How do i get my horse to hold still when i put weight in the sturrip?

Question

I am trying to train her.

Answer 1

BIG DADDY D*************Did you mean to say put the scotch hobble around the hock? I have never seen one applied like that, I have only seen it applied just above the coronary band of the foot. I can't imagine the wreck that one around the hock could cause, not to mention the damage to the horse. I can also imagine how hard it would be on the horse to keep his balance if the rope was around his hock, then dallied. I have seen cowboys scotch hobble a horse at the foot to keep him from bucking while mounting, I have never been that uh....don't know whether to say agile or brave or what.

I would rather use the one rein, circling technique that a couple of the other answerers shared, I would think that it would be safer for the horse and the rider.

Answer 2

Use a Scottish hobble,take long piece of lead rope material you can buy it at Tractor supply company for one,make a large loop at one end about 8 to 10 inches across tie it fast so it can not slip closed pick up your horses rear leg and place the large loop on the hock this using the left side rear leg then lifting the leg dally a couple of times around the saddle horn with your left hand holding it in place the horse will push against the loop several times but will not be able to move forward, do this every time until the horse stops pushing against the hobble then try getting on if the horse moves again reinforce by using the hobble again when you are on leave slack in the rope and your horse will step out of the loop you can then coil it and place it on your saddle horn for next time.
Well Bobbie maybe you haven't seen everything,I have used this method for years and it works and have never had a single wreck but then again I do not have to pay for a trainer and riding lessons and I know that the Scottish hobble is NOT to keep a horse from bucking it was originally used to keep a horse in place while grazing much like a double Spanish or western hobble,if you have never used one then maybe you should keep quiet about things you know nothing about.

Answer 3

Many horses are mischevious at mounting time; they won't stand still, they wiggle, they move away. Usually this is because no one has ever properly taught them to stand still--they're not misbehaving, it's just that no one has ever really "sat down" with them and explained what is expected at mounting time.

So what you need to do is to teach them to just stand still when you are mounting. It isn't particularly hard.

First teach the horse to "stand." Don't assume he knows it-start all over and make sure. I usually do this by walking the horse, stopping, using the lead to ask for a stop, and saying "whoa." Eventually, you use the lead less and less until he is responding entirely to the verbal command, and does not need you to use the lead rope to get the idea across.
I have an additional page on teaching "stand," and another on teaching voice commands, both of which go into this concept in more depth.

Once you have taught him to stand while you are moving around his body, and even walking away, you can begin to work on teaching him to stand while you are mounting. This works best with a second person to help you, although it can be done alone if your horse responds very well to "stand."

You start off, as usual, by leading him at a walk and asking for a whoa several times. Now, you go to mount. Your second person holds the horse. You say, "Whoa" (or "Stand") and walk around. You say "Whoa," and mess with the girth. You say "Whoa," and fiddle with the stirrup. Say "Whoa" and put weight in the stirrup. Finally, say "Whoa" and attempt to mount.

If he stood still, congratulations. Reward him! Put him away. He was *good* and deserves a treat. That was all he needed to really understand the concept. If not, you simply repeat the exercise, and keep asking him to stay whoa'd. He will eventually understand that you want him to stand still to be mounted. When he does, remember to reward him well and let him be done for the day.

After a few sessions with a helper, then you attempt to mount on your own. Tell him, "whoa" and climb on. Voila!



Don't forget to teach him to continue standing still after you have mounted. It's terribly bad manners to walk away before he has been asked; so make sure after you mount, you remind him to "whoa" until you specifically ask him to move on.



You may still encounter difficulties after you have made sure he really does understand "whoa." In such cases, it is usually a good idea to have your horse's saddle, back, and teeth checked out; if he is obediently standing for other exercises, but continues to squirm away from being mounted, he may well be hurting.

If a horse is in serious pain of one kind or another, he may be literally unable to take the weight of a rider without flinching. If you have gone through all these steps and your horse still moves away from being mounted, then I urge you to have him checked from nose to hooves. Have a saddle fitter check your saddle; have a vet check him for soundness; have your vet or an equine dentist check his teeth; have him evaluated by an equine sports massage therapist or a chiropractor. Check all your tack for fit; you never know what might be the problem. Check even down to the browband; a too-tight browband can cause terrible headaches! DON'T just decide that he is being ornery, because you know he isn't; you taught him better, and he is still afraid.

