It just occurred to me...mounting from the ground *eek*

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=hundredacres;6927759]
Patti, you bring up another question for me regarding the endurance ride…so, where does one “go” when nature calls? This never occurred to me either!! Dear god what else am I forgetting to ask about.[/QUOTE]

I suspect the same place you’d “go” if you were hiking a trail!!! :lol:

I can still get up from the ground, but it’s unpleasant for me and the horse. So I use a mounting block in the barn and this http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Mount-Horse-Portable-Mounting/dp/B0012DQEP4 Mine is a prior brand called a “GiddyUp.” I made a “bucket” to carry it on the saddle. Here are some photos:

http://s784.photobucket.com/user/Smile225/media/GiddUpCarrierEmpty.jpg.html?sort=3&o=9

http://s784.photobucket.com/user/Smile225/media/GiddyUpSecuredinCarrier.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

I ride a Stubben Scout saddle and it attaches nicely to the right pommel.

You do have to have a horse that stands quietly for mounting, however, as you don’t have a lot of “wiggle room.” I changed the nylon thong for a leather one, as leather will break in the event of a “problem.”

To use it, remove from the bucket; position the horse (with you on the natural up-side, if any); unfold the legs and position the stool; mount; pull it up with the thong; fold the legs; wrap the thong; and secure in the bucket. The thong wraps around the legs. I tie a large knot at my end of the thong and hold it in my hand; I don’t wrap the thong around my wrist or finger or anything like that.

It works quite well and is not expensive.

Good luck in your exploration of the discipline.

G.

[katarine]

[QUOTE=clanter;6925922]
Competitve trail will require dismounts and sometimes offside dismounts remounts… the reasoning is that you may at times get yourself into a position on a trail that mandates an offside dismount/remount[/QUOTE]
Which organization?
ACTHA?
NATRC?
123PDQ?

[Wellspotted]

Gee it must be nice to live in the world of illusions in which anyone can “invest in a workout routine” and magically be able to mount from the ground!

I’m glad that out here in the real world those of us who aren’t physically capable of mounting from the ground still have access to trails. OK, so maybe we won’t do any competitive endurance rides, but at least we don’t have to compete with people who think anyone who can’t mount from the ground just needs to work out more!

BTW, OP, I loved your mention of the collapsing rotting log! I once had a mounting block fall over from under me just as I was swinging up into my saddle. Fortunately it fell when I was just past the point of no return and had enough momentum to keep going up onto the horse’s back and not back down his side!

[candysgirl]

I’m in good shape and at 28 have no issue mounting my 14.3h Arab (or even friends draft horses) from the ground. However, I rarely do it unless I don’t have another option. I feel like its not good for my horses back and if I can avoid it, I will. I’ll climb on a fence, tailgate, log, or anything else I can find.

[katarine]

My riding instructor hits the gym 4-5 days a week, doing core work and miles and miles on the recumbent bike. She is strong as an ox. She is also maybe 5’ tall. And she had scoliosis as a child, resulting in some really wonky pulls and pushes in her entire frame. And let’s not talk about the tricky knee. And she’s in her late 50’s, very active and very involved in her own health.

Tell me again why it’s so damned important that she workout so she can mount a horse from the ground? She’s doing the best she can and making smart choices about how to best extend her riding - and walking!- life. Blowing out her knee or wrenching her back to feed someone’s nonsensical notions of perfection by ‘proving’ she can mount from the ground?? Not on the list.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=katarine;6927806]
Which organization?
ACTHA?
NATRC?
123PDQ?[/QUOTE]

NATRC

You are or were allowed to use natural objects such as trees/rocks to remount if they were near.

However the point of NARTC is to teach how to go into areas of little of no support than both you and horse come out alive… It isn’t a race but each leg is timed with a minimum and maximum allowable time

NATRC worked well for our family as we were using horses that were accustom to showing in breed shows and eventing

[ReSomething]

Oooh, I see a market for this two piece unit!

[QUOTE=Guilherme;6927783]
I suspect the same place you’d “go” if you were hiking a trail!!! :lol:

I can still get up from the ground, but it’s unpleasant for me and the horse. So I use a mounting block in the barn and this http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Mount-Horse-Portable-Mounting/dp/B0012DQEP4 Mine is a prior brand called a “GiddyUp.” I made a “bucket” to carry it on the saddle. Here are some photos:

http://s784.photobucket.com/user/Smile225/media/GiddUpCarrierEmpty.jpg.html?sort=3&o=9

http://s784.photobucket.com/user/Smile225/media/GiddyUpSecuredinCarrier.jpg.html?sort=3&o=6

I ride a Stubben Scout saddle and it attaches nicely to the right pommel.

