I need old-people help.

[grandprixer]

Or old young people. Physically challenged people. Etc.

I can’t get on my horse. Give me a tall staired block, I can usually get on. Anything less? I can’t do it! I think it’s a combo of me being short/fat, my horse being tall, and chronically bad hips.

Why does it matter? I’m starting to venture onto the roads when I ride - and there’s sometimes something scary, so I get off and lead my horse past. And so begins the struggle of getting back on. I’ve used electrical boxes, tree stumps, and once a kind gentlemen’s truck bed. I just dread the day I can’t find something.

I’ve tried lengthening my stirrups and using a stirrup lenthening thing that hooks through and adds a few inches, but I can’t pull myself up enough and my horse isn’t comfortable standing around while I fling my fat around his side and pull him around. I can’t imagine it’s good for his back either.

Once we get more miles, I hopefully won’t have to dismount, but he wears shoes and if he spooks hard enough I’m fairly certain he’ll slip on the asphalt, so until I feel safe I will dismount to pass said terrifying thing. I just can’t get back on lol.

Any advice? TIA!

Note: the horse really isn’t the problem except for his height. He stands to be mounted off a block and more agile people mount easily from the ground, but he’s not a fan of my using the saddle to pull myself up slowly and torquing the saddle hard.

[cloudyandcallie]

Ride where there are fences or things you can use to mount. (Oh for my youth from childhood to late 20 s when I could place both hands on my horses’ withers and mount bareback without touching rumps! Then it was 2step mounting block and then 3 step and now I need a sling like the knights of old England used.) So I make sure I know where railed fencing and other things are for remounting.

[Scribbler]

No horse likes the heavy torquing climb.

I am in decent shape for late middle age but I ride a 16 hand mare in an English saddle. I simply cannot mount from the ground and indeed the current best practices seems to suggest you shouldn’t anyhow in English saddles.

I’m lucky in that I can make do with about a foot of boost. So I keep an eye out for stumps, park benches, etc. Sometimes we do need to hike a bit to find a mounting block if we lose a hoof boot.

”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹

[grandprixer]

@cloudyandcallie

Ride where there are fences or things you can use to mount. (Oh for my youth from childhood to late 20 s when I could place both hands on my horses’ withers and mount bareback without touching rumps! Then it was 2step mounting block and then 3 step and now I need a sling like the knights of old England used.) So I make sure I know where railed fencing and other things are for remounting.

I board in farm areas, there’s only wire fencing . I used to be able to just swing on so easily, it’s horrible now!

@Scribbler, my boy is 16.2 and in a jump saddle. We’re generally doomed by the sounds of it. We usually ride through wire fenced roads, or occasionally in suburbia where the fences are solid wood and 6ft tall. I’ve walked up to a mile to find a good enough spot, as I’m too polite to enter people’s yards to access tree stumps and the like. Unfortunately, my hips don’t like me walking far so I really need to figure out an easy way to get back on without a block!

[cloudyandcallie]

Stumps are good. Don’t worry about having to find them on someone’s property. Chairs work also. Meet the neighbors where you board and ride and tell them about this. I’d ask to put some mounting blocks in the area.

[grandprixer]

@cloudyandcallie

Stumps are good. Don’t worry about having to find them on someone’s property. Chairs work also.

So a stump in a front yard is acceptable for mounting? I feel horrible treading on anyone’s grass, or even concrete because he’s so big and wearing shoes.

[rememberthenight]

Stumps are allowable, but I often just put my horse in the low part of a road or hill and climb on from there. There is usually a swale next to the road which can give you a foot+!

[4horses]

My only suggestion is to have someone cut some tree stumps into mounting blocks that you can place at intervals along your route.

Or… Get a smaller horse!

I have a friend who tore her ACL while mounting. So it would be better to have your own tree stumps cut flat and perfectly balanced, then go around using random logs that might wobble.

I think this is why many people like shorter horses.

[grandprixer]

@rememberthenight

Stumps are allowable, but I often just put my horse in the low part of a road or hill and climb on from there. There is usually a swale next to the road which can give you a foot+!

I’ve tried! It’s rainy season here, the mud is 2ft deep and will suck any shoe (human or horse) right off!

I think what I’ll start doing is marking stumps and such on a little map so I know where it’s safe to ride, or I’ll just ride with people who can give me a leg-up.

