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FW: [RC] [RC] [RC] Fear when mounting/dismounting - Mike SherrellIf when you first step up into the left stirrup, you put your head, shoulders and chest horizontally over the horse's back, if it shoots forwards at that moment at least you'll be balanced over the horse and won't fall backwards with your foot in the stirrup going out from under you. From there, if you rotate your torso to the left, keeping it horizontal, while you put your right foot over, you'll maintain your center of balance roughly over the center of the horse. You are most vulnerable when your right leg is just passing over the horse's hind end, and if you're flat over the horse instead of upright you are much more stable. Once your right leg is over you can straighten up. I use this method whenever I'm uncertain what the horse will do when I mount, particularly if the area behind me, where I would fall if the horse jets off while I'm unbalanced, is ground (or lack of ground) I can't afford to fall on. Mike Sherrell Grizzly Analytical (USA) 707 887 2919/fax 707 887 9834 www.grizzlyanalytical.com -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Ridecamp Guest Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2004 10:05 AM To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: RE: [RC] [RC] [RC] Fear when mounting/dismounting Please Reply to: Nicole z_arabs@xxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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