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 Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Pa | My gelding will do 100 circles before he will stand to be mounted . I Usually will just stand with my hands on the saddle and go with him until he decides I'm not going anywhere, then he stands still. Is there a way to break this habbit? He's 12 and I haven't had him quite a year so I think he's been getting away with this his entire life so far .. Thanks for any suggestions |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
 
Location: Central Texas | My guy did this. What worked for me is when he started moving while I tried to get on, he got to move backwards until he learned it was easier to stand still and let me get on. Unfortunately, he is an OTTB so he didn't really know any better. Most jockeys are hoisted up as the horse is moving forward so he was just doing what he knew. |
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 Crazy Doggy Mommy
Posts: 1419
Location: Where Governor's make the liscense plates | We always flex their heads to the left when we get on and off... its makes them softer for riding in general and then when they are completely flexed they cannot walk off... It's amazing how well it works and they take to it nicely
Edited by FirstFirewater 2015-10-27 2:57 PM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? | The first step to this is teaching the horse to STAND. That means no fidgeting...and start that from the ground. He should stand quietly when asked. Once he gets that...use that command to get him still before you go to mount. Be consistent and persistent. He must stand. And once you get on he will likely start to walk off before your butt hits the saddle. Halt him and make him STAND. Don't ride off as soon as you are mounted. Stand there relaxed for a minute. I even sometimes mount...sit relaxed a minute...dismount...and move him around or do some other task... and do it all again.
He is anticipating. He is ready to GO! And he has learned the habit. Some of mine have had this habit too when I got them. But some of the worst wrecks I have seen have come from a horse walking off during the mount. Its worth teaching and never allowing them to get back in that habit.
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
 
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | TrailGirl - 2015-10-27 2:58 PM The first step to this is teaching the horse to STAND. That means no fidgeting...and start that from the ground. He should stand quietly when asked. Once he gets that...use that command to get him still before you go to mount. Be consistent and persistent. He must stand. And once you get on he will likely start to walk off before your butt hits the saddle. Halt him and make him STAND. Don't ride off as soon as you are mounted. Stand there relaxed for a minute. I even sometimes mount...sit relaxed a minute...dismount...and move him around or do some other task... and do it all again. He is anticipating. He is ready to GO! And he has learned the habit. Some of mine have had this habit too when I got them. But some of the worst wrecks I have seen have come from a horse walking off during the mount. Its worth teaching and never allowing them to get back in that habit.
Exactly.....
Also, you can rock the saddle side to side so they have to get their feet under them. They tend to stand still a little better when you do that.
Look at your what you're doing with your toes and your body when you get on. Are you poking his side with your toe when you step up? Is your body tense? Are you squeezing with your legs at all? Even though you might not mean it, all those things are telling your horse to move as soon as your foot hits the stirrup. |
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Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | My horse stands very well MOST of the time (I thank his previous trainer/owner for teaching him right). But every once in a while he goes rogue and will swing his but away from the mounting block or back up when I go to get on. So when that happens I make every place other than right next to the mounting block unpleasant by making him WORK. Backing up, yielding the haunches, trotting circles, whatever. Once he's done that for a minute we stand by the mounting block and rest. If he moves again it's back to work. I've never had to do this more than twice. Once on I ALWAYS just sit for a minute. Petting him, relaxing, I'll have him flex his neck for me. Then we calmly walk off. I'm not sure if this is the "right" way to do it but it's worked for us so far. |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | My horses are all 15.3-16/16.1ish I use the mounting block now. My little butt climbs up all three steps and I'm in a position to check them and ask them to "whoa." Also much easier on their back muscles and spine. Since I started with the block neither of them try to walk off anymore and wait quietly for me to get my stirrups and flex them. If I'm mounting from the ground I do like another said I flex their noses to their girth and get on and they won't move either. I'm always jealous of those that can climb on in any way shape or form and their horses are stock still! TEACH ME YOUR WAYS! |
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 Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | My gelding tried to do that sometimes.
I just back him up to where we started till he stands still when he does it, in the beginning I had to do that a couple of times I was getting on, but he picked up pretty fast what I wanted him to do.
Most of the times he is good now
I also flex him left and right when I get on before we move out. So he knows not to walk off immediately.
