How to Mount Your Horse Easily

Mounting a horse can be difficult for some. Some aren't able to mount gracefully, but this will teach you how to mount without pulling your saddle to the side and looking like a monkey on your horse's back.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• You
• Your Horse
• Tack
• Focus

1. Mounting your horse can be easy or hard, it depends on your technique. With some having bad knees, weight issues or a horse that walks off, mounting can be difficult. This will help you mount and teach your horse to stand still while being mounted.
   
   First, does your horse move around while being mounted. Do you have to hurry up and get on, so he doesn't take off on you. This is a safety issue. In order for you and other riders to not be injured during mounting, your horse has to learn to manage himself. This means not walking off while you are mounting.
   How do you do that? Is your horse balanced? Horses who aren't balanced often shift around while being mounted. If this is the case, pushing on your saddle horn, swaying your horse back and forth, until he plants his feet firmly in all four directions will help him not shift around while you are mounting. Or is it more serious? Does your horse move away, slide out from under you or just take off? This is also a serious safety issue.
   To overcome this, you will need to be saddled and with a rope halter and long lead rope. This is a training exercise. You are trying to teach your horse to be content standing still. At no time are you disciplining your horse. Horses don't learn this way. You must teach.

2. Teaching your horse is easy. Help him learn by moving his feet, a lot. You can use a mounting block if necessary or mount from the ground. Shift your horses weight around, get him settled and with all four feet stable. Attempt to put your foot in the stirrup, if your horse moves away, help him. Help him move his feet. Move him in a circle, yield his hindquarters, change directions, and circle him. Try again. Every time you do this, your teaching your horse when you mount if his feet move, your going to help him move them.
   
   Keep doing this over and over again. Make a game out of it. The more you practice the easier it will be every single time. Doing this several times in a row will break even the worst movers. I should know, my gelding wouldn't stand still at all. It only took a few tries and he was standing stock still for me to mount.

3. Mounting your horse should be effortless, look graceful and not move your saddle. First, ask yourself, does my saddle move every time you try and mount? If it moves, slides off or rotates at all or your saddle shifts while riding to one side, your horses shoulder blades are possibly rotated. When this occurs, mounting from the opposite side will allow the tree or bars of the saddle to push into the opposite shoulder that may not be rotated. How do you know if you horse's shoulders are rotated? Feel for the back of the scapula and if there is a rounding or egg shaped bump of muscle, the scapula is rotated. Rotated shoulders are due to the scapula jamming into the saddle tree. Rotated shoulders can also occur in horses that do not use their hind quarters to propel themselves. These horses are helped by shifting their weight off the scapula with saddle pad shimming and riding on your balance points, not your pelvic bones.
   
   Mounting.
   Once your horse stand still, face the opposite direction of your horse. Rotate the stirrup to place your foot in it. Lift your foot place it in the stirrup. Rotate around, holding on to the saddle horn. Once you face the same direction as your horse, you can mount. Shorten your reins, so your horse will turn into you. Holding on to your saddle horn, pull yourself up. Do not grab the back of your saddle. This will pull your saddle over. By using your saddle horn, you are leveraging your saddle's tree. This braces against your horses spine, withers and scapula allowing you to mount without your saddle slipping.
   Move your leg over and position yourself in the saddle.
   If your horse moves, help him move his feet. Abandon your mounting until he is standing still. If your horse won't stand still you are at risk for being tossed off balance and losing your footing. Always shorten the rein closest to you to pull the face toward you and the hindquarters away.
   
   Dismounting you should reverse the process. Swing leg over the saddle, put your weight in the stirrup and holding on to the saddle horn. Once you have your balance, drop your off leg to the ground or jump down from your position.
   
   By practicing this mounting technique, you can aleviate saddle slippage and look graceful mounting. Nothing screams green like riders hanging or dragging themselves up while mounting.

4. Happy Riding!
   Remember horses are prey animals and you should be aware of risks. Ride with caution. Remember safety first and preserve your confidence. When you feel fear, your body is telling you something. It's better to get off and be safe from injury than to stay on and head to the hospital.

Tips & Warnings

• Teach your horse, don't use discipline.
• Help your horse move his feet.
• Help your horse gain his balance by shifting his weight.
• Use your saddle horn for support
• Mount from the opposite side if your saddle shifts around.
• Keep your body facing the same direction as your horse when mounting.
• Use a mounting block with this technique if you need to.
• Don't mount a moving horse, it reinforces his actions
• Don't worry about which side you mount from
• Preserve your confidence
• If you feel fear, get off
• Don't worry what other people think, safety first

Resources

• Hot on the Range -Natural Horsemanship Kids Book

[rjconstruction]

on 4/30/2009 I love this! Love the book too.Robert