# issues mounting bareback...



## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

hey everyone!

you guys are so good at giving advice, i figured i'd have you tackle one of my ongoing issues. I really like riding bareback sometimes. i feel like its good for me and Rocky. However, the issue of mounting always arises. I'm such a clutz trying to get on without stirrups to help me, even with a mounting block to help (kinda embarrassed admitting this). I can get on but its always sort of a clutch grab and scramble on which doesnt feel good for me or him. What can i do to get better at mounting bareback. I always see riders who can just vault onto their horse effortlessly, and i'd at least like to get the point where i can mount steadily without throwing Rocky off like i usually do at this point. Are there tips to help or exercises i can do?


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I would suggest that you just keep working on it and concentrate on trying to be fluid and graceful. It is hard for me too. I used to be one of those people who could just grab a handful of mane and swing up but I have gotten out of shape and out of practice so I have to use something to climb on now. If I try to wing up, I just end up kicking them in the flank :?. Other than that, I have no idea how to help.


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## Piper182 (Jun 18, 2009)

You have to lift weights and stuff if you want to jump on from the ground. It's all about upper body strength. Personally, I've always done the "leg over and slide hoping the horse doesn't move" or the "lay across the the horses back on my tummy and throw my leg over." I almost always use a mounting block but I'm only 5 feet tall. 

It's hard to get on bareback, don't be ashamed.


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## Whipple (Feb 2, 2009)

I would imagine the easiest way would just be to lay across his back from a mounting block, scooch forward a bit then shimmy your leg over.Haha, I get this image of break dance moves on a horse, lol.


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## rocky pony (Oct 5, 2007)

Whipple said:


> I would imagine the easiest way would just be to lay across his back from a mounting block, scooch forward a bit then shimmy your leg over.Haha, I get this image of break dance moves on a horse, lol.


Hahaha I saw that same image!
I think what would be a good method, or to work on leg flexibility so that you can just lift your leg high enough to reach over the horse's back from the mounting block. I did a lot of bareback riding on my pony and since he was short I got on effortlessly that way. I can imagine that it would be the same with a horse and you would just need to be able to lift your leg up high enough. I'll have to see once I start riding my new guy more


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

Upper body strength! If you don't use a mounting block just heave yourself up and put your stomach on his back and swing your leg around.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

I do the jump so my tummy's over their back, then move my leg over and sit up. Pretty much the reverse of a stirrupless dismount. None of the horses I ride are short enough that 5'3" me can just stand on a block and just put my leg over.

What is this 'upper body strength' thing? How do you use your arms to help you get on? I would dearly love to know because I've got good upper body strength!! I mean, it's not like there are handles to pull yourself up with when riding bareback (that I know of anyhow).


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

thanks everyone! i'll try the stomach thing and see if it works. i'm also going to try and improve my arm strength as well


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

I very rarely ride bareback, my mare is narrow and uncomfortable. I do the throw your leg over and shimmy up :lol: I have a 3 step mounting block. I'm also 5'8 and she is 14.3 so its not to far to go. Just a tip...Wear really loose or stretchy pants. I can't do it in tight jeans :lol:


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## barefoot (Jun 11, 2009)

Sharpie said:


> I do the jump so my tummy's over their back, then move my leg over and sit up. Pretty much the reverse of a stirrupless dismount. None of the horses I ride are short enough that 5'3" me can just stand on a block and just put my leg over.
> 
> What is this 'upper body strength' thing? How do you use your arms to help you get on? I would dearly love to know because I've got good upper body strength!! I mean, it's not like there are handles to pull yourself up with when riding bareback (that I know of anyhow).


Just how it sounds.. use your arms to pull you up. Put your hands on his back and push off the ground and pull yourself up.
I'm only 5'3 too by the way


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

I don't have the advantage of a mounting block here at my farm, so I learned to improvise! I stand on the bottem rung of the fence rail, and jump and swing on and hope that my horse doesnt' move! I CANT for the life of me vault! I've gotten ALOT better at it thoguh! Practice, and have fun!


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## Whipple (Feb 2, 2009)

What about this?

Bare-Up Mounting Aid


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I use a 55 gallon drum to get on my horse bareback. Nothing wrong with using something to stand up on!


