Walking On Volume 3, Issue 4, April 2016 | Page 14

Back to Basics

Teach Your Horse To
Stand Still At The Mounting Block

By Callie King

Being able to have your horse stand quietly as you
mount seems as though it should be a given, an easy
task in the process of riding.
Your horse moves off as you first step onto the block,
or as soon as your foot hits the stirrup, and you fight
to keep your balance and your patience while thinking “why won’t he just stand still?” The truth is horses
move for many reasons, he may be anxious about
being ridden, or he may just be anticipating the process and ready to move forward. The key to breaking
this bad habit and teaching your horse to stand still
is to vary your mounting “routine” so that he relaxes
and just waits to see what you will do next instead of
anticipating the approach the block, foot in the stirrup,
swing the leg, and we’re off! routine.
The first step is to learn to stay in the same place and
move your horse around you when he starts to walk
off. If you use a mounting block, this means continue to stand on the block and make your horse move
around it in a circle instead of getting off each time he
moves to re approach or to try and reposition him by
the block. Move him around by pulling forward with
your left hand (assuming you mount from the left) and
tapping him with your right hand or your foot. Wait
for him to tire of the circling and stop, or ask him to
stop by picking up the rein with your right hand as
well and pulling back. If he stops in a position that
is comfortable for you to get on, start to do so, if not
move him around the circle again.
After your horse is stopped, start by putting your
foot in the stirrup and taking it out again. Do this a
few times, circling him around you each time he starts
to back up or walk off, and after a few times of him
standing still while you take your foot in and out of the
stirrup, praise him and walk away from the mounting
block.
Next, put your foot in the stirrup and the shift your

weight onto the saddle, then stand right back on the
block or the ground. After this, sit up in the saddle for
a moment, then hop right off. Next time go back to
only a foot in the stirrup, them take him for a walk and
come back to the block. Then maybe get on, just let
him stand for awhile as you pet and praise him, take a
few steps, and get off again. The point is to keep your
horse guessing, he does not know what you are going
to do next, and because you are varying the routine so
much he has no way to predict it. Do this a few times,
and you will find that your horse stands much quieter
for mounting. If you start to have problems again, always use the circling, and vary your routine. One more
technique you can use is when your horse starts to
walk off, quickly get off the block, get in front of your
horse, and make him back up with rhythmic pressure
with your hands, or with swinging the reins. The key
is to positively reinforce when he is standing still, and
ignore or correct the other behavior. After you understand this system, you will have the confidence to teach
any horse how to stand still for mounting in only one
session!

Learn more about training your horse and becoming a better rider with my free video blog, http://www.crktrainingblog.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Callie_King/1758821
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14 • Walking On