RideCamp@endurance.net
RE: Won't stand for mounting
To
teach your horse to stand for the mount, you do it backwards. Get on your horse
any way you can. Ride for a while. Ask them to stop. When they stop, start to
dismount, only don't get all the way off, just touch the ground and bounce back
up on. If at any time the horse starts to move off, just urge them into a trot
and do a couple of circling exercises. then ask them to stop and do it all over
again. pretty soon the horse gets the idea if they stand still, you will let
them. The trick is to let them think standing still is their
idea.
The other thing is to teach a cue while you are
doing it. I use the phrase "Stand". Once the horse figures it out, you use this
command just before you mount. The horse then knows what is expected.
If they move off, you can also lunge them from the ground for awhile then
give the "stand " command. This is an incredible safety
command . When your horse gets in a panic situation, you give the
"stand" cue and they know what to do. This has helped me when vines get wrapped
around legs, or spooky tin cans hit the barn floor.
John Lyons teaches this method. It works
great.
Thank you
In a
message dated 5/24/01 7:23:37 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
lady_selene@hotmail.com writes:
He's doing really well but he's gotten into the habit of either
trying to
walk off or swinging his butt away from me when I mount. I
always correct
him and put him back where I wanted him to stand but he
is getting worse
about it.
The good part is that you
are correcting him and putting him back where you
want him. I trust that
your correction is in the form of repetition, with no
punishment. I
have two horses I have trained to stand for me, and I think I
just
stumbled across it. I use a mounting block, mainly because it's hard
for me to reach the stirrups and haul myself aboard. I heard or read
recently that there is a lot of strain on the horse's back when the rider
mounts up. Since I'm not a flexible as I used to be, I decided on
the
mounting block. It's easier on me and the horse. Two of horses
can be
directed to stand ready for me to mount while I am standing on the
block, by
neck reining, just as if I were on their backs and asking them
to make a
turn. They've become really good at it, and wait patiently
for me to mount.
I would guess they like this method so well they
are cooperating to the
fullest. On the trail, I just look for a
rock, a berm, or put the horse into
a depression or the downhill side of
me. I works just as well. Try this, be
repetitious, be
patient, reward them when they do it right, and see if they
change.
Then let me know if it worked for you.
Barbara
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