Saddle Training Snafoo?

[Jerry & Susan Milam <milamj@agtelco.com>]

All  right.. This isn't a purely "endurance" related question....but I
NEED HELP:( Please.. I am trying for the first time to green break a
youngster. I have no experience prior to this. I've studied videotapes
of Parelli and Lyons, watched Buck Branaman greenbreak a youngster who
hadn't been handled at all, and read lots. 

I've got a 3.5yr old who I'm starting to get under saddle. He's been
handled a lot and is exceptional at yields on the ground. I've been on
him 3 times now in the past few weeks, but today we hit a slight
roadblock and I don't know what to do next. He has a well fitted saddle
on with halter and reins w/lead rope attached.

I start out by having my husband hold Dandy by a lead rope and we ask
him to "stand" there. I have a mounting box I use cause I have terrible
knees. Then I place the box next to him and step upon it slowly. I stay
there stroking his topline and withers until I see his head relax and he
gives me his ears. Then I pull the saddle toward me to give him a feel
of what it will be like to see how he reacts to the feel. Then I lean
across the saddle with my feet still on the mounting box and observe to
see if the green lights are still on. With green lights still on, I put
my foot in the stirrup and put my weight in it and stand there and step
down. Green lights still. Then I do the whole mount. He spins a little
but nothing uncontrollable. 

He settles down and Jerry just holds the lead rope loosely after he
stands then I give him a little squeeze and he moves off into a nice
slow walk. We work on turning right and left and yielding off my leg,
stopping and backing up. He did all these well except stopping quickly
and backing up. He did all that consistently for 20 minutes. I know not
to give youngsters too much in one session, so I have Jerry make him
stand and I pull free of both stirrups and swing my right leg around and
dismount. The othe times I've done this he stood well, this time he
decides to start spinning as my leg comes across...I'm sure I didn't
touch his rump on the way down.

Anyway, my 10 yo is waiting to get on and see what he's like. Dandy
refuses to stand next to the mounting box. We go round and round with
him for 30 miuntes or so with no avail. Sarah gets her foot in the
stirrup and a soon as she pulls on the saddle a little to pull up he
starts the ole spin rountine. 

Well now our short lesson is approaching an hour. John Lyon's says you
shouldn't end a lesson on a negative note.... You should always get the
horse to end with a "yes" answer. Well, then I decide to try mounting
again with no difference in the scenario...so after 5 more minutes, I
decide to do the Lyon's technique of round pen reasoning..he wants to
keep moving off while I'm trying to mount...I'll just help him and drive
him around the pen. I make him change directions 3 or 4 times and stop
him. We try the mounting box again....no deal. This went on for another
20 minutes with no appreciable change in allowing me back on his back. I
had to quit because I had other obligations this evening. 

I probably should have stopped when he wouldn't let Sarah on, but I felt
he would have had his way if I had just stopped. He gave us all green
lights until I dismounted, then all we could get was red lights. Maybe I
did nick him w/my foot on the way down? I don't what else could have
done it. Either that or he was just overloaded after my 20-30 minutes on
him and couldn't deal with it any more.

Any and all reasonable critique and suggestions will be greatly
appreciated.

I hope I haven't ruined this sweet horse. HELP! Please.


Thanks in advance,

Susan and the Dandy horse