From: Roy
Dear Jessica,
Hello Jessica, my name is Roy, and I have a problem I could use some expert advise on, I'll try to keep down wordiness, and still make clear my problem. Thank you for making yourself available, it's truly appreciated.
I am a 46 year old man who has ridden and owned horses for the past 15 years. An expert by no means, an accomplished novice.....maybe.
Unfortunately, I suffered a Mild Tramatic Brain Injury (not horse related), and while I am not looking for sympathy, I do need some ideas. Mounting and dismounting seem to be real problem areas for the horse and I as a team, and I understand the horses reasoning. Let me explain, I had little time to get aquainted with this horse before I was injured, but there were no mounting or dismounting problems. I'm a big guy, and learned to swing quickly and easily into the saddle, and to ride lightly. (make easier the horses job by aiding through good riding techiques) The problem I have now is that Caleb (my Horse) anticipates a slower and more uncoordinated mount and dismount, Once in the saddle we communicate perfectly, in fact my balance is far better using his legs than mine.(Laugh) Mounting aids are not the answere because the real problem is that the right side of my body does not work like it used to, and it takes more time and a lot more effort to through my leg over the saddle. I know he should stand, but I can't get angry at him for my disability that I'm sure causes him extra discomfort.
Any thoughts would be appreciated, except those about not riding. I love to ride, and the hope of riding was instrumental in my recovery up to this point. I did trade in my cowboy hat for a helment, it's kinda cute. (Big Smile) Look forward to hearing from you.
Roy
Hi Roy! First of all, let me say that I'm glad you traded in your cowboy hat for that helmet -- it's clear that you've got a brain that's worth protecting. ;-)
Your horse can certainly learn to stand quietly for mounting and dismounting. It will take some help and some practice, but it's entirely do-able.
You're right to think in terms of how the horse is thinking and reacting, and you're also right to think that he's reacting to something that's uncomfortable for him. He's probably confused and physically uncomfortable if you aren't able to mount smoothly. The process isn't very comfortable for horses unless the saddle fits well, the rider is smooth and accomplished, and the rider's technique doesn't put extra strain on the horse's back. That's why savvy riders in all riding disciplines use a mounting block whenever they can -- it takes strain off the horse's back and minimizes the twisting/pulling effect that, over time, will damage the horse's back and the saddle tree.
Using a mounting block also takes quite a bit of strain off the rider's back, which does matter, although I realize that to a horseman, that's a secondary consideration. ;-)
My best suggestion for you is to build a really wide, tall mounting block and teach Caleb to stand next to it. If you make it wide and stable and solid, with several wide steps leading to a top platform, it will be easy for you to line up your horse next to the block and then walk up it yourself and get on from the top. It's truly amazing how quickly most horses learn to stand quietly. Once they know that the process won't hurt their backs any more, they understand that they don't have any reason to move off until the rider is settled in the saddle and asks the horse to move forward.
Here's a method that has worked well for me in the past. Ask the horse to stand next to the block, and tell him "Stand". If he doesn't know the word, it's time he learned it -- "stand" is a useful word for horses to know. Praise him and reward him for standing still. Climb the block, talk to the horse, get down, walk the horse around in a circle, bring him back to the block, tell him "stand" and repeat. With a clever horse, four or five repetitions should give him the idea. Move your arms and hands while you're on the block, wave, do arm circles -- you're much taller than you've ever been, you're looming over the horse, and he needs to get used to this. He will.
Then bring in an assistant to stand by the horse's head while you mount from the block. The assistant's job is to keep the horse where you put it, so that you can take your time mounting and prove to the horse that the process isn't uncomfortable. But be sure that your assistant understands the job: it's not to hold the horse in place and keep him from moving, but rather to give him an additional reason for standing still, and to praise and reward him for standing still. Whenever you say "good horse, thank you" (or some other phrase of your choice), your assistant should give the horse a treat.
After a point, the assistant can stand back and YOU will reach forward and give the horse a treat. The horse should still be standing quietly -- then you can sit up straight and organize your reins and ASK the horse to move forward. Praise him for this, too -- you're really trying to teach him two things that are closely connected. One is "stand" means "don't move until you're asked", and the other is "move forward when I ask you to." One will emphasize the importance of staying put, no matter what is going on; the other will emphasize the importance of waiting until he's ASKED before he moves off.
This is a lesson that all riding horses need to learn anyway: the rider mounting is not a signal to move, the rider's leg touching the horse on the way over is not a signal to move. There is only ONE signal to move off, and that's a clear squeeze and cluck from the rider (or a word and tap of the whip -- whatever your signal may be)! Things that are NOT signals to move off include: the rider picking up his stirrups or adjusting his reins or scratching his nose or buttoning his shirt or leaning forward to give the horse a treat. ;-)
Stacking one or two straw bales next to the mounting block, on the other side of the horse, will make a good visual barrier to help the horse understand that he should stand still in the space by the block.
If you make your own mounting block or have it made for you, you can make it exactly as tall as you like. Three feet or three feet three inches is usually a good height, but if you want the perfect mounting block, measure the distance from the ground to your stirrup tread, and use that as the height. With the mounting block at stirrup-height, you can just step over the horse's back and let yourself down into the saddle. No pulling on the saddle and no back strain for your horse, and no extra lifting and heaving of that right leg for you!
We usually train horses to be mounted from the left, but they can also be trained to be mounted from the right. (If you were a Pony Club, you would have to demonstrate that you can mount and dismount from both sides of the horse!) I'm guessing that you're probably not wearing a sword, so there's no compelling reason that you would have to mount only from the left. Either way, the mounting block is a good idea. You can use the block to teach your horse to line up with his right side next to the block, so that you can mount from the right. If your right leg is solid enough for you to stand on it comfortably while you take your left leg over the saddle, this might be a good alternative for you.
So -- you've got the horse, now get a mounting block! It's not special equipment for sissies, it's an essential item for any horseman who wants his horse to be comfortable. I'll bet that Caleb will figure it out in no time.
Good luck, and please let me know how it works out.
Jessica
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