From: From:Bridgewater
Hi Jessica!
Merry Christmas! I wish we could give you something for Christmas - you certainly give us the best Christmas present possible all year long with all your great advice!
I'm having a small problem with my five year old Arab mare. I always use a mounting block to get on as I know that mounting from the ground can put stress on a horse's back. When I put the mounting block beside her and step up on it, she backs up or moves sideways. I spent a day teaching her to stand still by gradually working up - stepping up and down off the box, stepping up, putting my left hand on her crest, stepping down, and eventually working up to putting my foot in the stirrup and then getting on. I praised her and gave her a treat when she stood still and if she moved I quietly said "no" and moved her back into position. She did really well that day and for two or three days afterwards she stood perfectly still while I got on. Now she's backing up again. Do you think I just need to spend another day on the "standing still" lesson? I spent about 1/2 an hour on it that day. I make sure not to jab her with my toe and I take little or no contact with her mouth while mounting, the saddle fits her well, etc., so I don't think I'm doing anything that could make her uncomfortable. Once I get on, she stands still and waits for me to ask her to walk forward. She's VERY laid back and I always have to encourage her to go forward at the walk, but she moves very forward at the trot. She's comfortable and happy with me on her back, stretches her head and neck down, and is doing great. If she moved forward while mounting I could take contact with her mouth to make her stop, but since she's moving backwards, I'm not sure what to do. I tried standing her with her rear end in a corner, but she always wriggles her way out somehow. I know you will give me good advice and I thank you in advance!
Yours very sincerely,
Debbie:)
Hi Debbie! Thanks for the kind words; they are appreciated.
This isn't an unusual problem, and there are several things you can do. First, though, be sure that your saddle isn't pulling or shifting in a way that makes your mare uncomfortable when you mount. Very few riders have access to a tall enough mounting block to enable them to step across onto the horse's back -- most mounting blocks are low, and serve only to make the rider a little taller, so there is still pressure and torque on the saddle (and the horse's back) unless the rider is VERY quiet in mounting.
Also, be certain that she is standing in balance before you mount. If she has her own weight unevenly balanced, with her legs too close together or too far apart, the addition of your weight, especially while you mount, will force her to shift and take a step or two just to keep upright. If she learns to stop and stand square, she'll be much less likely to shift out of position.
If you're sure that she's comfortable, then the problem is likely to be one of communication. She doesn't understand that she is expected to stand still and that she must stand still! You will have to convince her that standing still is easy and more fun than the other alternatives.
Since what you have done in the past DID work, you might return to it -- one afternoon's practice won't necessarily last a lifetime. ;-) You have to be consistent in your requests and your praise. Think back and remember exactly what you did to teach her to stand for mounting, and then watch yourself carefully and notice whether you are doing something differently now. You may find that you are giving her a signal without meaning to do so.
Save the treats -- don't give them to her for stopping and standing still for a moment! This will teach her that she's already done what you asked. If you want to use a treat occasionally, save it until you have mounted, you are in the saddle, and she is still standing quietly. If you reward then, she may associate the treat with standing WHILE you mount, and AFTER you mount.
Teaching a verbal command -- "Stand!" is quite useful; just use the word whenever she IS standing quietly at your request. She will soon learn to associate the word with what she is doing.
Sometimes, just putting the horse back into position isn't enough. Not all horses respond in the same way -- so here is another option for you to try! This combines horse psychology with some useful exercises -- it's a win-win method of changing your horse's behaviour.
If your horse steps sideways, away from you, just use the stiff fingers of your right hand or the butt end of your whip to prod her barrel while your other hand leads her a little forward. What you are going to do here is to turn her evasion (moving her hindquarters sideways) into an exercise (moving her hindquarters sideways while moving forward on a small circle). Just do one or two or three circles, with your left hand keeping her nose tipped a little toward you, your body sending her FORWARD on a small circle, while at the same time your right hand is giving her a gentle poke in the ribs and asking her to step underneath herself and reach across under her body with that inside hind leg. This is also quite a useful gymnastic exercise for suppling your horse -- in dressage, it's the beginning of "in-hand" work. ;-)
Similarly, if her evasion is to walk backward, you can use your fingers or the butt of your whip to prod her chest gently and ask her to back, calmly and in a straight line, for five or ten or more steps. Then when you lead her back to the block and put her into position and tell her "Stand!", she may decide that standing still is the best choice.
Again, you aren't punishing her -- all of this must be done very calmly and quietly, and when you ask her to move sideways or backward, it must be done correctly and energetically, so that it is really WORK. You may,at first, need to ask her to back across the arena, or circle twenty times -- but you won't have to do this for long. She will figure it out for herself, and teach herself the lesson without the two of you having a fight of any kind.
Good luck!
Jessica
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