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | I've found more times than not that when a horse starts doing that the saddle is hurting them. A quick fix is if you turn their head to the right it makes them freeze turning to the left makes them turn more but its more of a long term teaching technique. Turning to the right is just a quick fix |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 443
Location: Southern IL somewhere between KY and MO | TrailGirl - 2015-10-27 2:58 PM The first step to this is teaching the horse to STAND. That means no fidgeting...and start that from the ground. He should stand quietly when asked. Once he gets that...use that command to get him still before you go to mount. Be consistent and persistent. He must stand. And once you get on he will likely start to walk off before your butt hits the saddle. Halt him and make him STAND. Don't ride off as soon as you are mounted. Stand there relaxed for a minute. I even sometimes mount...sit relaxed a minute...dismount...and move him around or do some other task... and do it all again. He is anticipating. He is ready to GO! And he has learned the habit. Some of mine have had this habit too when I got them. But some of the worst wrecks I have seen have come from a horse walking off during the mount. Its worth teaching and never allowing them to get back in that habit.
I totally agree and when I get on I make mine back up and everytime i stop he backs up its a good habit to get into. |
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Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Pa | Thanks everyone ! I really appreciate it! |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 306
| Watch this video....
https://youtu.be/NAlPH5tjiPA |
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 Regular
Posts: 67
| I've only had this new 16hh gelding for a few months and he was a jerk about moving around when I first got him. I started giving him a treat as I got on and making him bend his face to both sides as I sat there. Now hes a perfect gent. It may be the treats but it could be he likes the saddle better. |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | All the horses that I have been around that did this was because they were sore from the rider getting on them wrong, me meaning wrong was pulling on the saddle horn while getting on and hanging and taken to long to get up in the saddle and pulling the horse over at times..this would make them sore. |
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Location: on a hill | Try using a mounting block. Worked for mine. |
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Duct Tape Bikini Girl
Posts: 2554
| Yes to the mounting block, even with a short horse. It is much easier on the body of the horse and the rider! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Check your horses back to see if hes sore, and I would start useing something to stand on so that you dont be putting pressure on his withers..and maybe he will get over all that moving around while trying to mount.. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 933
Location: north dakota | I give my horse the oppertunity to stand still and if they don't I chase their hip around, give them the opportunity to stand still again and than repeat until they stand still. I mainly use this method on young horses. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | Stallions have been searching for the answer to this question for thirty thousand years!! (or more)  |
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 Texas Tenderheart
Posts: 6715
Location: Red Raiderland | My mare will do this from time to time but all I have to do is grab the inside rein and make her do a couple quick circles and she remembers very quickly that she was taught to stand still. I think we, horse and rider, get complacent and we just need a little reminding from time to time. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12838
| Years ago I had a really bad horse. I learned that it was a must to bend his head to the left and hold the rein tight on the saddle horn to get on. When I have colts broke now I have the guy that breaks them teach them to tip their nose to the left as you get on. ( I did not keep that horse long, that is why I am still alive) I am old and it seems that my horses are all big. (dumb reasoning on my part but that is what I have) I use a Rubbermaid two step stool from Lowe's to get on. Handy little thing!!
Edited by streakysox 2015-10-31 3:19 PM
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 Regular
Posts: 55
Location: Middle TN | When I got my gelding, he not only wouldn't stand still but would even rear as soon as someone's foot touched the stirrup. I knew he did this when I bought him and knew that he was more than likely hurting. He was in fact out in his ribs and had to be adjusted. The chiro said its amazing that he hadn't seriously injured or even killed anyone due to pain. He has been a completely different horse in several aspects. He also wouldn't stand tied and would "sit back" no matter what he was tied to. Between chiro and lots of hours standing tied he has also come out of that. It doesn't hurt to always rule out pain, then determine if you're dealing with a bad habit. It amazes me what some people will let their horses get away with that become habits. Some horses, though, are just ready to go! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 602
| practice makes perfect, right? Get on and get off over and over. Make it the lesson for the day. When he starts to move away from you when you have his head bent. make him work, don't try to make him stop, move his feet and make that movement a workout. if he wants to casually move away from you, then you make him move faster away from you till he stops on his own. Here's a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhD8ZN_ML7M. I used this method on my horse and he started to stand still after 3 days. |
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How to get a horse to stand still while mounting