# any better way to mount?



## jolie1234 (Jul 4, 2012)

i recently went on a long hack with a friend and along the bridlepath, there were about 5-6 gates. which were IMPOSSIBLE to get through on horse back, my horse being managable to mount of the ground meant i was in charge of the gates-.- 
however i know that pulling on the saddle without either a leg up/mount/holding opposite stirrup it can damage their back, is there any way i can mount better when none of these are available?


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Yep - you can learn to vault! It's really difficult to get the hang of but once you've got it you'll never look back.

Main thing is to make sure you land softly in the saddle if you can.

ETA; would explain how but I'm really bad at explaining HOW things are done, especially when I can't do it myself! My horse is luckily brilliant with gates so I can open/shut most anything.


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

Get a trail mounting stool. It folds up and attaches to the D ring on your saddle. Great little tool to have if you need to dismount and remount on the trails.

As far as vaulting, yeah, not such a great idea for people who aren't in their teens, or for trying to remount on a trail that is narrow, uneven, and closed in by overgrowth.


----------



## KissTheRing (Aug 2, 2011)

Stand on the Gate? You only need the second or third rung most of the time- I do this all the time. And the gate wont be damaged because your not there long enough to do so =)


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Speed Racer said:


> ...As far as vaulting, yeah, not such a great idea for people who aren't in their teens, or for trying to remount on a trail that is narrow, uneven, and closed in by overgrowth.


Or who has a mare like mine. If I tried vaulting on her when we were pointed south, I'd need my passport - 'cuz the border with Mexico is only 60 miles away, and I doubt she'd slow down before we got there! 

Then again...I probably wouldn't be WITH her after my attempted vault, so maybe SHE would be the one who needed a passport.


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Could teach your horse to how and let you on!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

On a serious note:
"_Solo Ground Mounting:_ Putting physics to work for you rather than against you will take a lot of the torment out of ground mounting. Standing close to your horse facing his rear puts you in the most advantageous position to spring, pivot and land lightly. When mounting a tall horse, lengthen the stirrup leather until your foot can reach the stirrup without straining and swing into the saddle from there; once on board, return the stirrup to its regular length. Out on the trail, a fence or fallen log can elevate your center of gravity and lower the energy cost of mounting. And even placing your horse in a slight depression can give you enough of a lift to make your ground mount graceful. And speaking of graceful, if you're very athletic and coordinated and you get your horse used to it, you can just vault into the saddle with a flawless spring and gentle landing, bypassing the torquing stirrup pressure altogether."​Ease Mounting Pressures on Your Horse

Written from a western perspective, but still a good thread:

http://www.horseforum.com/western-riding/mounting-using-horn-47065/


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Vaulting's not difficult once you can do it right... I can't LOL but I know a lot of people who can, including well into middle age. Also doesn't require any more room than mounting normally, again IF you do it RIGHT. My mother LEARNED to vault on a 16hh horse... she is all of 5'2" and solid built. I can only do it onto ponies, or out of deep enough water, which means I'm not doing it right


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

At 54, I'd probably have better luck climbing a tree and jumping into the saddle than I would vaulting. Probably wouldn't damage anything getting much use anyways...


----------



## Speed Racer (Oct 21, 2009)

bsms said:


> Probably wouldn't damage anything getting much use anyways...


:shock: :shock: :rofl: :rofl: :shock: :shock:

Some things I don't need to know about my fellow posters.....


----------



## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

bahaha yeah true, it's really something best learned in youth! Unfortunately even I'm feeling the effects, I don't bounce as well now at 17 as I used to. Have had several nasty falls in the past year and a bit that would have been non-issues 3 years ago :/


----------



## LikeaTB (May 28, 2012)

I'd be really cool if you could teach your horse to bow or lay down so you could get on that way 

But that is more of an arena trick than a trail one. The best thing would be to get something like this:

Western Mount Aid G BW Limited (Supplies Tack - Saddle Accessories - Stirrups)


You put the loop at the top around the horn, and the mounting aid stirrup should hang a little bit lower than the bottom of the regular stirrup. You put your right foot in the aid and step up, and put your left foot in the stirrup then swing up. I think that would be your best bet


----------



## Kayella (Feb 11, 2012)

^^That stirrup aid would not help OP in her situation. It's still mounting from the ground as normal, just lower for those taller horses. It still pulls on their back, and pulls on the saddle. 

You could use the environment around you. The gate itself, a fallen log, or have your horse stand a bit down hill from you and hop on from there. It's all about creativity and working with what you have.


----------



## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

KissTheRing said:


> Stand on the Gate? You only need the second or third rung most of the time- I do this all the time. And the gate wont be damaged because your not there long enough to do so =)


This. If your horse is good enough to stand still for you to get back on, then practise a few times standing him right next to the gate so that you can use it as a mounting block.

A really really useful thing to be able to do in the UK!


----------



## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

Here's a description of how to mount without pulling the saddle over too much, from one of my favorite books -- 

(this is for mounting on the left, obviously, but it's good to have a horse that is comfortable with you mounting from either side, as you might find yourself in a position where it'd be easier for you to get on from the right side)

_First, make sure your horse is squared up, then stand along his/her side, facing their rear.
Take the reins and a portion of the mane, near the withers, in your left hand. With your right hand, present the stirrup to your left foot. Place your left foot securely on the tread, keeping the left side of your body and your left knee as close to the horse's body as possible. That way your knee can act as a pivot point as you swing up to mount. This will decrease your tendency to to pull the saddle off center. Bouncing two times seems to provide enough momentum, so that you can get up quickly, without twisting. Another helpful hint is not to grab the horn or cantle to pull yourself up but rather place you right hand on the off swell of the saddle_ (the one furthest away from you)._ Push off to the right and downward on the swell as you make your final rise and let your palm swivel as you swing over onto the saddle. This will help keep saddle slippage to a minimum. _ 

This method, particularly the right hand on the swell, has helped my mounting tremendously. Took me a few tries to get used to it, but now I'm able to mount, without pulling the saddle over, and without having to crank up my cinch (I don't like to tighten my cinch much) 
I'm not sure how you could relay this method to an english saddle, if you don't ride western. Thinking back though, I don't really remember ever mounting from the ground when I rode English. I feel like I always used a mounting block or got a leg up, but that was quite a while ago, so my memory could be failing me. 