Answer 4

backing the horse a few steps then back to the same place works great for me, but i don't escalate it. as soon as it starts to move you've lost control and must get it back quickly. when you back the horse you have regained control and horses don't like to back up so you are punishing it mildly for moving. there's no need to be more aggressive in each regain of control, patience and kindness will work best in the long run.
you may be doing something while mounting that makes the horse think it's supposed to move, or more likely someone inadvertently taught the horse to do that, check your own actions closely before blaming the horse entirely.
it's just a small communication problem normally but plenty serious enough to need fixing early. the more times you allow it is also the more it's established in his brain he's supposed to do that.
that is part of ground manners and should be addressed in training before riding the horse one step.
the "whoa" command is the first thing i teach a horse in ground training.

Answer 5

I have had this same problem for years. What I did was to stop my horse in a corner of an arena or even at the end of a hallway, use a stepping bok and get on. While riding I would also practice stopping her (use rein and voice but then slowly only use voice) soon by doing that, your horse will learn that whoa, means WHOA.

Answer 6

I'm training a 17 hand thoroughbred and she doesn't stand still at all and I'm just a tad bit on the short side next to her me being 5'3", so it is hard for me to get on if she isn't standing.(i've now mastered getting on while she is moiving and became an excelent climber) the trainer of my barn saw me having trouble with her one day and told me to take the left rein and make her bend her neck back and hold it to the stirrup, make her circle and do this till she stopped moving. the only thing that i am doing is hold the rein to the stirrup and walking beside her. don't touch her let her stop when she figures out that she can stand like that. once she stood i gave her, her head and went to mount if she moved again do the whole process over again. it has helped me many times and i know how i can get up on her now when I'm by myself with out haveing to climb or have someone hold her for me.

Answer 7

The lateral mouth and with the use of one rein only. I think it is hard to train a horse to stand by using two reins. What are you going to do, pull harder? The horse will reverse, rear, dance sideways, passage, spin etc. etc. I think by using one rein only. I mean with a giant loop in the other rein which means zero contact on the outside rein. Then teach her to stand when you mount. When she steps make her stop to stand befor you remount. While saying "Whoa", teaching her that que is good. Just go slow. & It will take A lot of times be for she will get it. Good luck!

Answer 8

Keep a little pressure on the reins in-case she moves, you're right there to catch her and make her hold still. If she does move, and you don't stop her, mount her and make her back up. Then repeat, She will eventually get bored with backing so much, shell just want to stand forever.

Answer 9

to begin-

be sure that your saddle and tack fit her correctly, if at all possible i would even go as far as to get a chiropractor to come out and do an exam to be sure that the reason behind her movement is not that she is in pain.

once its been established that she is in no pain you can progress,(carry a schooling whip) you need to stand along side her (left side) and put weight in the stirrup (foot or hand). if she moves immediately move to her other side and make her move the other direction (ex. if you were standing on her left and she moves away from you or walks off, move to the right and spin her in a circle)

then move to the right side, and repeat the process (you are going to need to learn how to efficiently mount from both sides)

there will be days where you are not going to be able to actually mount up and ride at all, but you must be consistent and DO NOT mount until she stands perfectly still.

once you have mounted, try not to plop down real hard in the saddle, we want her to know that being mounted and riding are pleasant experiences. if she stands still while being mounted but moves off w/o being cued once you are on, you need to make her stand (and use the voice cue "stand") for 2 minutes before you cue her to walk off. if she tries to move back her up 5 steps.

continue this, be patient, it may take a while.

hope this helps :)

Answer 10

Hold her by the left side of the bridle as you put your foot in the stirrup. As you swing yourself up make sure you aren't poking her in the ribs with your toes. Also make sure that you settle into the saddle easily and don't slam yourself into the saddle and her spine. One more hint, once you are on her, start teaching her 'whoa'. As she moves forward, say whoa and then stop her, eventually she will learn to stop or slow down as you say whoa.