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RE: [RC] [RC] [RC] Fear when mounting/dismounting - Ridecamp Guest

Please Reply to: Nicole z_arabs@xxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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concerned, learning good manners about mounting and 
dismounting is fundamental to any riding horse, and in return, 
I try to minimize the trauma of it by getting on from a height 
that I DON'T put a lot of sideways pull on their backs.


I have to second Heidi's input here.  I also do my best to mount
from some sort of mounting block (bale of hay, tree stump, fence,
car bumper, picnic bench....).  It's easier on me and it's easier
on the horse's back.  And, since I tend to girth fairly loosely,
and I now have a treeless saddle, that's just another reason to
not hang in the stirrup.


PS:  As far as dismounting, I do leave my left foot in the 
stirrup briefly as I lift my right leg over the cantle and
rump--again, I don't have enough " spring" to do that 
stirrup-less.  But I pivot around and keep my weight centered 
over the saddle while doing that, so that I end up more or
less with my belly in the saddle.  At that point, I can leave 
my left hand on the pommel and bring my right hand around into
the seat of the saddle to push off as I kick my left foot free,
and then drop to the ground.  (Or slither to the ground, as 
the case may be.)  


This is also pretty much my method... Although the only part that
is a *conscious* thought is that my foot be free of that stirrup
*before* I start for the ground.  I used to just kick free as I
headed for the ground, but I had a nasty dismounting-on-concrete
incident once and I now I'm hyper aware of what I do with that
left foot...  I had hopped up onto a young stallion just to do a 
tack check, and then dismounted again.  Unfortunately, I had on
my winter boots and the irons were my children's size English
irons that work with my paddock boots, but were really too narrow
for my winter boots.  By the time I realized my foot was not 
coming out of that stirrup, I had gone too far to rebalance and
I landed head-first on the concrete with my foot still in the 
stirrup.  That was probably the worst fall I've ever had from 
a horse, and he wasn't even moving.  He was also a young, green
stallion and a gelding that he *hated* was standing only feet 
away from his nose.  Luckily for me, all he did was turn his head
to me with that quizical "what are you doing down there?" look 
and never moved a muscle.  The friend that I was about to go 
riding with insisted that we untack and wouldn't let me go out
riding that day after she pointed out that I had blood running
down the back of my head.

~Nicole


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