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Post by Christina on Mar 25, 2003 8:04:16 GMT -5
Tips? He's fine if someone is just standing there on the ground near us. Having him face a fence was fine for a couple of times, then he started walking sideways. Sometimes he dramatically tucks his head in to the left right when I get on, and then backs up. (I dont use any rein pressure, he just does this, so I think someone used that method when training him)
He does this about 50% of the time.
Open to all suggestions!
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Post by HokieLee on Mar 25, 2003 8:49:44 GMT -5
This is the only thing I found that works with my mare and I know some people don't approve of it but-food. I give her a treat to stand by the mounting block and start with the tallest one I can find. Then I mount and give her another treat for standing still as I mount. She is not allowed to move off until I give her the treat. I started with a jump then moved down to a regular mounting block. I tried everything before that-corners, fences, and Madeline always squirmed out of it.
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Post by niaru on Mar 25, 2003 9:08:00 GMT -5
Hehe I was just going to suggest treats! I use baby carrots with Charm (she loves them). We are working on her grasping the idea on getting a treat while I am ON her. Also, 80% of the time, I forget the treats! Duh.
But it does work, and she likes it!
Christina, your 50% is good compared to my 90% (so far) of getting on and Charm immediately walks off (on a good day--otherwise she TROTS off LOL). But at least, with the carrot trick, she stands stoill long enough for me to get on.
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Post by Amy on Mar 25, 2003 10:34:31 GMT -5
Does he stand still when you're grooming/tacking him?
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Post by Smay on Mar 25, 2003 11:38:17 GMT -5
Mine not only wouldn't stand for mounting, he wouldn't even WALK while I mounted, he was more interested in backing up full speed, rearing, and spinning. I even tried letting him back up into the barn door, but he only scared himself and shot forward like a rocket. I finally just did a "running mount" and swung up. See, I "can" do that, so I have let the whole issue kind of drop...but I need to go back to square one, using a clicker and a box of sugar cubes or something to retrain him to stand. Luckily, he is very motivated by food. Food works. So that's a good thing. Some horses could care less about treats and so you can't train them with it!
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Post by Christina on Mar 25, 2003 12:50:01 GMT -5
Okay, I'm off to practice "standing still" over my lunch time.
Niaru, you sound like you're doing great with Charm, and if I remember correctly she's just off the track, whereas my boy has been off for 2 years (although I just got him).
We're going to practice "standing still" first, w/out me on him, since that worked pretty well for "whoa", but "whoa" doesnt mean the same thing for him when you're getting on.
Amy, sometimes I tie him when I'm grooming, otherwise I just drop the lead rope or droop it over the fence. He's iffy. Once in a while he's snotty and keeps moving around, other times he's fine just dozing. He does best when there's a lot of activity going on which he can watch. Since I dont have tack yet and just get on bareback, I have no idea what he does when he's tacked up. He prefers to eat while we're grooming. Actually he prefers to eat at all times. Yesterday he tried to eat this grooming block that I have. Before that my dog's tennis ball (green) came rolling under his feet and I swear he thought it COULD have been an apple and his immediate response was to dive for it.
BTW - if I have other people there, even to show what he does, he acts like an ANGEL, which makes me think that he KNOWS what he should be doing. He seems to spend more brain power and energy on figuring out HOW to get out of something than on just doing it.
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Post by Skye Pilot on Mar 25, 2003 13:27:41 GMT -5
LOL..... smay I get this image of you doing a trick riding mount at a full gallop....... I wished I could have seen that..... we could change your name to annie oakley... ;D
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Post by Amy on Mar 25, 2003 13:33:25 GMT -5
Christina, when I tack/groom Tango, I just drop the leadrope, too. If he's fidgity on one particular day, I pick up the lead and ask him to move forward, backup, side-to-side, several times, then drop the lead again and to back to what I was doing. If he moves again, we start over. Eventually, I get that big, sigh of submission, "Okay, it's easier to just stand here." From there, I was able to get him to stand for mounting. I just appied the same principles. He still needs a reminder once in awhile. And I can tell right away if this is going to be an extra day of testing if he starts it right away. Fortunately, he loves attention and affection so if I make a big fuss over him that's usually enough reward for him.
