How do you teach a green horse to stand at the mounting block?

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Permalink Reply by Queenrider on May 17, 2010 at 3:16pm

I broke my youngster last year. I have problems with my knees so they must stand still for mounting. First I taught him to stand quietly with the use of treats unmounted. He became familiar with the mounting block and that this was a "treat" place. You narrow down the behaviour you want until he realizes that he must be still to get the reward. It takes patience but he learned that standing still earned him a mint. He learned the same thing with all his tack on, then with me putting weight on him but not getting up on him. I had somebody help me for the first few mounts to hold him. Then the challenge of getting on him. He was fidgety at first but with much patience he figured out that standing still earned him his reward quicker. This was several weeks worth of work! Now I get on him and his head is turned with his mouth open for the treat!

Permalink Reply by Amanda Burden on May 18, 2010 at 2:35pm

A great intro to the Mounting Block "stand-still-to-be -mounted" etiquette ..is to get the horse used to a person standing on a box or crate while grooming, massaging or just performing general niceties to the horse. The horse associates being near the box as a good place to be ...for starters. Use the word Whoa on stopping the horse at the "mounting Block/Box/Crate. Replace the horse to it's original position if it moves off.The horse's patience can be rewarded with either treats or a non food reward. This can be expanded to tacked-up horse and eventual mounting.
The horse who has learned to walk away during this mountingblock procedure can be persuaded to stand still .If at every time he/she does not want to stand still..is encouraged to keep walking and walking in circles until such time it is much easier to just stand still..soon learns it is less work and it beats getting dizzy!!

Permalink Reply by 4XChestnut on May 18, 2010 at 8:30pm

As part of the starting process I use a mounting block to accustom the horse to me being "above" him (or her). They will stand quietly once they accept me being up there and I do the usual sort of desensitizing of rubbing, patting and touching all over their backs. I'll progress to adding weight - leaning on the saddle, over the saddle and working the other side of the horse. Moving away is corrected but not punished. I prefer to catch the movement early and stop it before the horse gets more than a very few steps in, followed by reversing the movement the horse made - swinging the bum back over, backing up, stepping forward - to get him back into position. When I lead them away from the block it is a reward for good behaviour. I'm working with the "I never get anywhere so I might as well stop trying" principle in mind.

By the time I actually get on it's usually anticlimatic and there is little movment. I may allow a step at first, but only if the horse will stop and stand until I ask him to move. Any more movement or unwillingness to stand still and I'll dismount and go back to the block getting on and off as many times as the horse requires to figure it out.

For an already going horse that won't stand I use a similar process but without the extensive work to get the horse accustomed to me being over and on them. I do not push the horse unfairly, but make my mounting process reasonably quick at first and then stretch out the time he must stand still as he understands what is required of him. The one thing I do insist on is that the horse move to the block - I don't move the block to the horse as it is exceedingly difficult to move rocks, stumps. trailer fenders, etc closer to the horse.


Did you know if you bend the horse's head too far away from you as you mount you can actually knock him over?

Permalink Reply by Ellen Ofstad on May 21, 2010 at 5:26am

I show them that if they get in the right place I'll give up my manicure :)

Permalink Reply by Jessica Gable on May 22, 2010 at 10:11am

I think a lot of times we expect the horse to stand still for mounting but we don't notice that they really don't get still anywhere. I start with ground work, lunging or bridle work. I work the horse awhile then I allow him the opportunity to rest if he will stand I give him a minute or so, if not then back to moving his feet. When he gets the idea I start to let the rest be near the mounting block. Once this is good I begin stepping up and down on the block. My goal is to get down before he moves but if he moves no big deal, just as him to move his feet again then back to the block. basically you have to sack him out to you stepping up and down. Repeat this same process for putting you foot in the stirrup and then swinging over. You should practice getting on and off lots of times. and it is good to work from both sides of the horse. I have a friend that has to get on from the "wrong" side of the horse.

Permalink Reply by Chris Gloin on May 22, 2010 at 10:45pm

Lots of repetition and lots of praise, break it down in to smaller tasks - Stand at mounting block - pat horse all over and praise, then climb steps pat horse all over where you can reach gently talking and praise for standing still. Use a command word for standing still - pick different word than whoa use Stand or Stay. Repeat over and over, praising - for standing still. Make it a seperate lesson. Get on and off praising for staying and quit when you get the stand. Don`t get frustrated - green horses need lots of time to learn to stand consistently. Make sure the saddle fits and you are not sticking your toe in his side. Put weight in stirrup, praise for standing still. Repeat. Spend an entire 20 minute session just getting on, walking getting off and walking, getting on and walking, getting off. Then quit. Always stop at most successful attempt and before frustration sets in. Make sure horse is ready to stand - do ground work before attempting, lots of walking and turning, backing in hand and yeilding. An excited horse can`t stand, a relaxed and happy horse can.

Permalink Reply by Doreen K Gray on May 22, 2010 at 11:57pm

I teach every one of my horses to "pick me up". They swing into position right next to the mounting block, lining up so that I can mount easily.

I love doing it this way because it eliminates walk-aways, spinners and the horse KNOWS you are going to mount and expects it. No surprises for the horse! A great tool for first rides.

I teach the horse to do this by asking the horse to move the hip toward me, when it does, I release it. I use a cue at the top of the hip and NEVER on the flank as one popular trainer has on a video. (I made that mistake with the first horse I taught after watching the video.) The reason I will not use the flank is any person asking a horse to move over will tap the flank. If someone such as a farrier taps the hip after you have taught the horse to pick you up doing this and the horse swings their hip toward them, they may think the horse is thinking of kicking and the poor horse is punished.

Permalink Reply by Valerie Morse on May 23, 2010 at 5:13am

A lot will depend on the rider's level of experience. My horse still won't stand for more than a second or two. But what I do is make sure I don't go to the block until I have everthing done. if I try to make him stand still while I 'fuss' over last minute adjustments, he has used all his patience up and I am still not in the saddle. So i only head over to the mounting block when i have EVERY thing done. That way all I have to do is climb on the block and get my foot in the stirrup and swing aboard. Using treats would work great also, as long as you had someone to fed him. if I wanted him to stand still the way NOT to do it would be to try to hold him.or make him stand still, for some horses that works just fine, but not him