Re: Step stools

[Sue Brown <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Speaking of step stools...I need some reassurances from folks that I am not
>the only one out there who uses a step stool!!  My kids ridicule me for
>doing this but in the last couple of years as I seem to have gotten shorter
>(while they continued to grow taller), I decided it wasn't worth the hassle
>of hurting my back or my horse's back.  I can get in the saddle without one
>depending on which saddle it is and where I have the stirrups (necessary
>for dismounting out on the trail), but it just seems to me to be healthier
>for both of us to do this when a stool is available.  Please don't flame me
>with my poor horsemanship skills, etc.  I USED to be able to leap into the
>saddle in one bound...(ok, maybe it was two or three bounds!).
>

Using a step stool to mount your horse is *not* a sign of poor horsemanship
skills but rather a sign of *good* horsemanship skills!  All of my students
are taught to mount using a step stool every time.  The only exceptions are
when they are out in the woods and there is no log or such to stand
on...but even out on the trails, if we're planning a rest stop (girth
check, potty break, or whatever), we plan the stop where there is something
to stand on when remounting.  I'm pretty adamant about this and with good
reasons.  

There is a lot of weight put solely in one stirrup during mounting and this
weight is transferred to the horse's spine while mounting.  If you are
doing this from the ground, there is a longer time that the pull is exerted
on the horse's spine before the rider can get over the top of the saddle
and balance the weight some.  I don't have any physics formulas, but if you
watch the movement of the saddle during mounting, you can see it twist to
the side being mounted with a subsequent twist of the horse's back.  There
is significantly less twist when using a mounting block...now whether this
is time related or if the torque is greater with the weight being
significantly lower at the start, I don't know.  The heavier the person, of
course, the more the torque.

A lot of horses have roundish backs and the added time/weight to the one
side of the saddle during mounting can actually move the saddle slightly
off center.  When this happens (and it only needs to be a tiny bit to be
disruptive) the stirrups will end up hanging lower on one side.  The rider
will tend to center themselves in the middle of the back, despite the
saddle being slightly off to one side, thus having one leg hanging slightly
longer than the other.  The body compensates for this by collapsing the
opposite hip and sitting more weight on the opposite butt bone while trying
to put equal weight in the stirrups.  This throws off the rider and will,
over time, make both rider and horse sore.  A slight twist may not be
recognized immediately but a big twist will...and then the rider spends xx
amount of time reefing on the saddle, trying to get it back to the middle.
This is also puts a fair amount of stress on the horse's back while
knocking him out of balance repeatedly as the rider pulls his weight to one
side when trying to reposition the saddle.

The third point is that continuous mounting from the ground is hard on the
saddle itself.  If you are riding with English type leathers (that are
leather), it tends to stretch the one side a bit more...which is why it's
recommended to switch leathers periodically to equalize the stretching.
(This can also occur if someone rides heavier on one side.)  The weight in
the stirrup also pulls on the tree of the saddle at the point of attachment.

The last point is that, when mounting from the ground, the added distance
tends to make people mount incorrectly.  The tendency increases for the
rider to grab the pommel and/or the cantle to help hoist themselves up
since it becomes much more difficult to use the mane as a handhold with the
near hand and the opposite flap or pommel with off hand.  This increases
the above mentioned problems.  There is also an increased chance of poking
the horse's side with your boot...and sensitive horses find this very
objectionable.

I am also adamant that riders learn to get up from the ground (since it
will be occasionally necessary,) but to do it correctly -- get that body
over the saddle as quickly as possible, place your hands correctly, keep
the toe of your boot out of the horse's side, and keep the reins equalized
to avoid turning the horse's head.  The shorter the person, the harder this
will be...kids are usually lighter weight which makes it easier for them to
pull the weight up, but they very often can't reach the opposite side of
the saddle.  A point on rein position -- when I first learned to mount, I
was taught to bend the horse's head slightly towards you so that if they
took a step, they would step away from you.  This is not a very good plan.
The horse should be straight so that they can balance themselves better --
and you can control any forward movement a lot easier than movement away
from you as you are mounting.  If you should poke the horse's side when you
start to get up, you will be sending that horse a cue to do a turn on the
forehand -- to move away from the pressure.  Since you have the horse bent
with the head towards you, they will most likely swing their rear end
outward.  The horse usually ends up getting "rewarded" with a scolding for
moving while mounting.  

The reins should be taken up to just on the edge of contact or activating
the bit (bosal, side-pull, etc..)  If the horse starts to move, a quick,
light "check" by rolling the hand (remember, you're holding the mane also
so you're not going to have much room to pull back) should be sufficient to
stop any forward movement.  Mounting with loose reins increases your chance
of the horse moving off and getting several steps out before you can get
control...and control is often more adamantly regained at that time. ;-)
If you have a horse with a thick mane, consider braiding the section where
you would grab...it's easy to get tangled up in the hair when grabbing it,
making it harder to check the reins.  (I'm a pro at this part. <bg>)

Well, this was a bit more than being considered a weenie for using a
mounting block, but...once again...I can successfully expound on the
littlest of questions!! ;-)

Sue


sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.