You do have to have a horse that stands quietly for mounting, however, as you don’t have a lot of “wiggle room.” I changed the nylon thong for a leather one, as leather will break in the event of a “problem.”

To use it, remove from the bucket; position the horse (with you on the natural up-side, if any); unfold the legs and position the stool; mount; pull it up with the thong; fold the legs; wrap the thong; and secure in the bucket. The thong wraps around the legs. I tie a large knot at my end of the thong and hold it in my hand; I don’t wrap the thong around my wrist or finger or anything like that.

It works quite well and is not expensive.

Good luck in your exploration of the discipline.

G.[/QUOTE]

[hundredacres]

Yes G! That’s awesome. I’d never seen the portable step before, but that leather case makes it very convenient!

[cowboymom]

I’m 5 foot tall so mounting without a booster has been an issue for me since I was a kid. When I’m in good shape I can swing up pretty easily but it’s a different move than standing back and stepping on while you face the horse, it’s standing at their shoulder, twisting the stirrup to face you, reach the horn/saddle/mane with your right hand and sorta rotate up.

But usually any more I find an uphill advantage. It’s easier on everyone, I don’t like hauling on the side of the horse.

My husband made me a little version of that portable mounting aid-mine tied on the saddle though the bucket would have been better! It worked pretty well but you had to be careful on hills and your horse had to hold still for you. I can’t remember what happened to it… I miss it sometimes!

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=hundredacres;6928257]
Yes G! That’s awesome. I’d never seen the portable step before, but that leather case makes it very convenient![/QUOTE]

It does!

You can also make a simple “bag” using canvas or other stiff cloth. Leather probably works best because of its stiffness.

The hardest part is ensuring that your horse stands quietly both for mounting and for securing the step.

G.

[Attack]

My Arab reaches back and gives a push to the rider while mounting. When he first started doing this I scolded him cause I thought he was trying to bite me. However, he caught me by surprise one time and instead of biting like I thought he would, he pushed me up with his head. Great aid for mounting. Though I haven’t gotten him to do it on the right side yet. But like other posters have stated, I also rarely mount from the ground even though I can. With my horse helping the rider mount I figure I can say he is a “wife safe horse.”

[wendy]

Gee it must be nice to live in the world of illusions in which anyone can “invest in a workout routine” and magically be able to mount from the ground!

yeah, I’d like more details about what workout routine exactly enables one to do this? I’m quite fit- run, lift weights, swim- and I can’t mount from the ground and struggle to mount with the “lengthened stirrup” trick, and even a two-step block is hard. I much prefer the “handicapped mounting block” where you are even with the horse’s back and just sit down. Or mount from the back of the truck, or climb a fence to do so. The fact of the matter is, I’m short.

[clanter]

[QUOTE=wendy;6933142]
yeah, I’d like more details about what workout routine exactly enables one to do this? I’m quite fit- run, lift weights, swim- and I can’t mount from the ground and struggle to mount with the “lengthened stirrup” trick, and even a two-step block is hard. I much prefer the “handicapped mounting block” where you are even with the horse’s back and just sit down. Or mount from the back of the truck, or climb a fence to do so. The fact of the matter is, I’m short.[/QUOTE]

get a shorter horse or large pony

[_BrionesRider]

I’m short and have gotten really creative about how to mount from the ground. Logs, tires, mounds of dirt…they are all fair game to mount off of! The biggest thing is just teaching your horse to stand next to odd objects while you (try to) scramble onto them.

However, word to the wise. Don’t try to mount up over a small stream while hanging onto a branch overhead. Your horse will do a beautiful sidepass just as you fling yourself towards them and you will land in the water. Just saying.

[wendybird]

I have had a few very unlimber friends attempting to ride my horses. I make them ‘mount’ a wire fence before I let them try to get on, lol.

Stand by a fence post, put your foot on the highest rail/wire you can reach, then spring up and swing leg over (without whacking the horse on the back), sitting in a controlled manner on the wire.
Once they’ve got the idea, I give them a mounting block and let them get on the horse.

Using the knee leverage properly helps with getting the height and control of the mounting process. Of course if your height is disproportionate to that of the horse you will always be at a disadvantage compared to those who chose a more appropriate height horse.

