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Teaching horse to stand still for mounting.

Western
#1

Can anyone give me some advice? He isn’t bad, just takes one step to the side. Tack fits, he isn’t hurting anywhere and let’s me mount just fine if someone is holding him. I don’t even get my foot in the stirrup before he side steps. I have tried just being determined and moving the mounting block and trying again and again but I just chase him in a circle. I have tried continuously moving him back to the mounting block but it is an exercise in futility. I do not ever let him win. I always mount by putting him next to the fence so he can’t side step which is fine in the arena or where there is a wooden fence. I am boarding where there is 900 acres to ride on but I have to mount after opening and closing the gate. There is nothing to stand him next to, just a lone mounting block beside the road. I want to fix this problem anyway. He is over 17 hh so yes, I need the mounting block, and I can’t reach down to open the gate while mounted. His ground manners are flawless.

My trainer is playing polo right now so I am working on my own and I am determined to fix this because it is only a problem when I am alone anyway. Frustrating. Any advice would be super appreciated. He is completely desensitized to all the sounds of the mounting block and I ride western if that matters.

#2

Will he stand if you get on from the right side?

Worth trying.

if he is 17 hands, then even with the mounting block I imagine there is considerable pull on the saddle. He might just not like that. rotating sides might give the pull on the one side a break…or it might just break the habit.

I wonder if getting one of those stirrups that you hook to your saddle to make mounting easier might be a good idea too. Means you don’t have to use the mounting block while on trails.

#3

[QUOTE=kaitsmom;8134305]
Can anyone give me some advice? He isn’t bad, just takes one step to the side. Tack fits, he isn’t hurting anywhere and let’s me mount just fine if someone is holding him. I don’t even get my foot in the stirrup before he side steps. I have tried just being determined and moving the mounting block and trying again and again but I just chase him in a circle. I have tried continuously moving him back to the mounting block but it is an exercise in futility. I do not ever let him win. I always mount by putting him next to the fence so he can’t side step which is fine in the arena or where there is a wooden fence. I am boarding where there is 900 acres to ride on but I have to mount after opening and closing the gate. There is nothing to stand him next to, just a lone mounting block beside the road. I want to fix this problem anyway. He is over 17 hh so yes, I need the mounting block, and I can’t reach down to open the gate while mounted. His ground manners are flawless.

My trainer is playing polo right now so I am working on my own and I am determined to fix this because it is only a problem when I am alone anyway. Frustrating. Any advice would be super appreciated. He is completely desensitized to all the sounds of the mounting block and I ride western if that matters.[/QUOTE]

My mare would just walk off too, her previous owner was a tall man and just mounted on the go.

Treats or praise at the mounting block. And don’t get off and move the block, make the horse come to the block. Even if it means lots of circles for the horse around the block both directions. I have gotten down only if I need to, backing the horse or moving the outside hip to straighten out. Praise and do it again. I don’t get on until she stands. And I don’t let her walk off until I ask and am all situated.

I can now get on this horse anywhere, with or without a block, rock, stump or fence. The horse moving at the block almost gave me a vertigo feeling so it was crucial she stand for me. Part of my fibromyalgia thing, its better now, but I still want her to stand.

#4

http://www.joshnichol.com/articles/Mounting_Block_marapril.pdf_2011.pdf

#5

[QUOTE=aktill;8134461]
http://www.joshnichol.com/articles/Mounting_Block_marapril.pdf_2011.pdf[/QUOTE]

Great article. Thanks.

#6

Do few steps of backing before turning and moving off - changes the routine and avoids anticipation. Have a person standing in front of the horse for a while. Put on gloves, have a stirrup cup (in your imagination), chat a while, and then give a request to move.

I absolutely demand that a horse stand still or I may end up on the ground.

#7

YOu are very vunerable when mounting, so I insist they stand still. The method that works for me and I use a mounting block is this. Lead them close to the mounting block and make them stand still. Once they are standing still, gather the reins, holding them in the left hand, mount, and if they move, immediately halt them, once they are haulted, get your right foot in the stirrup, and continue to make them stand still. Once you are settled, wait a few more monments, then allow them to move forward.
the key is to halt them as soons as they start to move - the horse learns that they aren’t going anywhere for awhile, they don’t anticipate moving off.

#8

that article is helpful. this is one of my PET PEEVES, wiggling and moving from the mounting block. it is DANGEROUS for the rider - puts you in a perilous position and if horse is already moving, your balance is compromised - god forbid you accidentally hit them with a leg going over, or lose balance off the mounting block trying to rush the mounting and spook the horse/get dragged around the ring by your stirrup. i’ve seen it happen! :eek:

ruling out any sources of pain or discomfort is always advisable.

