Horse walks backwards when mounting

[Sezza]

Hi. I need help with my thoroughbred mare, Belle. Whenever I goto mount, she either walks backwards, or turns in a circle. This makes it impossible for me to get on, and Im thoroughly exausted by the time I get into the saddle. Does anyone have any suggestions? My instructor has told me to back her into a corner of the arena so she has nowhere to go, however even this is not a perfect solution, especially as I would eventually like to ride her in the paddocks. Apparently this has been caused by one of her previous riders (my horse has been a lease horse, Ive been leasing her for 12 months and just bought her) who used to jump on her and gallop her across the paddocks all the time. Any help is appreciated.

Sezza

[liz--y]

i'd get he back, teeth, and tack cheaked, maybe she doesnt want you to get on for a reason.

[Sezza]

That is a very valid point. I know there is nothing wrong with her back, but her teeth may not have been done for awhile. However if anything major was wrong with her, my riding instructor would have picked it up pretty quickly when I had a lesson the other week.

[liz--y]

sorry not to be horrible about your insturctor, she is proberly great, but they seem to forget to have the basics checked out first.

horses teeth should be done every 6 months and they can put there back out be something as simple as rolling funny in the field. its not alway obious they have done something.

[galadriel]

http://trainersnotes.lorienstable.com/stand_for_mounting.html
:)

[Tootsie4U]

DEFINATELY sounds like a pain issue. Had the exact same problems with Bonfire and it ended up being that his saddle was two sizes too small. Get it fixed ASAP because even after I fixed the saddle, it took months for him to forget about the pain!

[AJB]

Sorry dont agree that it is necessarily a pain issue, how old is the horse, it may she may just be figeting and testing you and its just a case of maybe teaching her manners... try voice commends on the ground and when mounting, STAND or WHOA then praise etc...the best thing is to always mount for the time being with someone else holding her and always make her stand for a second once you are on-nothing is more annoying than a horse that wont stand and then walks off the moment you are on or half on!!!-also be careful that you are not holding her too tight when you mount and inadvertently pulling her back or tapping her with your foot in the side when you place you foot in the stirrup??

[Zingy]

Get the possibility of pain checked out definitely, but she might also have got into the habit now. You need to start off slowly, putting her in a position she's least likely to run away from. Have you tried getting on from a mounting block? Have someone hold her still then use something so you can literally step on, rather than pulling yourself up. If there has been any pain in her back that's when she'd really feel it.

Practise mounting as well, not just at the start of riding her. After you've been on her for a while, get off then get back on. When you finish riding mount a couple of times before putting her away so it becomes more routine and doesn't necessarily mean the start of loads of ridden work.

[floppy]

amonsgt all the usual checks for pain. Make sure you arent actually pulling the reins back in any way whilst trying to mount.

then what you can try is to get someone to hold your horse whilst you are mounting and as soon as you are up the person should give the horse a treat if she stood relatively still.

Then you can slowly progress to giving the treat yourself with someone holding her then to giving her the treat without someone holding her and there you have a horse that stands still.

then you wean the horse of the treat.

My horse always used to walk off with me or walk backwards when i mounted and after just a couple of weeks i had a horse that would stand perfectly still until i asked her to move on.

[DITZ]

Mine is perfect gentleman all the time except if i have to get off to raise a jump then he starts walking backwards. I am sure its not a pain issue just him being a devil and trying not to let me back on. He gets a smack.

[Mossy]

Sounds like pain somewhere to me! I speak from personal experience. Once pain, back saddle teeth has been ruled out then address the education, psychology aspect of things. An instructor who is interested in the horse as an animate cognoscient thinking being is a rare bird indeed in my experience! [ There speaks a dyed in the wool cynic] - Sorry Wally Heather et al.