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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on July 19, 2009 at 7:38am

Hi Marti, common problem, easy fix. All you have to do is get the horse to stop from pressure , go from pressure, turn from pressure, on the ground. Don't allow the horse to move off without being asked. When you ask the horse to stand and she doesn't , make her take a step back, just keep putting her back where you want her to stay. Don't do circles, if she takes a step forward, make her take a step backwards, by applying pressure through the halter or bridle teach the horse that stand means stand. Be pedantic about this and the horse will learn to park . Get on from a mounting block always , making sure you have the reins in hand ready to correct any forward steps. If you have done the work on the ground then you wont have to much trouble when mounting, but you MUST be absolutely pedantic about getting the horse to do it. Cheers Geoffrey

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 19, 2009 at 1:15pm

Thanks, Geoffrey. Okay, I will do that, make her step backward, instead of the circling. I do trail riding, so I cannot use a mounting block, though. I appreciate your help. Marti :)

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Permalink Reply by Geoffrey Pannell on July 19, 2009 at 5:45pm

Well Marti, there is always something to stand on out on a trail ride, you only have to look about to find a log or a rock. As you say you are not getting any younger, why make it harder than it has to be, for both you and your horse.

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Permalink Reply by Beverly Buck on July 19, 2009 at 11:59pm

When you mount if she moves get off do it again and again until she stands, when she does give LOTS of praise and make here stand there for 60 seconds before allowing her to go anywhere. Figiting is considered moving so she should ultimately be a statue until you are ready to go.

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 20, 2009 at 12:18pm

Wow, 60 seconds is a long time, lol. It was 105 yesterday and supposed to be hotter today, so I won't be able to try this out til I can handle the weather. But thank you for the suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on July 20, 2009 at 7:22pm

Toby is very much the same way..... my trainer showed me how to disengage his hind end before getting on..... and then when getting on I am to hold his head to the side...... and if he moves when I get on, send his butt around again. It took a long time but I tell ya Marti.. he does not move a muscle when I mount him now...

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 20, 2009 at 11:06pm

Oops, now I am getting different suggestions. I can disengage her hind end, but then she won't be standing square for mounting. Will this be a problem? When you hold his head to the side does it make him turn? I don't want to confuse her by trying too many techniques, but I know not every technique works for every horse. Jen, is this Chris Irwin's technique? Anyway, you are da bomb, girlfriend.

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Permalink Reply by Fiona Hill on July 21, 2009 at 7:30am

Marti, you are quite right you are getting conflicting suggestions and this is not really about finding 'techniques'.

Have you always had this issue with her or is it a new thing?

I strongly recommend that you have a look at Chris Irwin's blog (especially the one about natural horsemanship) and it may help you unpick what's going on. 'Disengaging the hind end' sounds more like Parelli language to me, as with bending the head round towards you, but whatever the origin of the 'technique' it's more about assessing what is happening in the moment ... ... 'it all depends' on what is happening as to why your mare feels the need/want to move.

Look at how she is positioning her feet at the point before you get on... Is she standing square when you start, or are her front legs scissored and ready to move? Is she pushing through you with the shoulder, head turned away and bending into you with her barrel? Does she walk off slowly? Does she tend to plough on straight ahead or does she move away from you? Is her head low and relaxed or is it high and full of adrenaline, looking elsewhere, ready to go and not paying attention to you? (If that is the case, I wouldn't even begin to get on). Does she jump sideways skittishly as you try to mount or just refuse to stand once you are in the saddle? How do you mount? If you are not using a mounting block, do you pull yourself up and pull her off balance? Do you inadvertantly dig into her girth with your foot? Do you inadvertently push your shoulder in her 'no go zone', effectively telling her head to turn away from you, bend the barrel in and then lose her balance? The true 'fix' depends on the answers to all of these questions!

If you simply disengage the hind end and turn her head to you when the reason she is moving away is because she feels unbalanced, you may risk pulling her off balance even further as you mount, unless her weight is on the opposite foreleg - in which case she will be even more likely to move! There is a big difference between making a horse stand still and truly understanding what's happening so you can facilitate the horse's shape of body (and therefore its shape of mind) so it wants to stand still for mounting!

I hate to say all this because you probably wanted a quick answer, but in reality 'it all depends'! (I am not claiming this as my own phrase by the way - Chris Irwin has a whole blog on it ;-)).

However, once you crack it, you will have a horse that wants to stand still and thanks you for taking the trouble to work out what was going on.

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 21, 2009 at 1:22pm

Fiona, thank you for all this info. I will have to reread it a couple of times and also go on Chris Irwin's blog. She has always had this tendency to walk off for me, but I only got her on Nov 1st. No, she is probably not standing square when I go to mount. Her head is not low, but it is not high and full of adreniline, either.

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Lamm on July 21, 2009 at 7:09pm

Hi Marti. My trainer has no one persons techniques, and definitely not PParelli.... it is more of a technique of make the right thing easy. It is easier for Toby to stand still than it is to do circles with his butt..... I love the technique.... and one thing for me, maybe this doesn't work for everyone else is to bend my horse, get him nice and bendy and supple... so yes, maybe at first, if you draw her head to your knee, it might hurt her... but like you the first time you do yoga, it is hard to bend down and touch your toes, but as time goes by you get more supple..... a horse that has her head to your knee is not going to take off. It is the same concept as the one rein stop. :)
here is a photo of me mounting my horse...

when I very first got him, he walked off whenever I got on, so we went to ground work... first thing was this lateral flexion of his head, side to side...... side to side...... side to side..... and if he moved his feet, back him up, stop, release...... go over to his side and stand by him, if he takes a step, side to side..... if he keeps moving forward, a circle with his butt which stops him quick. I spent over 6 weeks on this honey, it was slow and laborious.... and so cute when he got it and just stood still for me... :) my horse might have been confused when I got him also, as he was 22... but now that he's my horse, he does what I ask and I had to retrain him... and it was a great learning experience...

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Permalink Reply by Marti Langley on July 21, 2009 at 10:14pm

Jen, that really seems to be working for you. I haven't decided how to approach this yet. It has been way too hot to ride anyway. So I have time to figure out which way is going to work for me and Maggie. I appreciate EVERYONES' input. You guys are great and giving me much food for thought.

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Permalink Reply by Stefanie Reinhold on July 22, 2009 at 12:00pm

Lots of great suggestions. Want to add one more 'low tech' one: I used to consider my horse Yank (former harness racer) a tough case when it came to standing still for mounting. Then I took a low tech instrument of reward: a carrot. Started by having him stand still by the mounting block, praising for standing still, then giving carrot. Then standing still a little longer by mounting block, praising a lot, giving carrot. Then standing still a little longer while I stand on the mounting block, rock on saddle, get down, praise a lot, give carrot. Then standing still for quite a while, me rocking on saddle and leaning on it, getting down, praise a lot, give carrot. You get the drift.
Now I can get on anywhere, in the arena or on the trail, he stands still until I ask him to go. He still gets his carrot or horse treat some of the times, but praises are now enough to make him feel really good about himself.
Does this help?

Attachments:

• gotcarrots1.jpg, 1 MB

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