Remedial standing still!

[CheshireKate]

Hi
Apologies to those of you who've heard all this already, but I'm having problems mounting Willow, the TB I've just started loaning (3 weeks in now).

We're getting to know each other and I've managed to get him to trust me enough to get bridles and headcollars on without fuss - he's quite head shy and doesn't like his ears being touched. He's also much better about being saddled - doesn't like the girth, but seems to be more relaxed now. However, although he's a lovely, kind horse and well-behaved most of the time, I can't get on him without someone holding him for me!

He's 17.3 and I need a mounting block. He stands beautifully square up against it (for ages if you stroke him!), then as soon as you gather the reins he starts to tense (head up, shifting his weight). If you don't move and keep stroking he'll relax again, but as you move back to get on the box he takes a step back, very quietly and casually, so that the stirrup moves out of reach. What can I do? I tried leading him up to the block today for about half an hour, asking him to stand still, hoping I could work up to standing on the box. In the end I tried rewarding him with cubes when he stood still. However, I'm not sure how to make it clear what I want and he got so excited with the food that he then wouldn't stand still at all!

I know we'll get there in the end, but I want him to choose to stand still and I'm not sure how to go about it. Anyone got any suggestions?
Thanks
Kate

[intouch]

Bribery! Get someone to hold him and feed him when he stands still, then when he lets you put your foot in the stirrup, then when he stands for you to mount. should take a couple of days at most. Then you take over the treats, reward only for good behaviour, gradually cutting the reward out till he just gets a treat when he stands for you to mount, adjust your stirrups, girth etc. Then replace the treat with praise and a pat. Should take a week at most. Works every time with patience. Clicker training without the clicker.

[Yann]

The wonderful Kelly Marks book suggests making standing still the most comfortable option. Her advice presupposes that you are able to manoever the horse about from the ground.
She suggests getting the horse stood by the block ( which sounds no problem) then giving the stirrup a slow pull to get him to balance himself.
Then get on the block, if he moves then put him gently to work moving him about then stop, make a fuss of him and try again.

The first few times he doesn't move, get back down and go and make a fuss of him.
Then progress to putting a foot in the stirrup and repeat the exercise in similar fashion, breaking it up by getting down and making a fuss of him.

This is along the same lines as the advice on catching, the horse builds positive associations and loses sight of what the problem was in the first place. Certainly worth a try!

Good luck!:)

[floppy]

you could also just get him more used to you standing near him and moving around on the moutning block just to groom him or soemthing.

my horse never stood still and would walk off as soon as i gathered the reins up and tried to mount and i solved this by just standing quietly next too her holding the reins at the very end and when she stood quitely i would just mount up on her without gathering the reins up. She now stands perfectly still when you mount without holding reins and she is improving with standing still when you gather the reins up. But once she starts moving i say 'ho' and then wait until she stands still before repeating the exercise..and even if it takes numerous attempts there will be one sucessful attempt and she gets a big cuddle and sometiems a treat once im on board.

[Shiny McShine]

Yes, holding the reins a bit longer might be the answer, especially if you know your horse to be sensitive to the rein. Sometimes they take you picking up the rein to mean move off. You might need to experiment holding them long while you have someone around though, just to make sure he doesn't walk off while your trying to get on.

[heland]

Hi

I have the kelly Marks book and agree with what Yann suggested only because I went through all that and now my TB will stand still. So I suppose you can say it's been tried and tested and it works!!

Every horse is different so go with what you think is best.

Good Luck

[Yann]

That's two of us who've had success using the advice in it then!:)

[CheshireKate]

NR to the rescue as usual!

Many thanks to you all - I got the Kelly Marks book recently, but haven't read past join-up yet (dream on, I thought!). Will go hunting for the standing still bit now, and I'll also get a block to stand on while grooming. It'll be nice to see what the top of his back looks like for once!
Cheers
Kate

[Waikato Valuta]

maybe his saddle dose not fit or you get on uncomfotable(nothing personal). I have a 17.3hh tb and when i first got him even with a mounthing block he was huge and i had troble getting on. Do you valt on or use the stirrup you might be pulling the saddle and hurting his back. The tensing up would sugest to me that he is anticipating something unplesent. Have you had his back checked. Dose he do anything when you are on eg buck, stiffen, hard to stop.

[FreedomStar]

Halt him at the mounting block, but more forward than he normally would stand. Then when you get on the mounting block and he moves backwards, he'll be perfectly positioned for you to go on. Or maybe he just doesn't like the rein contact. If he continues to do this though, then try this: Get him all nicely halted and squared up by the mounting block. Climb onto the mounting block. If he moves back a step, then make him back up several more steps, then halt him, and try it again. This is telling him that if he wants to move backwards, he can't just go one step he has to go more. Sooner or later, he'll get tired of having to constantly be in motion.

[Shiny McShine]

Is this an ex-racing thoroughbred?
If so I would suggest that perhaps it is a matter of you taking too long to get on. Racehorses are used to having a jockey thrown onto their back. They are not trained to stand to be mounted. When they feel the reins picked up that is their signal to go.

If this is the case or otherwise I don't know if this is possible but I would suggest teaching him to stand still to be mounted away from the mounting block. This will of course involve a leg up from a strong person who can hold you as you lay over the horses back until he stands still. At that you can hop down, give the horse a walk around and try again.

The mounting block is something that horses do not naturally like to stand close to so it makes more sense to me to start without it. Of course with such a big horse...

Anyway let us know how you go whatever you resort to. :)

[ros]

As Waikato Valuta said, make sure you don't have a physical/tack problem. You can train a horse till the cows come home but if it hurts when you get on you can't expect it to stand still.