring rather than the corner.

A previous horse - I discovered by accident that she would stand if I got on from the right. So, we did that for awhile - then would switch back and forth.

A person on the ground can also be helpful. I would make sure that everything I did was quiet and positive.

[anon68314200]

You’ve got some good suggestions above. I would add you should not look at standing at the block as something to be ‘gotten over with.’ Plan to take a few weeks. Spend the entire “ride” working on it. Plan to pay very careful attention to EXACTLY WHEN AND HOW your horse moves his feet. I am guessing that the horse stops at block, and then starts to move off when you start to mount? So exactly WHAT DO YOU DO that triggers the walk off? A big part of whatever method you choose to use, will come down to your ability to APPLY it. For your particular issue, it does not sound like “moving the feet/R-/pressure release” is going to work for you. In fact, you have possibly reinforced the horses not standing still.

Start by teaching a few foundation behaviors with R+/clicker training. A Kurland books are very good for help. When you start with the mounting work, keep in mind that there are LOTS of ways to mount. Mount from both sides. Mount from very high up. From off a truck bumper. Just lay over the back, Etc. Make it so that the horse CANNOT WAIT for you to initiate the “mounting fun,” because horse knows that he is going to get to stand still for 60 minutes and get stuffed with treats. When this is REALLY SOLID you can start to make mounting the first step in riding around.

[TKR]

Ah, ground manners! So often skipped over on a young horse’s training and then it is an issue the rest of their lives - or a new owner allows bad manners until it becomes a new habit. I am almost always alone, but I teach all of my young horses really good ground manners, leading, standing, grooming, etc. When I get on, I use a water tank flipped over for a mounting block because it has a good wide base and some height (which I lack) and have them flex their head to me and gather the reins to keep the head in that position while I get on. Once mounted, I do have them wait until I ask them to move off. Mounting and dismounting are such dangerous, precarious moments – good manners are so important. I also give a treat in the same way before getting off and have them stand quietly before flexing and getting a treat and dismounting. This can be trained to any horse with patience.

[Nezzy]

Get on his back, and make him go back and stand there. Keep making him stand there( next to the block). It has to be something you have a lot of time just to work on. Relax while you in the saddle and he is standing correctly. Praise him. Pet him. Keep doing it. When you can get on at the mounting block and he will just stand there, that is progress. Keep doing it. Every. Single Time. Every time we mount, we should make our horse stand there. UNTIL we say to move on.

[friedmas]

These are all really great suggestions and I thank you all so much!

[SuzieQNutter]

You make him stand at home after mounting, because when you take him away from home, he will not stand for as long as at home. It will be halved or quartered or whatevered. So you want that bit of time to be long enough for you to mount safely.

[AlexxSays]

My horse used to not stand at the mounting block, and when he would walk away I would make him walk in a tight circle back to the mounting block. Within about two weeks he learned that just standing there was 1) less work and 2) meant he got all the scratches and good boy pats. Now he stands like a good boy.

[Foxtrot_s]

Is he TB? Most TB’s are taught to keep walking when the jockey mounts. Check you do not accidentally cue him as you mount. Suggestions above are good. Patience.

[demidq]

“make the wrong thing hard and the right thing easy”- make standing quietly at the mounting block a rest after doing serious in-hand work!

[Jenerationx]

I’ll second what @Foxglove said. If he doesn’t stand still, back him to the moon… I’ve literally backed from one end of the arena to the other. Then forward to the mounting block and he gets to rest there for a few minutes. It took a friend’s horse about 3 days of this being repeated 2-3 times before her horse was more than happy to just hang out by the mounting block. If he moves off as soon as you mount, same thing. Either tight circles or back back back. Dismount, and repeat. Repeat training every time it becomes an issue and he will get it eventually.

[StormyDay]

Don’t do this is he can be a crazy green bean when you first start your ride
I have found that two of my horses will stand all day for me at the block so long as the reins stay really, really loose. So I get on without touching the reins, then pick them up when I am sitting. I think they assume “Oh, she has the reins. Walk forward!” But, both of these horses are anticipating me, not moving off because they don’t know better.

I don’t like punishing horses for behavior I don’t like. I find that I can train faster if I reward good behavior and don’t react to bad behavior. It’s like dealing with a horse that paws; if you yell at them they keep doing it because it got a reaction.
I would suggest instead to make mounting incredibly boring. Get him situated by the block, then walk away with him and do a circle. Get him next to the block again, step into the first step, walk him off. Repeat until you can walk all the way up the block without him flinching. Then get on. Walk one circle. Get off. Rinse and repeat daily.