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## ChingazMyBoy (Apr 16, 2009)

Solon said:


> I use a 55 gallon drum to get on my horse bareback. Nothing wrong with using something to stand up on!


hahaha, I haven't thought of this one yet. Because I always ride with my friend or an adult there I cheat and get a leg up. But I'm starting to vault up now. When you do start I suggest you don't do it in your boots, as your horse may not like being smacked in the back with a boot I garanty you there is a big chance of this happening.


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## Nutty Saddler (May 26, 2009)

Teach your horse to lay down - then getting on is easy.

Going down








Going Up








Alternative method ( don't laugh - ok go on if you must ) and kids - don't try this at home ( had Dora for a lot of years and KNOW she won't kick )
Ready







AND UP


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

^HAHA! That's really good, and it's like a camel!


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

Nutty Saddler said:


> Teach your horse to lay down - then getting on is easy.
> 
> Going down
> View attachment 8392
> ...


lol very clever.....but i'm not sure my horse would be okay with me mounting like that:wink:


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## Audra0729 (Feb 25, 2009)

My horses are too tall for me to mount like that. I can dismount like that tho!


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## JadedEyes (Jun 26, 2009)

Well, my horse doesn't particularly like bareback. I've done it once with him. I used a mounting block (I'm only 5'5 and he's almost 16 hands). I laid on his back and threw my leg over. I was steady. BUT he was very confused and started to freaking run into a fence and out of the ring. So, I basically fell off of him. He's just a baby though. I'll have to try again with somebody holding him maybe.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Jaded, sometimes it can take years to develop the trust and comfort level required to confidently ride bareback. It is especially confusing to green horses that are just figuring out the saddle because bareback, everything brushes in a different place and with a different firmness. I have found that if I am going to ride a young one bareback, I will wait until after a good day's work when they are really tired. They are more willing to accept new ideas then.


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## rosie9r (Dec 1, 2008)

whipple, that thing is crazy lol. I wish they had a video showing you how they use it. Seems like if might just slip around their girth

Have you seen those easy up stirrup things? you put them inside your stirrup and they hang lower so you can get on from the ground? seems "interesting"..  I dunno if I could trust it. I love my mounting block


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## rider (Jun 7, 2009)

i rode bareback as a kid and never could get on my horse he was a draftx so he was tall at every gate we put up a pile of rocks so we could get back on i only ever needed about 6 inches and i could jump up across his back and get on never could do the vault up thingno matter what i tried and even as i got older and on shorter horses never could do it still ride bareback now that i am old still need my pile of rocks at the gates


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

^welcome to the forums rider! 
I LOVE draftXs! They are so much fun!


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## Audra0729 (Feb 25, 2009)

A little OT but Stormy you should put of pictures of your horses =]
I went to look at them and there were no photos!


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## Jessabel (Mar 19, 2009)

I have that problem, too. My horses are really tall. :/ 

You could try that thing where you lean across the horse's neck and have then left you up. I might try that with my guys. Probably not a good idea for a really heavy person, for the horse's sake, but it's easier than vaulting up. I spent all summer last year trying to swing up onto my TB, but I never succeeded. I can only vault onto him if I'm standing on the side of a hill. Otherwise you could just use a mounting block.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Audra- I will get right on it!


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Sorry Audra, my computer is being a butt head


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I use different methods for different horses.

On my oldster Indian, I use the run and jump method. He is a little tall for someone who is 5 foot 3, and he doesn't seem to mind too much if I accidently take a wack at him with my boot. ;P

For Smokey, he is very sensitive bareback, so I have to get a leg up, or get atop of a fence and just hope to goodness he doesn't run out from under me.

For High Five, I have to shimy my way up on him. He was a cutting horse, so I was the first one to ride him bareback, and it is always an interesting experience with him. 

Now, for my new horse Trigger, I am terrified for when he comes back from training and bareback riding comes around.  I figure I will start off with a bareback pad w/ stirrups on him.


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## Piper182 (Jun 18, 2009)

It's funny. I tried to ride a little Haflinger bareback yesterday and I thought about how everyone was saying to get on. I need to listen to my own advice. I tried to pull myself up and failed. when I finally was almost on my tummy, he took a step to the right and i fell on my butt. the trainer, another girl riding, and the horse thought it was hysterical. I decided to get the mounting block after that. Now I feel weak...


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

^haha! Sounded funny!


