Mounting and dismounting problems

[Skib]

You havent hogged the thread. I guess it was my second lesson when I saw this very elderly gentleman, but a distinguished, upright and accomplished rider who regularly hacked, fall on the bricks of the yard when dismounting. I am sorry it happened to you.
If that very elderly guy hadnt fallen, I might never have been handed the solution! He must have been in his eighties at least.
My fierce and unsympathetic RI led me away to the school for my lunge lesson and afterwards showed me how to get off as I do.
Clearly she recognised the hazard of dismounting for the older rider and wanted to demonstrate how one may avoid it.

 

[Megra]

I'm posting here as the most appropriate section, being a 66 year old who has been riding for 6 years only. Increasingly, my hip and knee joints are becoming stiffer and I'm finding it difficult to get on and off horses!

I'm quite tall and heavy and so can only ride the bigger horses. We have mounting blocks at the RS so getting my left foot into the stirrup is not a problem - the problem comes with swinging my right leg over the horse, because my hips just will not open up enough. It's really embarrassing and the more I worry about it, the worse it gets! (It doesn't help having some nubile little member of staff holding the horse and telling me I need to get on quickly, and me telling her "I can't!"). Similarly, dismounting can be a bit of a problem - again, swinging my right leg over the horse's back without getting embarrassingly stuck on the cantle!!!

Any tips or suggestions would be welcome and apologies to those with genuine disabilities.

Exercise daily to strengthen those glutes, hamstrings and thighs. I thought I’d go for a nice quiet ride after being ill and in bed for a week. I swung my leg up towards the saddle and POP I ruptured my ACL and tore the Meniscus in two places. Now I have a long recovery period. Stretch, exercise and keep those muscles working so mounting and dismounting should not be a problem.

 

[Doodle92]

Exercise daily to strengthen those glutes, hamstrings and thighs. I thought I’d go for a nice quiet ride after being ill and in bed for a week. I swung my leg up towards the saddle and POP I ruptured my ACL and tore the Meniscus in two places. Now I have a long recovery period. Stretch, exercise and keep those muscles working so mounting and dismounting should not be a problem.

Unfortunately this thread is 9 years old so I doubt op will see it.