I definitely see why people like smaller horses lol. He has an extra large trailer, can’t buy blankets off the shelf, and we hit every tree branch on the trails. I will say though that after a wet ride, the short horses are filthy and their tack is soaked, while mine is clean and dry!

[Sue_B]

I often considered getting one of these…https://images.app.goo.gl/EtArk6Bv4JadE9QV7 It’s an Easy-Mount step stool that you can carry with you on your ride. (Between a past broken femoral neck and a more recent sacral/vertebral fractures, mounting from the ground is next to impossible for me even with my short horse who is only 15.3)

[DinkyDonk]

I just bought a shorter horse to use for trail riding…it was the easiest solution, and now my tall gelding (who is never ridden off property) has his very own red haired girlfriend!

[jump_pony]

I feel your pain, while I’m not that old I am short and my new horse is not!
I use a stirrup extender and pray for stumps!
when I first got him I would get off to walk by scary things and sometimes I would have to walk for awhile before I found a good place to get on.
My only suggestion is to ride in comfortable boots, like the endurance riders use.

[kande04]

It helps to really get the horse cooperating for mounting. I do it with clicker training, which takes awhile because I want them to get really good at it and it’s not a simple concept. The payback however, is that they’re eager to get me on, and know where they need to stand (next to whatever I’m standing on so that the stirrup is lined up) and that means that I can use just about anything I can stand on for mounting.

I did teach my mule to lie down, but it takes such a big effort to stand back up that I don’t ask him to get up with me on him unless it’s the only way.

[grandprixer]

@kande04

It helps to really get the horse cooperating for mounting. I do it with clicker training, which takes awhile because I want them to get really good at it and it’s not a simple concept. The payback however, is that they’re eager to get me on, and know where they need to stand (next to whatever I’m standing on so that the stirrup is lined up) and that means that I can use just about anything I can stand on for mounting.

I did teach my mule to lie down, but it takes such a big effort to stand back up that I don’t ask him to get up with me on him unless it’s the only way.

He stands really well if I find something tall to mount off. He’s not the issue, finding that something to mount off is.

[FatCatFarm]

I’m 53, have a bad left hip, stand almost 5’3", ride English and have 17hd horses. However, taking the long view, I now have 3 smaller, younger horses ages 3 (2) and 4 (1) I’m bringing along. I plan to start the 4 year old, an Arabian, myself and am starting his ground work. The other two are a Fjord gelding and Appaloosa mare. No, I don’t need three, but I liked them and figure I’ll sort out who I prefer to ride then part with at least one. Maybe.

Anywho, I adore my big solid draft crosses. They are patient and kind. I have learned to use topography to help me get back on when I’ve had to dismount out trail riding. A ditch, a hill, a stump, downed tree, bench, I’ve used them all. Do practice at home and work on your upper body and core strength. Do strength training with your arms.

I did pretty well weight-wise until menopause hit at about age 47. Then my metabolism dropped off drastically and I had to start really watching what I eat or the weight seems to come out of no where. It’s really amazing the things I no longer eat/consume like sugary soft drinks or alcoholic beverages with carbs; most deserts and cutting way back on anything starchy like bread, potatoes and rice.

Still, it’s a fecking struggle every day! I only eat a salad or a piece of fruit for lunch and am hungry throughout the day despite lots of water. The constant bathroom breaks drive me nuts! I have a protein bar and coffee in the morning and a sensible dinner. I have 6 horses, 3 minis, etc., that I keep at home and must care for and stay active and ride several days a week. Still, I am heavier than I need/want to be and that’s an enemy to advancing age and strength because you lose so much muscle mass.

It basically comes down to:
You’ve got to ride smarter if you think you might have to get off and get back on, and plan or pick where you do it.
You can get a smaller horse as an accommodation.
Lose weight.
Strength train.
All of the above.

There is no magic pill. Smaller, quiet, sturdy horses definitely have a place in the stable of us older, flufflier ladies. Not saying you have to get rid of your tall horse, but you may have to do some work to keep him/her being a viable riding option. Getting older sucks. The consolation is, it’s a privilege denied to many. I’m grateful I can still do what I enjoy and plan on doing it for as long as possible and will work at to keep going.

[grandprixer]

@FatCatFarm

I’m 53, have a bad left hip, stand almost 5’3", ride English and have 17hd horses. However, taking the long view, I now have 3 smaller, younger horses ages 3 (2) and 4 (1) I’m bringing along. I plan to start the 4 year old, an Arabian, myself and am starting his ground work. The other two are a Fjord gelding and Appaloosa mare. No, I don’t need three, but I liked them and figure I’ll sort out who I prefer to ride then part with at least one. Maybe.