If you aren't physically fit though, you are going to struggle to get on from the ground without pulling the saddle over, no matter what method of mounting you use. 

When mounting, remind yourself, that you want to push yourself up with your legs, not pull yourself up with your arms. 


I'm pretty short, so sometimes I just can't mount a tall horse from the ground, so I'm always looking for aid in the form of fences or tree stumps, etc. And if there's nothing like that around, look for an incline and position yourself uphill from your horse (never, ever, ever mount from downhill of your horse)


----------



## jolie1234 (Jul 4, 2012)

hahahahaaha i just chuckled, cheers i might attempt to learn vaulting but im not very bendy as it is so dunno if that would work that mounting tool sounds good! i may look in to that and i do try to off gates but tthese gates are so anti horse its unreal! they are like metal mesh so you cant put your foot in them, they are about just wide enough for a irish draft and quite high. also they have springs on them so they close on you even when you have managed to open them on horse back - so this mounting tool sounds the best option atm but vaulting sounds like fun!


----------



## xxBarry Godden (Jul 17, 2009)

Noone seems to have mentioned that when mounting from the ground its a good idea to first check the tightness of the girth.
Also, when riding English, since there is no horn to act as a 'handle' you have to use a handful of mane as a substitute - so when clipping always leave a handy bit of mane to grab onto.

The rider should also stand in the stirrup so as to avoid dropping down on the horse's back - that's very important. Otherwise it is the best way to teach a horse to run off whilst the rider has one foot in the air.

Practising mounting from the ground is essential training for all trail riding horses - you never know when a call of nature is going to call.

PS if the horse is tall and the rider is short, then drop the stirrup leather a notch or two.

PPS It is yet another reason for a short rider never to buy a tall horse.


----------



## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Having the horse squared up and alternating sides when mounting would be beneficial. Same with bouncing first or using a stump or the gate. Yes, getting on from the ground can strain their back, but not usually. A young or older horse would be more likely to strain. 

But seriously? How long was the ride? How often were you getting off and on? How often do you go on that type of ride? I just don't see it as that serious of a problem that people make it out to be. 

Our horses are only rode on the weekends and not every weekend. They aren't out of shape that bad but they aren't fit as they could be either. Some of our rides are an hour long and some are several hours. Sometimes we got off and on a lot and others only a couple times. We haven't had one get strained yet and I only mount from the ground. 

This last weekend we took some of our horses to a family reunion. They were mounted several times an hour for a couple hours. Mainly by people who haven't ever rode a horse. You think that they got on gracefully each time? Nope. Were our horses sore or strained? Nope. Was this something they were used to doing? Nope. They were ready to keep going when we got home and the next day. 

Is it really that serious as people make it out to be? Horses have been getting mounted from the ground for how many years? How many horses do get strained just from mounting? I really don't think it's that many.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## jolie1234 (Jul 4, 2012)

usandpets said:


> I really don't think it's that many.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


your probably right, but the only reason i am enquiring in to a better way to mount is because i believe prevention is better than cure and with my horse having back problems in the past i want to make me mounting (wether it be everyday or once a month) as comfortable for her as possible so shes happier which is most horse owners goal for their horse- keep them happy n healthy right?


----------



## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Well, if you don't mind raising some eyebrows in England, you could get a western saddle...

I agree with usandpets."Harman, who practices equine acupuncture and chiropractic in addition to conventional veterinary medicine, has gathered data about pressures of mounting, using a high-tech sensor pad connected with a computer. The instrument registers in pounds per square inch (psi) the amount of pressure exerted on a horse's back by various configurations of saddles, pads and riders. Unmounted saddle pressure ranges from 0 to .5 psi depending on the weight and fit of the saddle and tightness of the girth. Normal riding pressures range from 2.5 to 4.5 psi. Using her short self (five feet, three inches tall), her tall horse (17½ hands) and her English saddle with the stirrups set at her regular riding length, Harman tested the consequences of different mounting techniques. Her findings: 

The highest back-pressure scores--around 4.5 psi--occurred when she mounted from the ground.
Mounting from a mounting block created about 3.5 psi of pressure on the horse's back.
The leg up produced the least pressure, registering only 2.5 psi even when performed at its clumsiest."
Ease Mounting Pressures on Your Horse

Notice that normal mounted pressures range from 2.5 - 4.5 PSI...and mounting from the ground is around 4.5 PSI. So mounting from the ground doesn't cause pressures outside that which is hit in normal riding - and if done right, that pressure is only for one second (from ground until you are up and leaning over the horse to distribute the weight equally).


----------



## Nightstorm (Jul 14, 2012)

Well... you could climb up on the gate and then mount or bring a friend to give you a leg up ( and who can vault on or something) or you can learn to vault OR if there's a rock or fallen log or little bump you could use as a mounting block.


----------



## enh817 (Jun 1, 2012)

I just want to clear things up here, quickly.

When vaulting, to mount, you're actually running along side a moving horse (on a longe line). You use their momentum to 'punch' the ground and swing up. I don't think that would help the OP, with their situation very much 


However, I believe what you all are referring to, is 'swinging up', as seen in this video --


----------