  1. TAKE YOUR TIME! there were some days with my late TB where all I did was ‘have no agenda’… and just work on the mounting. it takes a lot of patience… one thing to remember is there is going to be a lot of ‘backing up’ while you teach them this… make sure to never make the backing up seem like a punishment! the end goal is to teach your horse (or make your horse associate) mounting with something good, NOT bad. it must feel very unnatural to a horse to allow something on its back, so i always keep that in mind.
  2. bring treats - the way to a horse’s brain is through their mouth :lol: i’ve found treating or clicker-training (operant conditioning) to be most effective.

preparing to mount:

  1. bring horse to mounting block. NEVER move mounting block. horse moves? make him back up or move 2x the amount he wiggled, and then reposition him to mounting block.
  2. stand on mounting block. reward him for standing still with treats. if he moves, see above. reward once he stands still. (step 2 takes the longest).
  3. mount. one thing i never see people do is place their left hand (with reins) on the withers. the pressure on the withers, combined with your pressure on the reins, should keep the horse still. if the horse moves, DON’T just wait until you’re completely on the horse to ask him to stop! make him stop, and situate yourself.
  4. if horse moves while you mount, make him back up back to where he was standing before you put your weight in your stirrup. once he is still, give him a treat from your pocket.
  5. if the horse stood still while you mount, hold (or bridge) the reins and praise him. do not let him step off until you give an exaggerated cue (over time you can alter the finesse of it, but for now, thing exaggerated/clear squeeze). this is so that he can ‘listen empathetically’ and understand that fussing your stirrups or wiggling around while standing is NOT a cue for moving forwards.
    rinse/repeat.

once you feel he understands the concept of standing still at the mounting block before you mount, aka once you feel the horse recognizes the pattern of standing still before mounting and getting a treat, no longer offer the treat. horse will then learn that he gets a treat AFTER he allows you to get on, and does not move. if he moves, NO treat period, and get off and try again.

my current guy (race trained) came to me moving off during mounting - it is just what they do on the track. they mount while walking. so sometimes, you have to remember it is not the horse being a little %@^ but it IS either a lack of training or a lack of your DISCIPLINE’s training. so for him, i did the steps above – now he stands patiently all day long while i fuss on his back, and will crane his neck to look at me when i am done as if to say “are you done yet?”. i still give him a treat from my pocket every now and then… i have to say, from a horse’s standpoint, that i can understand why many anticipate or dislike mounting… so i do try to keep it pleasant and rewarding for them.

i am not a professional trainer by any means, but i’ve found that being consistent and doing this 3-6x in one session sets them up to understand quickly the new concept you are teaching them. if they move while i try to get on, we try again. if they were perfect and did not move, i do not get off. they need to identify the pattern (and trust me, they will – horses are very adept at picking up patterns) that if they move they will be asked again, whereas if they stand still, the (mounting) session is over.

#9

You are doing the opposite by moving the mounting block.

Move the horse back to the mounting block every single time.

When you mount stay halted for at least a minute.

If at a show or somewhere he is anxious he might not stand for the minute but you will have had time to mount safely.

Away from the mounting block you can teach him to stand still. A click means walk and they walk before you walk.

Say Halt and they halt before you halt and stay halted. Every time they move you say no put them back and praise. Every single time.

#10

If you use treats, that is one time you use the bigger ones the horse has to stop for a bit to eat them, mounting is a static behavior, not the little treats used to reinforce active behaviors.

You could start by teaching the horse to stand, then to stand by the mounting block, then to stand with you up there.
A longer whip helps to tap the horse to come back if it steps away, not for you to mount, but because you are teaching standing there.

Mounting is the last you do, after the horse knows standing there is a behavior all it’s own.

I have taught horses to stretch for a rider to get on and that helped very much with those that were antsy.

There is a whole set of behaviors to teach for that and is not the best for the horse to get on regularly when stretched, is stressful physically, but it helps keep them grounded until they learn to stand there.

if something is not working, as what you are doing is not, don’t repeat it, change what you are doing, or you are only reinforcing that what is happening is acceptable, like moving away.
Getting on where he can’t move off is a great idea, definitively good while he is in the learning process to just stand where told.

#11

not only does my horse stand quietly for me to mount, she sidles over when she sees me get on a mounting block and positions herself for mounting, without my asking.

i taught her this in about 15 minutes. here’s how.

  1. climb up onto the top of a fence so you are at about the same height you will be once you are in the saddle. Your saddled and bridled horse still has a halter on, and the lead rope is in your hand.

  2. ask the horse to step forward until the stirrup is in line with your legs.

  3. ask the horse to move his butt over next to you by rubbing then tapping him steadily and rhythmically on the opposite hindquarters. you can use the popper on the end of your lead rope, or use a carrot stick with a string and popper. this will annoy your horse, and he’ll at first step away from you. but just keep consistently and rhythmically tapping your horse’s butt (on the side away from you) until he tries moving his butt towards you.