Anywho, I adore my big solid draft crosses. They are patient and kind. I have learned to use topography to help me get back on when I’ve had to dismount out trail riding. A ditch, a hill, a stump, downed tree, bench, I’ve used them all. Do practice at home and work on your upper body and core strength. Do strength training with your arms.

I did pretty well weight-wise until menopause hit at about age 47. Then my metabolism dropped off drastically and I had to start really watching what I eat or the weight seems to come out of no where. It’s really amazing the things I no longer eat/consume like sugary soft drinks or alcoholic beverages with carbs; most deserts and cutting way back on anything starchy like bread, potatoes and rice.

Still, it’s a fecking struggle every day! I only eat a salad or a piece of fruit for lunch and am hungry throughout the day despite lots of water. The constant bathroom breaks drive me nuts! I have a protein bar and coffee in the morning and a sensible dinner. I have 6 horses, 3 minis, etc., that I keep at home and must care for and stay active and ride several days a week. Still, I am heavier than I need/want to be and that’s an enemy to advancing age and strength because you lose so much muscle mass.

It basically comes down to:
You’ve got to ride smarter if you think you might have to get off and get back on, and plan or pick where you do it.
You can get a smaller horse as an accommodation.
Lose weight.
Strength train.
All of the above.

There is no magic pill. Smaller, quiet, sturdy horses definitely have a place in the stable of us older, flufflier ladies. Not saying you have to get rid of your tall horse, but you may have to do some work to keep him/her being a viable riding option. Getting older sucks. The consolation is, it’s a privilege denied to many. I’m grateful I can still do what I enjoy and plan on doing it for as long as possible and will work at to keep going.

Yeah I think fitness will help all around. With the added benefit of hopefully losing weight.

The best part is I’m only 18, so it’s only downhill from here.

[FatCatFarm]

@grandprixer

Yeah I think fitness will help all around. With the added benefit of hopefully losing weight.

The best part is I’m only 18, so it’s only downhill from here.

If you’re only 18, then you’ve got so much going for you that us older folks don’t have. You can make small changes and see a lot of results. Older people have to make drastic changes to see much in the way of results.

So dieting and strength training at your age, will have huge benefits. You’ve got to just want it bad enough. Eat less and move more. Start there.

[carman_liz]

At 18 any weight loss you have will also help with your hip issues! Another option, granted moreso for the horse, what about a light weight synthetic or padded synthetic western type saddle for trail rides? The stirrups always seem more substantial on western styles to hike up n over onto the horse, and they usually have saddle bag hooks. You could get a folding little step stool and bring it with you places!

As a side note, if you are riding past something scary, please always wear a helmet …well when riding period bc I know how I was as a kid lol… and bring a buddy along if you can! Having someone else with you is not only good for safety, but would allow you to work on riding past these scary things but not all by yourself. Are these things more scary to you, or your horse? Safety first and getting off if it worries you is the best bet though especially if you are alone, but with a friend along maybe it would help you and your horse gain the courage and have the calming effect of a buddy to get past these object. All the best and good luck!! 🤗🤗🤗

[TMares]

@Sue B

I often considered getting one of these…https://images.app.goo.gl/EtArk6Bv4JadE9QV7 It’s an Easy-Mount step stool that you can carry with you on your ride. (Between a past broken femoral neck and a more recent sacral/vertebral fractures, mounting from the ground is next to impossible for me even with my short horse who is only 15.3)

Yep, for 30 bucks, get this and take it with you. Make it even easier by just stashing it in a saddle bag.

https://www.sstack.com/easy-mount-step-stool/p/06790/

[grandprixer]

@FatCatFarm

If you’re only 18, then you’ve got so much going for you that us older folks don’t have. You can make small changes and see a lot of results. Older people have to make drastic changes to see much in the way of results.

So dieting and strength training at your age, will have huge benefits. You’ve got to just want it bad enough. Eat less and move more. Start there.

I’m physically disabled. Please don’t insinuate I’m healthy just because I’m young. Strength training and weight loss are very difficult for me, especially now that my physical therapist is closed. I’m getting my hip and back injected next week, maybe that’ll provide enough relief to allow me to work out.

I always wear a helmet though! Life is too short!