Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hmmm....if you shorten your left rein and tip your horse's head toword you, 
there is no way that they can shoot forward out from under you.  If you 
teach softness, they will automatically tip their head toward you as soon as 
you touch the left rein.  I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this.  Why 
would anyone take the chance of letting their horse shoot forward?  Not only 
is it dangerous, but it is scary for the horse as well to dump you on the 
ground.  The same for dismounting... a horse will just stand there, feet 
planted and wait for you to dismount with his head tipped toward you if you 
teach him to.  It's easier on everyone involved!

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sherrell" <mike@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Ridecamp (E-mail)" <Ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 2:21 PM
Subject: FW: [RC] [RC] [RC] Fear when mounting/dismounting


> If when you first step up into the left stirrup, you put your head,
> shoulders and chest horizontally over the horse's back, if it shoots
> forwards at that moment at least you'll be balanced over the horse and 
> won't
> fall backwards with your foot in the stirrup going out from under you.
>
> > From there, if you rotate your torso to the left, keeping it horizontal,
> while you put your right foot over, you'll maintain your center of balance
> roughly over the center of the horse. You are most vulnerable when your
> right leg is just passing over the horse's hind end, and if you're flat 
> over
> the horse instead of upright you are much more stable. Once your right leg
> is over you can straighten up.
>
> I use this method whenever I'm uncertain what the horse will do when I
> mount, particularly if the area behind me, where I would fall if the horse
> jets off while I'm unbalanced, is ground (or lack of ground) I can't 
> afford
> to fall on.
>
> Mike Sherrell
> Grizzly Analytical (USA)
> 707 887 2919/fax 707 887 9834
> www.grizzlyanalytical.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Ridecamp Guest
> Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 10:05 AM
> To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: RE: [RC] [RC] [RC] Fear when mounting/dismounting
>
>
> Please Reply to: Nicole z_arabs@xxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> ==========================================
>
> > concerned, learning good manners about mounting and
> > dismounting is fundamental to any riding horse, and in return,
> > I try to minimize the trauma of it by getting on from a height
> > that I DON'T put a lot of sideways pull on their backs.
>
> I have to second Heidi's input here.  I also do my best to mount
> from some sort of mounting block (bale of hay, tree stump, fence,
> car bumper, picnic bench....).  It's easier on me and it's easier
> on the horse's back.  And, since I tend to girth fairly loosely,
> and I now have a treeless saddle, that's just another reason to
> not hang in the stirrup.
>
> > PS:  As far as dismounting, I do leave my left foot in the
> > stirrup briefly as I lift my right leg over the cantle and
> > rump--again, I don't have enough " spring" to do that
> > stirrup-less.  But I pivot around and keep my weight centered
> > over the saddle while doing that, so that I end up more or
> > less with my belly in the saddle.  At that point, I can leave
> > my left hand on the pommel and bring my right hand around into
> > the seat of the saddle to push off as I kick my left foot free,
> > and then drop to the ground.  (Or slither to the ground, as
> > the case may be.)
>
> This is also pretty much my method... Although the only part that
> is a *conscious* thought is that my foot be free of that stirrup
> *before* I start for the ground.  I used to just kick free as I
> headed for the ground, but I had a nasty dismounting-on-concrete
> incident once and I now I'm hyper aware of what I do with that
> left foot...  I had hopped up onto a young stallion just to do a
> tack check, and then dismounted again.  Unfortunately, I had on
> my winter boots and the irons were my children's size English
> irons that work with my paddock boots, but were really too narrow
> for my winter boots.  By the time I realized my foot was not
> coming out of that stirrup, I had gone too far to rebalance and
> I landed head-first on the concrete with my foot still in the
> stirrup.  That was probably the worst fall I've ever had from
> a horse, and he wasn't even moving.  He was also a young, green
> stallion and a gelding that he *hated* was standing only feet
> away from his nose.  Luckily for me, all he did was turn his head
> to me with that quizical "what are you doing down there?" look
> and never moved a muscle.  The friend that I was about to go
> riding with insisted that we untack and wouldn't let me go out
> riding that day after she pointed out that I had blood running
> down the back of my head.
>
> ~Nicole
>
>
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