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

Piper182 said:


> It's funny. I tried to ride a little Haflinger bareback yesterday and I thought about how everyone was saying to get on. I need to listen to my own advice. I tried to pull myself up and failed. when I finally was almost on my tummy, he took a step to the right and i fell on my butt. the trainer, another girl riding, and the horse thought it was hysterical. I decided to get the mounting block after that. Now I feel weak...


lol glad to know this happens to other people. i always try to mount bareback when no one's around....saves me some embarassment for looking like a clutz


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## Piper182 (Jun 18, 2009)

Are you kidding!? I once was trying to flirt with this guy at my barn. he swings up on his horse no problem. i try, the mare sidesteps (it used to be a game we played) and i fell face first into fresh poop. HINT: poop on the face does not attract boys.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

I'm guessing you didn't get the guy


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## Piper182 (Jun 18, 2009)

Not quite... but I did make him fall off his horse at a barrel show during the warmup  Totally not my fault but we're friends and he likes to blame me. He trotted the barrels and I made some comment saying that if that was as fast as he could go we were going to beat him for sure. he spun around and tried to show off and at the first barrel his horse stopped and lowered his head allowing to fall. I like to think his horse helped me get even.


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## FlitterBug (May 28, 2009)

I was about to say I was a swinger, but that really doesn't sound right. Anyway, I swing up. I start with my back by the horses face, right hand holding on to the mane by the withers and left hand just in front of that. I make two quick steps, push off with left foot, and most of the strenth does come from the upper body to pull myself on. I don't like the belly flop method much, my husband used to do this and I found myself fixing his mares back regularly until I taught him how to swing up properly. If I am going to be struggling at all to get on (hot sweaty jeans, or when I was recovering from a sprained ankle) then I will use a mounting block, I will not scramble on a horses back.

As for young horses, I actually start all of my horses bareback, so that really isn't an issue with them. The saddle doesn't come until after they are used to the rider. However, when starting horses I do stand on the mounting block and teach the horse to bring its back to me. From the mounting block, I am tall enough to put a leg over their back while still having one foot on the block. 5'8" with a 36" inseam helps a lot for this process, probably why I always get nominated for this by my 5'3" trainer. Then I just hop on, move all over, and start asking them to move. My 3 yr old was started bareback, and now does fine with the saddle, I started swinging up on her a couple weeks after starting her with a rider. She does fine with it. 

I definately agree its all in the upper body.


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## Cossie (Jul 2, 2009)

This may not be an option depending on your horse but if your horse will stand still and allow you to run at it from a distance and attempt to throw yourself over, that sometimes works.


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## cowgirlfitzy (Jan 27, 2009)

My horse is a gentleman and patiently waits for me to try to get on. I try the belly method and i can get on unless there is a slight hill in my advantage. I tried the leg over thing. After several legs crashing into his flank i gave up. I tried the running thing. Nope no luck. Its sad because he is only 14-3, 15 hh and I'm 5'5 so yea don't feel bad.


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## Audra0729 (Feb 25, 2009)

Piper182 said:


> Are you kidding!? I once was trying to flirt with this guy at my barn. he swings up on his horse no problem. i try, the mare sidesteps (it used to be a game we played) and i fell face first into fresh poop. HINT: poop on the face does not attract boys.


 
uh, not so much lol but i'm sure it's a funny story now.
bad then, good now.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

Like everyone else has said, it just takes practice. I don't bareback often, but I'm doing more of it lately with my gelding since he's too out-of-shape to fit his saddle. He's really tall -- as in, I can hardly see over his back while standing -- so I've always had to climb on something. I just teach him to lead up to a panel gate or my truck and stand quietly, then I just climb up and slide on. Takes a bit of dexterity, and my friends usually say I look pretty funny, but whatever works. 
I've also just mounted my 14hand mare (who is short enough I can sort of clamber up on her), ridden her up beside my gelding, and used her as sort of a mounting block, but it's a huge hassle. X3


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## PumpkinzMyBaby22 (Jul 5, 2009)

i give my friend a leg up or she just mounts from 2 milk crates. i used to use a fence!!


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## RiddlesDarkAngel5 (Jun 2, 2009)

i think for now i'll try the belly method, but i'm going to work on my upper body strength to see if eventually maybe i can swing myself up onto him. thanks for all of the advice!...lol and stories =P


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## Piper182 (Jun 18, 2009)

Fell in poop again yesterday... in front of a guy. fat pony shook while i was on bareback. i didn't fall right away, i saved myself until the pony turned around, took my shirt in his teeth and pulled. i was fine, landed on my butt, and almost died laughing. i've never had a horse tell me that clearly to get off


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