I recently started working with a Percheron/Thoroughbred cross mare as a new event/jumper prospect. She is a bit older, but her age is unknown, she was previously abused, but loves to jump. She is LOVELY to ride, however, she will throw a fight when you want to mount her due to the previous owner’s abuse. She will attempt to bite, turn and spin, try to run away, cow kick, buck, and rear even when being held. She has been checked for any physical issues and came back negative. Because of this, I know it is all due to her old conditions and how they abused here when they went to mount her. She always calms down as soon as you are on because she realizes you aren’t going to abuse her, she also acts out when near other horses.
Assuming that you are asking for suggestions, here’s one.
Try to persuade her that GOOD things happen in the “mounting area.” For instance, feed her on or near the mounting block. Groom her there. Sit there with her and scratch/rub her in places that she enjoys.
After a few days of this, start doing these things with her tacked up. But don’t get on. In fact, untack her there too.
After a few more days, see if you can stand on the mounting block and make her happy. Treats, grooming, feeding, etc.
Assuming that she begins to relax and enjoy these things, work up to putting your foot in the stirrup and/or leaning on the saddle if you can do these things safely. Get on then get off and give her a lot of praise. Rinse repeat. Move up to getting on and walking a loop around the mounting block and dismounting, remounting, etc.
No guarantees, but it’s probably worth a try.
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It takes some time but this is actually relatively simple to fix. You have to recondition her thinking mounting is a bad thing that leads to other bad things.
The principles of clicker training usually produce excellent results and this is one of the few times I think treats are appropriate. Using them to reward good behavior first for just standing quietly by the mounting block progressing to standing while being mounted is pretty simple and most horses understand pretty quick.
I found it helpful to have another person involved, kind of awkward to give treats when you are half on.
Just remember it took the horse a long time to develop this behavior, probably out of self defense. And she doesn’t really know you well enough to trust you not to hurt her yet. It will take awhile to gain her trust and those bad memories will crop up for awhile before she forgets. Just think out what your plan will be, stick to it and never let yourself get upset with her. You’ll get there.
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Clicker training with someone who has used it before.
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Draft crosses can be very sensitive–my vet says they never forget anything! My cross has similar issues (although not that bad!). People can’t believe I event him because he can be so spooky and not confident on the ground (but like yours, that all changes once you are on him). See my recent “bit fail” thread.
Anyway, my guy doesn’t like being mounted from a high position. So I can’t mount him from a xc jump or a flat bed trailer (ask me how I know), etc. He doesn’t seem to like someone “looming” over him (even me who he trusts). So in addition to HP and others suggestions on desensitizing him, maybe try mounting from a lower position–a 2 step mounting block for example. Not sure I would try from the ground, unless she is short.
Also, my other cross does not like someone holding him while mounting–he will go straight up. I think he gets claustrophobic. So when you are working with her keep this in mind in case it is an issue for her.
Good luck!
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It is not just draft crosses who remember things. All horses do. That is why proper early handling and training is so important. I remember an OTTB who could not be held for mounting, this horse would also go up when several people at once got involved in tacking up.
I’ve also known horses who would buck at dismount time. One learned to be very quick!
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What HP said and if she’s food motivated, I would use a food reward as you’re trying to desensitize her. My three draft crosses are all food motivated and I do give treats. I don’t give them for just any reason, but I do give them and haven’t had a problem with them being lippy or nippy. But I’ve found that when they’ve done something well, they really do appreciate an acknowledgement via a pat/praise/rub/treat. I’ve found my draft crosses to be deep thinkers and very smart to figure things out. Making it a good and positive experience, patience and reward, and she should come around.
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Think being food motivated and sensitive is not restricted to drafts and all horses remember experiences that scared or hurt them. Have had or worked regularly with about a half dozen with mounting problems, not one with a drop of draft in them. They weren’t all big horses as one might expect, either. Biggest issue seemed to be they just didn’t know what was expected and had been punished for not knowing what nobody taught them.