  4. the second he moves his butt towards you, STOP the tapping and rub him with the stick, and tell him what a good boy he is. we aren’t looking for perfection here. just one little step in the right direction is what you reward.

  5. after rewarding him by doing nothing for a few moments, softly and gently again begin tapping his opposite hip until he again moves it towards you and the fence (remember you are sitting on top of a fence?) again as soon as he moves his butt in your direction STOP the pressure.

  6. very soon, if your timing is good, your horse will move his butt away from the tapping and towards you. now keep tapping until he is lined up alongside you in the right postion for mounting. just as soon as your horse arrives there, STOP the tapping.

  7. now your horse is in postion to mount from the fence. but DON"T mount him! instead, love on him. make him feel that this position next to you while you are up above him is the best place to be in the whole world. rub his butt. rub his withers. rub all his favorite rubbing places. standing next to you while you are in an elevated position is his time to get rubbed and loved on.

end of lesson one.

  1. come back the next day and do the same thing. this time your horse is going swing his butt around towards you just as soon as he sees you climb up on that fence! love on him some more. maybe put your foot in the stirrup a couple of times. if he stands quietly, get off and love on him some more. REWARD the standing quietly by removing the pressure and giving him more love. throw a leg over, then swing it back onto the fence. love on him some more.

  2. get down from the fence, do something else with your horse on the ground.

  3. climb back up on the fence and your horse will quickly put himself in position for you to mount. rub on him. love him and tell him how great he is. put your foot in the stirrup and get on. if he stands quietly, then get off. rub him some more. (if he doesn’t stand quietly then make him work his feet until he decides standing quietly is a better deal).

by now you should have a horse that is eager to come to you the minute he sees you get on a fence or a mounting block, and will swing himself into perfect position for you to mount, and will stand quietly.

look for opportunities to just love on your horse when he positions himself for mounting, without mounting him. make it about him and you having some nice bonding time together.

like i said, the horses i have done this with learn it so fast it would make your head spin. i can be anywhere–out on the trail, in a round pen, in a pasture, in the driveway–and the minute my horse sees me step up on a stump, a mounting block, a log, a fence, a slight hill, a rock–anything that make me a bit taller–she swings herself into position for mounting and stands quietly.

once you’ve got that down on the left side, try it on the off side, so your horse will come to you for mounting from either side.

#12

[QUOTE=aliceo;8135503]
not only does my horse stand quietly for me to mount, she sidles over when she sees me get on a mounting block and positions herself for mounting, without my asking.

i taught her this in about 15 minutes. here’s how.

  1. climb up onto the top of a fence so you are at about the same height you will be once you are in the saddle. Your saddled and bridled horse still has a halter on, and the lead rope is in your hand.

  2. ask the horse to step forward until the stirrup is in line with your legs.

  3. ask the horse to move his butt over next to you by rubbing then tapping him steadily and rhythmically on the opposite hindquarters. you can use the popper on the end of your lead rope, or use a carrot stick with a string and popper. this will annoy your horse, and he’ll at first step away from you. but just keep consistently and rhythmically tapping your horse’s butt (on the side away from you) until he tries moving his butt towards you.

  4. the second he moves his butt towards you, STOP the tapping and rub him with the stick, and tell him what a good boy he is. we aren’t looking for perfection here. just one little step in the right direction is what you reward.

  5. after rewarding him by doing nothing for a few moments, softly and gently again begin tapping his opposite hip until he again moves it towards you and the fence (remember you are sitting on top of a fence?) again as soon as he moves his butt in your direction STOP the pressure.

  6. very soon, if your timing is good, your horse will move his butt away from the tapping and towards you. now keep tapping until he is lined up alongside you in the right postion for mounting. just as soon as your horse arrives there, STOP the tapping.

  7. now your horse is in postion to mount from the fence. but DON"T mount him! instead, love on him. make him feel that this position next to you while you are up above him is the best place to be in the whole world. rub his butt. rub his withers. rub all his favorite rubbing places. standing next to you while you are in an elevated position is his time to get rubbed and loved on.

end of lesson one.

  1. come back the next day and do the same thing. this time your horse is going swing his butt around towards you just as soon as he sees you climb up on that fence! love on him some more. maybe put your foot in the stirrup a couple of times. if he stands quietly, get off and love on him some more. REWARD the standing quietly by removing the pressure and giving him more love. throw a leg over, then swing it back onto the fence. love on him some more.

  2. get down from the fence, do something else with your horse on the ground.