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Post by adcooper on Mar 25, 2003 13:52:06 GMT -5
Like Amy, I think the way to get a horse to stand still is to make him move! You ask him to move in every direction whenever you want to, and the reward is being allowed to stop moving. Gradually increase the amount of messing around you do while he is standing quietly. I wouldn't ever try to mount a tied horse. Mine is most likely to explode when tied (which is why you'll never see me offering advice on how to train a horse to cross tie!)
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Post by Christina on Mar 25, 2003 15:45:37 GMT -5
Oh horrors. I of course decided to get on him (he walked off - thank goodness he doesnt run off) and when I went to get off, and instead of just sliding off which I usually do, I decide to get off on this overturned stock tub, which is how I get on. The next thing I know, i'm flung against his side and land on the ground underneath him, propped up on my elbows, head in a very dangerous position and the tub has banged his legs. Everything turned out okay, he didnt even move until I stupidly said "whoa", which in mounting terms means "move", and then he pivoted around missing me. It took us both about 1 second to even realize what had happened. It was that fast.
So any way, it took me FOREVER to get back on him, because as soon as he felt my hand on his neck he would start marching around, pivoting, backing up, etc.
So much for Mom screwing up a training session.
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Post by Lynne on Mar 25, 2003 16:27:32 GMT -5
Thanks again guys for the timely thread. I rode Buck on Sunday night and that Buckibuttholio has a TERRIBLE habit of walking off while I'm trying to mount. Drives me batty. I read a thread from someone here earlier that said that they stood on the mounting block and had the horse walk around them etc. I treid that for a while and then I laid against him while he was standing still and then I got down and messed with him and then back up on the block and then back down and on and on and finally he let me get on but walked off as I did it. I know I should have repeated the lesson a few times, but grzteful to be on board and alive I went with it  Christina, that had to be very frightening! I hate those, "I'm staring at the bottom of his feet" moments! Glad it worked out okay, and you know it really takes time. And, since I'm such a slacker through the winter every spring starts this way....*sigh*. And I have seven of the beasts :loon: |
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Post by Amy on Mar 25, 2003 16:49:36 GMT -5
Well, since you're okay, and only because you're okay, I'll tell you I had a little chuckle at the visual of just what happened! I'm glad it wasn't more serious as it certainly could have turned out much worse. I've definitely screwed up more things than I've gotten right. Don't worry about it too much, just ask more the next time. And be careful for pete's sake!
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Post by niaru on Mar 25, 2003 17:09:52 GMT -5
Oh Christina, your post made me laugh too ("whoa" which in mounting terms means "move") :hahaha:
Glad you're Ok tho, it must have been scary for a second there...
Charm is always fidgety the first time I get on, so I don't sweat it, I just prepare for getting on "on the run" (like Smay ;D)
The thing is, when Charm gets fidgety, she backs up! So I get off the mounting block and lead her forward again, and she backs up again etc. So it's just easier to let her walk, get on, then try again later.
Good luck for next time!
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Post by Amy on Mar 25, 2003 17:13:46 GMT -5
Oh, and I forgot to mention that last fall I was trying to get on Tango bareback in the roundpen. I didn't have a mounting block so I moved him as close to the rail as possible and tried to swing my leg over from there. He started walking off and I had commited just a little too much too...had my leg almost over him and had to push off his haunches and did a sort of backwards cowboy mount. (You know the really cool one where they run up behind, jump and vault themselves into the saddle?) Well, I ended up directly behind Tango in PRIME target area if he had wanted to be hateful and kick me. Ah, love those moments of clarity, AFTER something has happened!
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Post by kmmom on Mar 25, 2003 19:09:45 GMT -5
Rule #1: If you aren't ready to fall off, you shouldn't even consider getting on. Rule #2: If you ride in public, prepare to be amusement fodder for the masses. Rule #3: It is the God given right, no, responsibility of every horse person to laugh hard and long at any other poor fool who has taken the trouble to land in the dirt. For soon after, it'll be your turn. Somehow, some of the scariest "events" get the biggest laughs. So glad you weren't squashed, Christina.
Last month, when we had just moved into the indoor, a kid was mounting her horse, and he took a couple of steps forward. She ended up on his rump behind the saddle, and then slid to the ground . Following Rule #1, I laughed.(hard) She was sooo offended. I'm sure she'll catch on if she sees ME hit the ground.
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