Not understanding “whoa” from the ground and responding by dragging you around totally oblivious to any tugs on the lead rope while ignoring " whoa" was the biggest hole in all of them with mounting issues (loading into a trailer too). When that got fixed, it was easier all the way around.
If they won’t “whoa” in a calm situation, they aren’t going to in an initially scary and uncomfortable process of a rider pulling the saddle to the side as they haul themselves aboard. Attention to your mounting skills and using an appropriate sized block as needed can go a long way to getting the horse to relax. The clicker training will help fix the horses reaction to being mounted but it has to be accompanied by enforcing good ground manners, proper use of “whoa” and making sure to minimize any discomfort the horse is subject to during the mounting process.
Sometimes it’s not totally a prior owners fault, they don’t know any more then the horse they are trying to teach and don’t know what they don’t know. It’s a common sticking point in training colts without much experience with starting colts and the behavior gets ingrained. Longer it is allowed to continue, longer it takes to fix it.
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Sometimes this issue arises if there is a back problem. One mare I work with was “bad” at the mounting block and it turned out she had an old spinal injury right under the saddle. Once treated, she is fine. I’d check that out.
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Then if you get it figured out and she lets you mount, you can always continue giving a treat when you are standing on the mounting block just prior to getting on–or if you are really agile, once you are in the saddle. That makes mounting really something to look forward to by the horse.
Agree with checking your saddle fit, paying special attention to HOW you mount (video?) and enlist a friend with a pocketful of treats. Or more than a pocketful! before you can mount, she needs to stand, so don’t rush the mounting until you have a relaxed and obedient stand. It will be worth the time and effort!
Well, yes, my vet just said she has found drafts/draft x’s to be particularly sensitive to former bad experiences. Which is why I think so many of them (IME) are difficult with the farrier. YMMV
Yes! I have found many problems can be solved by teaching verbal cues. Not only “whoa” but many issues caused by lack of forward can be fixed by teaching “walk” and “trot”. E.g., balking, spinning, rearing, and trailer loading. They do need to be reinforced consistently (my 6 YO will occasionally “forget” if it is convenient for him to do so :rolleyes:).
When my OTTB was new to me, he would not stand still to be mounted. As soon as I’d get my foot near the stirrup he’d move or walk off. I used the treat method, and it worked beautifully and in little time. As soon as I’d have him in position at the mounting block, I’d calmly repeat whoa until he stood still and then I’d reward him, never getting impatient or tight with the reins. When we accomplished that, I’d again repeat whoa, until he’d stand until I could mount. I would reach around his right side and offer another treat for him to reach before I’d even sit down in the saddle. Now he will take me to his post at the block and literally bend his head to the right until he’s gotten his reward without taking a single step. I don’t always even use a treat if I forget, but it’s gotten to be second nature to both of us and I have no issues with him expecting it.
People holding her, when she is already anxious probably makes it worse. Horses are claustrophobic by nature of them being prey animals. I agree with the poster who said make the mounting area a super happy place to be, food, praise etc.
Once she becomes more relaxed in the area, get your stirrups adjusted, girth checked, etc, before you go to that spot. Then, just ‘hang out’ until she relaxes. At that point, get on, and let her decide if she wants to stand there, or move off. Depending on how upset she is, she may need to move her feet immediately. Do not try to force her to stand, yet. You can work on that later. For now, just get on, praise and scritch her favorite places, etc. Lather, rinse repeat over time.
And because they toss the jockey up there while the horse is moving out of the paddock to the track. So many new people do not understand retraining before they dip into the OTTB realm.
In the OPs case you need to do long term ground work to re-establish trust. I wholeheartedly agree to back up and spend the time and don’t get on until she changes her perception of being mounted.
You did not say what your area or method of mounting is.
There was a similar post on this recently and my answer is the same: treats!
I, too, have a draft cross who was really squirrely at the block. His trick was to swing his hind end away from me, which I found really hard to correct. Treats fixed it right away. They distracted him long enough that he couldn’t move, and then once up he got another one for being good.
I’d think with more of a nervous horse it might take a bit longer, but even though my horse has a calm/quiet exterior he actually is pretty sensitive/anxious.