  3. climb back up on the fence and your horse will quickly put himself in position for you to mount. rub on him. love him and tell him how great he is. put your foot in the stirrup and get on. if he stands quietly, then get off. rub him some more. (if he doesn’t stand quietly then make him work his feet until he decides standing quietly is a better deal).

by now you should have a horse that is eager to come to you the minute he sees you get on a fence or a mounting block, and will swing himself into perfect position for you to mount, and will stand quietly.

look for opportunities to just love on your horse when he positions himself for mounting, without mounting him. make it about him and you having some nice bonding time together.

like i said, the horses i have done this with learn it so fast it would make your head spin. i can be anywhere–out on the trail, in a round pen, in a pasture, in the driveway–and the minute my horse sees me step up on a stump, a mounting block, a log, a fence, a slight hill, a rock–anything that make me a bit taller–she swings herself into position for mounting and stands quietly.

once you’ve got that down on the left side, try it on the off side, so your horse will come to you for mounting from either side.[/QUOTE]

That works well, just teach to respond to whatever you use first in other places, make that a lesson in itself.

Seems that should not be said, but I have known people trying to teach something to a horse with a stick, flag, rope swinging, etc, as they have heard, read or watched a video, that didn’t teach the horse about the stick first and then complain because “the horse was scared of the stick”.

Also, for those of us a bit on the crippled side, that don’t climb gracefully on a fence so easily any more, doing that teaching around a mounting block is fine too.

#13

I also use treats but do something I don’t think anyone else has mentioned. When I get my horse in position at the mounting block I give him the verbal command, “Stand” while holding my hand up in in the classic stop position. He now knows what that means for fly spraying, waiting at a gate, me getting off to move brush on trail, etc.

#14

What Aliceo said. I’d do lots of groundwork anyway. No treats - the horse views it as taking food away from you.

#15

[QUOTE=Flash44;8135579]
What Aliceo said. I’d do lots of groundwork anyway. No treats - the horse views it as taking food away from you.[/QUOTE]

That would depend on how you handle treats.

#16

[QUOTE=CHT;8134358]

I wonder if getting one of those stirrups that you hook to your saddle to make mounting easier might be a good idea too. Means you don’t have to use the mounting block while on trails.[/QUOTE]

I don’t meant to hijack the thread, but I don’t think I’ve heard of those things before? Just showing curiosity, because I am only 5ft and my big man is right around 16, 16.1hh so I absolutely hate getting on from the ground because of the pull on him. Actually, I never get on from the ground. But this still peaked my curiosity just for the mere chance that we could be on the trail and I’d have to get off of him… :slight_smile:

#17

My mare and I just went through a rather scary/serious mounting block issue. She was taking off while I would be swinging my leg over. I started giving her cookies right as I put my foot in the left stirrup and again once I am seated and my foot is in the right stirrup. A week later and I have been able to decrease to giving her a cookie when I am seated and my right foot is in the stirrup. Could be worth a try? Make the mounting block something that he enjoys for now and slowly wean him back off the “bribes.”

#18

[QUOTE=showmanship;8135639]
I don’t meant to hijack the thread, but I don’t think I’ve heard of those things before? Just showing curiosity, because I am only 5ft and my big man is right around 16, 16.1hh so I absolutely hate getting on from the ground because of the pull on him. Actually, I never get on from the ground. But this still peaked my curiosity just for the mere chance that we could be on the trail and I’d have to get off of him… :)[/QUOTE]

You can make your own, using a Peacock stirrup, to be on the safe side:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e08050-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5&sfb=1&itemguid=32eab05c-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5&utm_content=25989&ccd=IFH003&mr:trackingCode=3E57C464-3C81-E211-BA78001B21631C34&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=plaonline&mr:ad=43740016843&mr:keyword=&mr:match=&mr:filter=84503294083&gclid=CjwKEAjw1KGqBRC55bru-sa7zCcSJAAxsBf5kuxbiPKi6Al35wbc4FSf7VNV773bLAsE62rfypJTMhoCD9Lw_wcB

Don’t even need the rubber band for that use.
Do remember that kind of mounting aid is to LIGHTLY step on that one, as you push up to the regular stirrup with the other foot and swing over, not hang there on the side of the horse.
Think graceful moves.

#19

Thanks Bluey!!:slight_smile:

#20

[QUOTE=Draftmare;8135654]
My mare and I just went through a rather scary/serious mounting block issue. She was taking off while I would be swinging my leg over. I started giving her cookies right as I put my foot in the left stirrup and again once I am seated and my foot is in the right stirrup. A week later and I have been able to decrease to giving her a cookie when I am seated and my right foot is in the stirrup. Could be worth a try? Make the mounting block something that he enjoys for now and slowly wean him back off the “bribes.”[/QUOTE]

Training usually works better than bribing. With training, you end up with a horse that habitually looks to you for guidance and is calm if it is not sure what to do.

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