Mounting and Dismounting

  Most riders are very opinionated when it comes to mounting from the ground or with a block. In my opinion I think it's best to use a mounting block for both English and Western. You don't have to buy a special block, a stable bucket or log would do just fine. Anything sturdy enough to hold your weight without wobbling can be used as a mounting block. Most English riders use mounting blocks anyway because the stirrups are shorter and that makes mounting from the ground harder, however, mounting blocks shouldn't just be used for our comfort, but our horse's as well. Western saddles cause much of the same discomfort for your horse as English saddles do, but because it's easier for us to mount from the ground we often don't think of the stress we're causing our horse's backs.

  When mounting, most riders would agree that grabbing the mane instead of the horn or front of the saddle (if you have an English saddle) is best. The most common mistake found in mounting is when we try to pull ourselves into the saddle with our arms instead of propelling ourselves with our legs. Pulling with your arms will shift the saddle out of position and put unnecessary stress on your horse's back. Pulling from the horn or front of the saddle will make this worse. Grab a good handful of mane instead and use the horse's withers along with the cantle of the saddle to help steady you.

  If you must mount from the ground, doing it as quickly and gracefully as possible will lessen the strain on your horse's back. It will take leg strength, but pushing instead of pulling will help keep the back of your horse healthy. Try hopping a few times before pushing up, it will give you the momentum you need to get up there. You should first push straight up while using the withers and cantle to steady you before swinging your leg gently but quickly over.

  Dismounting can be done differently, but this is how I learned to do it in English: Drop your right stirrup (if you plan to dismount from the left) and swing your leg behind you, once it reaches your other leg push out of the left stirrup before coming down. Almost looking like you're shooting out of the stirrup and onto the ground. Many riders drop their right stirrup and swing their leg over and onto the ground while struggling to get their left foot out. This doesn't only look bad, it's also very dangerous. Too many times horses have spooked or bolted while their rider was struggling to get their remaining foot out of the stirrup. The result is being dragged. Dismounting should be one smooth motion, not partly on the ground while the other part is still connected to the saddle.
  I dismount western a little differently just because I find it easier. Dropping both of my stirrups, I swing my leg around just before sliding off. Much like dismounting bareback.

  I hope you found some of this helpful, if you have different or better ideas please comment and share! I'm here to learn too!
                                                                                                                         -Manda

The Basic Right and Wrong

  There is a right and wrong way to do most everything. Horses, for the most part are no different. Everyone has different techniques, styles, and horses; however, the basics for treating horses that aren't your own are simple. Most of us know these things already, but I will brief on the top three.

 1  Never walk within kicking distance behind an unfamiliar horse. Walking either far behind his legs or brushing up next to them is safest. Sliding your hand across his hindquarters and brushing your body along the backside of him will alert him that you’re there. Not all horses are used to this and some may act up at the touch, walking around an unfamiliar horse is usually best.

 2  When approaching any horse it is usually best to speak in a soothing voice to let him know where you are. The two main blind spots on a horse are directly in front of him and directly behind him so don’t approach from those angles. Never run towards an unfamiliar horse.

 3  Don’t be loud and fast. Horses have many natural predators and usually spook at anything they aren't sure of. They’re eyes are sensitive to movement so keep your motions calm and slow when with an unfamiliar horse. While most reasons for spooking are vision related, sounds can be very unsettling to some horses. If a horse does spook around you, stay calm. Assure him that there is nothing to be afraid of. Horses often reflect our feelings so spooking along with them won’t help the situation.



  I am no expert when it comes to horses, but they are my passion and I would love to share my stories, tips, and ideas if you will share yours back. These are just some basic things that I'm sure most of us have heard time and time again, but being reminded will only help us progress as equestrians.
                                                                                     -Manda