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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

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Original poster

Advice needed! My horse won't stand still to be mounted

18 replies

chestnutmare · 16/12/2011 13:08

Hey, I'm hoping someone can give me some advice!

I bought my first horse (yay!), a 6 year old Irish cob, a few months ago, and he is great. However, he won't always stand still next to a mounting block so I can get on.

He stands perfectly well next to a low stone wall inside the barn and mounting is fine from there, but if I try to use the mounting block inside the school, he will step backwards or will swing his back end away once I am at his side and about to put my foot in the stirrup.

He will stand still if I get a leg up, so the act of mounting itself doesn't seem to be a problem, it's when the mounting block is involved, and as I am often riding at the yard on my own, I need to be able to get him to stand at the mounting block!

Any ideas on what I can do to sort this? I do manage to get on after a few attempts, but I feel this is more down to luck than anything else! His saddle and back have been checked and are fine.

Thanks in advance!

OP posts:

Callisto · 16/12/2011 14:45

Sounds like he is taking the piss to me, and you need to sort it so he doesn't get it into his head to do it in the barn too. I think the only way to go to keep lining him up so that he eventually gives in. What happens usually when he won't stand for you? If he is 'rewarded' in any way (ie you give up and get someone to give you a leg up) he will just keep doing it.

Callisto · 16/12/2011 14:47

Also, be firm. Make sure he knows that he is being naughty - I'm not talking beating him or shouting, but a growl can work wonders. And of course lots of praise when he gets it right.

CatPussRoastingByAnOpenFire · 16/12/2011 15:39

Have you tried having the outside rein slightly shorter? Their bottoms will turn in the opposite direction to their heads. so he shouldn't be able to step away.

Booboostoo · 16/12/2011 20:54

Sounds like he is worried to me. If he is fine in other mounting situations but not with the mounting block it may well be because he's had a scare around the mounting block (at 6 he is still a fairly young horse and his confidence can be easily knocked).

Approach the mounting as an exercise in itself and not a means to riding. Take him to the mounting block and reward him for standing next to it without any attempt on your part to mount. Repeat often and reward a lot. Gradually start the steps towards mounting, i.e. walk on the mounting block yourself, reward and repeat, then gather the reins, touch the saddle, put a foot in the stirrup, etc. breaking down the mounting into smaller steps so that you can reward each one.

F was like that when I got him (at 4 years old), but it only took a couple of weeks before he was more confident with the mounting block (for a while he would get a polo as I mounted, but he has grown out of that now).

suebfg · 16/12/2011 21:03

Doubt he's worried, just sounds like a bad habit/taking the michael. Some tips:

have help from a friend for a few days

if he moves away, don't try to get on him when he's moving. Go round the other side and push him back or a tap with the whip (nb. this depends upon the horse - I knew I could do this without a strong reaction from my horse)

He'll eventually get the message that you won't stand for it.

kirrinIsland · 16/12/2011 21:06

My mare used to do this with mounting in general and she was definitely just trying it on. She used to walk away from me as soon as I went to put my foot in the stirrup. I would keep her going in a tight circle till she got fed up and then try again. Never took more than two lots of circling and she gave it up pretty quickly.

Of course, if it is an issue with the mounting block then this won't help at all!

Booboostoo · 17/12/2011 07:32

For me OP the clue to deciphering his behaviour is that he is fine mounting from the wall and fine mounting with a leg up. Since the behaviour is limited to the mounting block I would be fairly sure something scary has happened to him which he has associated with the mounting block.

If you meet fear with decisiveness (tap with wip, growling, etc) you might create more fear. There is certainly a place for decisiveness, but not when there is (very specific) fear.

AlpinePony · 17/12/2011 07:57

Is it possible you're transmitting your own "fear" of the mounting block to him?

I went through a difficult patch with my horse mounting but we were winding each other up. She'd spin and walk away and at its worst it took me an hour to pluck up the courage to mount and when I did my legs were banging against her sides I was shaking so much. :(

I got an RA in to work on my confidence and I've never had a problem since and I mount off anything (I'm short, she's 17.2hh), so it literally is me on a chair/balancing on a flower pot/hanging off a gate. ;)

Original poster

chestnutmare · 17/12/2011 11:24

Thanks everyone! When he moves away from the block, I usually jump off and go round to his offside and nudge him back over. I always persevere (have no choice really, am usually riding on my own!) and I manage to get on after a few attempts. When I rode him last night, I walked him over to the block a few times during our session and just stood him next to it, praising him, he seemed fine with it, not scared or anything like that. So my feeling is that he is taking the piss!

