Mounting Series Continued

Continuing on with our mounting tips:

"When mounting your horse, be sure not to stick too much of your foot into the stirrup, not only to keep from booting the horse, but as a safety measure too, in case the horse bolts and get away from you in which case you would be dragged along. Keep your body close to the horse and use your legs to push yourself up into the saddle. Some people lean way too far back and use their arms to try and pull themselves up into the saddle, in effect pulling the horse off balance and the horse will react by moving away from the pressure.

If you do everything correctly and the horse still tries to move away from you, then dismount and put some energy into moving the horse in a couple of tight circles. Then coax him to stand still and try mounting again. It may take a couple times and a couple circles but this usually works as the horse understands standing still is much easier and preferable to moving quickly in small circles.

If you mount and the horse begins to move forward without a cue, then back him a few steps. If he tries to walk off as you get in the saddle he probably also does other things he has a mind to without cues from the rider. Fixing him on the mount will make him better."

Check out this video on mounting.

http://functionalhorsemanship.blogspot.com/2010/05/horse-training-correcting-horse-that.html