I believe that the horse finds a sudden weight dumped on its back more uncomfortable than a momentary sideways swing as the rider gets on.

[hundredacres]

So last week, when I was stripping paddocks and stalls by hand, alone, I thought to myself: I don’t need no stinkin’ workout video! And anyway, with 6 horses, a teenager, and a husband in full-time school (nursing at that), who has time? Workout video. Pffft.

[rugbygirl]

My Endurance horse has the same attitude as the poster who said “workout routine” :lol: I hop on and off a lot during training rides, so it’s an important skill for me to be good at. He’s 16.3, but I am 5’11"…so mounting from the ground isn’t really THAT big a deal for me, although until I practiced it quite a bit, I would dread it.

I had to mount twice last year with him standing UPHILL OF ME on a ski hill. He would not, under any circumstance, stand to be mounted with me on the uphill side.

Jerk. I did not feel bad about the graceless mount that ensued.

I really wish this horse wasn’t so picky about what sorts of things are fair game as mounting blocks. I also sometimes wish that I hadn’t cut the extra length off my stirrups.:o

[Beverley]

I can and do routinely mount from the ground, I have yet to have a horse complain about it in 55 years or so. But I use mounting blocks or other aids (logs hills etc) often enough, as well. I also mount/dismount from the right side, and dismount onto mounting blocks now and then- among several reasons, I want my horses to be rock solid for all potential mounting and dismounting scenarios.

I sure don’t knock anyone who can’t or prefers not to mount from the ground. The only concern that comes to mind is some scenarios on trail rides, especially on multi day packing trips, where there might be a need to get a person aboard their horse to take them to get medical attention, when medical attention cannot get to them.

And admittedly I more cheerfully dismount to get gates, help folks, etc, when I am riding the 14 h mare as opposed to the 16 h gelding! Although I got a number of gates on the latter during my hunting holiday last week, because the chivalrous gentleman who kept getting gates really did have trouble getting back on.

I went to a clinic a few years ago where the clinician had a ‘test’ for mounting from the ground- she uncinched her saddle and invited all to mount her horse while, obviously, keeping saddle in place. All of us were successful- and if you can do that, to my mind you aren’t torquing the horse at all.

[reubenT]

I do it as if the saddle was not tied down, without using the stirrups, a hand on front and back of saddle, a jump from ground and throwing my weight up onto my hands, and then as I swing over, my right hand (or left in the case of off side mounting) does a quick move out of the way so I don’t sit on it. I have rode on a bareback pad a lot and same procedure works fine, except with no saddle seat to land in, I have to get the right momentum, and not too much. A little too much sent me tumbling off the other side once.
With sufficient control it’s easy enough to land on top lightly, since my hands load the saddle progressively as the momentum from the jump dissipates.
Of course I’m over 6 ft and have done plenty of hard work, can pick up my own weight and carry me around. I’m probably in the top 1% for fitness. Sometimes I get lazy if something happens to be nearby to step up on.

But if a person can balance on a horse and wants to ride, do whatever it takes and go for it. Sit in a sling and have an overhead lift system if necessary. we need to enjoy our horses as much as we can. If all else fails study training seriously and learn how to train yer horse to lay down, step on and they get up. I’ve seen trained trick horses doing that.

By the way, the best way of getting comfortable riding on a saddle is use a bareback pad for a long time, then go back to a saddle and it feels like a luxury seat. With heavy muscling down low and strength to prevent sideways unbalancing, I find riding a pad easy. But many people I’ve ridden with say they can’t stay on one. And when I was riding some 8 hours a day for 3 days the horse started getting sore where I sit so I had to go back to a saddle with more contact area for the rest of the week.

A lot of times I have cinched up a saddle and gone riding, after some time I get off for some reason and find the cinch hanging loose, didn’t know it from on top. A good saddle fit and staying balanced.

[gingerbread]

I’m 56, and do get on from the ground, all the time–there are many times it is necessary on the trail, and I am just used to doing it. That said: 1) mare is carrot-trained (treats work fabulously for this task) to stand nicely for mounting no matter what 2) mare is 15 hands and I’m 5’6 and do yoga—the core strength, concentration, and balance taught in yoga is perfect for riding—and our 2 sizes make it easily physically possible! 3) I use the terrain judiciously, often placing mare downhill from me, or if needed, a log or rock.
I agree with the poster who mentioned that an easy, controlled descent into the saddle is more important to the horses’ comfort than a temporary pull as you get on. Just make sure your girth is secure.