I think I'll make sure someone else is around each time I ride him for the next week or so, so I don't have to jump down from the block if he moves away. He is very smart so hopefully he will learn quickly!

His previous owner never used a mounting block, so I guess it will just take some time to get him used to it.

OP posts:

Booboostoo · 17/12/2011 11:52

"His previous owner never used a mounting block, so I guess it will just take some time to get him used to it"

Ah, there is your answer then, he needs to learn! Good luck sounds like you're already making progress!

CatPussRoastingByAnOpenFire · 17/12/2011 13:33

Do you take longer mounting from the block, using the ground or a small wall probably means that you get up quite quickly, but lots of people stand on the block and dither, getting arranged and organised. My old horse hated this. I had to get up and get on!

Original poster

chestnutmare · 19/12/2011 21:56

No I don't dither, I try to get on straight away once I've stepped up onto the block.

Yesterday I positioned the block in the school so there was a bit less space for him to move about (but I didn't completely block him in or anything, I know this could be dodgy if he were to panic). Once he was standing in the right position I praised him and got up onto the block to mount, he then stepped backwards maybe twice. I just put him back in the right position and then he stood still to be mounted, and I was able to get on. Once I was up, I didn't move off straight away, praising him again, and he stayed where he was until I asked him to move away. I'll continue doing this and hopefully it will get better!

Thanks again for all the advice, it's much appreciated!

OP posts:

LynnHenry · 05/01/2012 14:27

In my experience horses are naturally generous in their nature and will often take the line of least resistance and will comply to our requests when they feel safe.

Your horse may accept you standing at his side but the perspective of seeing you above him on a mounting block may be enough to cause him concern. As Booboostoo said you need small steps in your training to build his confidence and the worst thing you can do is rush to get on. Walking away may have become a habit, but the habit will only be broken if you build his confidence and YES you need to take control.

The first thing that you need to check is does he accept you standing over him. Try this first without a saddle, then with his saddle on, is there any difference? Spend time leaning over him and stroking him until he can trust you, if possible do this from both sides. Try this in as many different places as possible. When you feel he trusts you try to mount again. If he walks away use the rein to ask to stop then back him up. If you don't know how to achieve back up just let me know and I can talk you through some steps. By stopping and asking him to back up you are taking control of his forward movement and direction and this will cause him to think about what you want him to do. Ultimately we are always training our horses to think about what we are asking them to do so they understand our requests.

I hope this helps and I would love to help you further.

Pixel · 05/01/2012 16:16

Mine tries to kick me off the mounting block. It's not him feeling safe I'm worried about.

suebfg · 05/01/2012 19:51

'In my experience horses are naturally generous in their nature and will often take the line of least resistance and will comply to our requests when they feel safe.'

I wish that were true - there are some very clever mischievous horses out there :)

LynnHenry · 06/01/2012 11:23

Like you or I to feel safe a horse or pony has to understand what is being asked of them, with understanding comes trust and confidence. If a horse or pony is labelled mischievous then I think there is a breakdown in communication.
Training is good communication and we are all trainers

suebfg · 06/01/2012 21:05

'If a horse or pony is labelled mischievous then I think there is a breakdown in communication.'

Not necessarily - some horses are just blessed with greater intelligence than others.

Original poster

chestnutmare · 08/01/2012 21:19

Hi LynnHenry, thanks for the advice. I've been working on this for the past few weeks now, and things seem to be improving. I can take him to the mounting block untacked and he is usually quite happy for me to stand over and even lie over his back.

When he is tacked up ready to be ridden and in position at the mounting block, he will still occasionally take a step backwards, so I encourage him to move forwards a step so he is back in his original position, he will then (9 times out of 10!) stand to be mounted without any further problems. Much better than previously when it took multiple attempts to get him to stand still long enough so I could get on!

If he tries to swing his hindquarters out, I just tighten up the right rein for a few seconds, then release it again and this seems to discourage him from doing it again and I can get on.

I don't think the problem is completely solved, he is a very smart horse! But it's definitely better than before, so thanks to everyone for the advice! We've had a few lessons this weekend and things are going very well! He really is a fab horse!

OP posts:

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