In This Chapter
You can’t do much riding until
you’ve gotten on your horse, and you can’t get on with the rest of your life
until you get off. Thus, mounting and dismounting are important factors in the
sport of horseback riding.
In this chapter, I tell you what
you need to know before you get on a horse. I also give you the details on how
to get yourself into the saddle — and how to get yourself out of it. Your
riding instructor will help you develop these skills as well.
Get Set: Preparing to Mount
If you’ve watched a lot of
Hollywood Westerns, your idea of how to mount a horse may be a running leap
from behind. In real life, I hope no one mounts a horse like this. The running-leap-mount is
and should remain a specialty of Hollywood stunt riders.
Although mounting correctly is a
lot easier than the way they do it in the movies, hauling your body up and into
a saddle can be a challenge. Doing it right
requires a little preparation. In the following sections, I explain whatyou
need to do before you mount: examine your tack and select a place for mounting.
Checking tack
Regardless of whether you ride
English or Western, checking your tack before you mount is important. You want
to make sure everything is in proper working order and attached to the horse
securely before you get on.
Tip
You may want to review the parts of the saddle in Chapter Dressing Up Horses with Saddles and the parts of the bridle in Chapter Getting a Heads-Up on Bridles before you start. Follow these steps — in any order — to check your tack:
- Examine the bridle. Make sure all the buckles are securely fastened and that the leather isn’t unduly worn in a particular spot. If you’re riding Western, check the Chicago screws that hold your bridle together to make sure they’re tight.
- Examine the cinch (on a Western saddle) or girth (on an English saddle) for wear. Look at the leather straps that attach the cinch or girth to the saddle to make sure they’re not worn and prone to breaking when pressure’s applied (as it surely will be while you’re riding). Check to see whether the buckles or knots are securely fastened.
- Check your cinch or girth for proper fit. Before you put your foot in the stirrup to get on, check your cinch or girth one more time. It should be snug, securely holding the saddle in place. (See Chapter Working from the Ground, Saddling, and Bridling for more details on tightening a cinch or girth.)
Choosing a mounting location
Warning!
Unlike movie cowboys, real riders need a safe place to mount. Choose a place
- Where you have plenty of room to maneuver yourself into the saddle and where your horse is comfortable (so she’ll stand still)
- That isn’t near an open gate or barn door, which may prove too tempting for your horse — she may move off as you get on!
Remember, too, that your horse
should be bridled when you mount, not tied to a fence or cross-ties, for safety
reasons.
When you’re riding English, your
stirrups are on the shorter side, which puts them higher. English riders can
mount from the ground, though you may want to use a mounting block to get a leg
up. A mounting block is a 1-to-2-foothigh wooden or plastic platform
that has two or three steps. You can see a mounting block in Figures 12-5
through 12-7.
Western riders sometimes use
mounting blocks or mount directly from the ground. Mounting from the ground is
easier in Western than in English because the stirrups are longer.
Tip
When mounting from the ground, use your environment to help you get on. Position your horse on a slope so she’s downhill from where you’re standing to mount, as shown in Figure 12-1. The higher ground makes you instantly taller and shortens your reach to the stirrups.
Figure 12-1: Using high ground
to mount can give you an advantage.
If you’re out on the trail and
need to dismount and then get back on again, using higher ground can be a huge
help because you don’t have access to a mounting block. Consider using other
objects you see in your environment as well, including large rocks, logs, or
fence posts. Just be sure that whatever you stand on is stable and can support
your weight.
Get on Up: The Mechanics of Mounting
Horsemen and horsewomen have
taken hundreds of years to develop the safest, easiest way to get onto the back
of a horse. This protocol has been well established in the horse community, and
just about all riders practice it. Western and English riders do have slightly
different ways of mounting, as you find out in the following sections.
Remember
Never release the reins while you’re mounting. You need to keep control of your horse at all times.
Western mounting
Mounting in a Western saddle is
easier than mounting in an English one because Western riders wear stirrups
longer, making them easier to reach. Western saddles are also less likely to
slip than English saddles during mounting. Plus, you have more saddle to hold
onto as you climb aboard.
Follow these steps to mount
Western-style:
1. Lead your horse to the area
where you want to mount.
If you want to use a mounting block, place it next to the saddle about a foot from the side of the horse.
2. Position yourself and stay
in control of the horse.
Place the reins over your horse’s head, maintaining your grip on the reins. Stand at the horse’s left shoulder, facing the back end of the horse (see Figure 12-2). The reins should be in your left hand. With the same hand, grab hold of the saddle horn.
3. Using your right hand,
grasp the stirrup, turn it toward you, and place your left foot in the stirrup
(see Figure 12-3).
Figure 12-2: Face the back
of the horse as you stand at the horse’s left shoulder.
Figure 12-3: Grab the stirrup
with your right hand and put your left foot in it.
4. Swing into the saddle.
Turn your body toward the horse as you grasp the cantle with your right hand. Bounce on your right foot three times and then launch yourself up. Try to hoist yourself up more by using propulsion from your leg than by pulling your body weight up with your arms. Swing your right leg over the horse’s hindquarters, being careful not to touch them, and land gently in the saddle (see Figure 12-4).
5. Place your right foot in
the stirrup and adjust the reins.
Be careful not to squeeze the horse with your legs as you try to get your foot in the right stirrup; squeezing may cue the horse to go forward before you’re ready.
Figure 12-4: Swing your right
leg over the horse’s hindquarters without touching the rump.
English mounting
Tip
Mounting in an English saddle is easiest if you use a mounting block or higher ground to stand when hoisting yourself into the saddle. See the earlier section “Choosing a place to mount” for more information.
To mount English style, follow
these steps:
1. Lead your horse to the area
where you want to mount.
You may want to place a mounting block next to the saddle, about a foot from the horse’s left side.
2. Position yourself and stay
in control of the horse (see Figure 12-5).
Place the reins over your horse’s head and rest them on her neck. Stand at the horse’s left shoulder, facing the side of the horse. The reins should be in your left hand. Grab a handful of mane at the base of the horse’s neck with the same hand.
Figure 12-5: Grab a handful
of mane in our left hand as you hold the
reins.
3. Using your right hand,
grasp the stirrup iron and turn it toward you; place your left foot in the
stirrup (see Figure 12-6).
4. Swing into the saddle.
Grasp the cantle with your right hand. Bounce on your right leg two or three times and then launch yourself up into the air. Try to hoist yourself up using the power from your leg more than the strength of your arms. Swing your right leg over the horse’s hindquarters, being careful not to touch them, and land gently in the saddle (see Figure 12-7).
Figure 12-6: Still hanging
onto the reins, place your foot in the stirrup.
Figure 12-7: Turn your body
toward the horse as you take hold of the
cantle with your right hand and launch into the air.
5. Place your right foot in
the stirrup and adjust your reins.
Don’t squeeze the horse with your legs as you try to get your foot in the right stirrup, or else you’ll cue the horse to go forward before you’re ready.
Wrap It Up: Preparing to Dismount
You’ve had a great ride, but
before you can do anything else in your life, you have to get off the horse.
Dismounting is much easier than mounting because you don’t have to battle
gravity. However, you still need to dismount correctly for your own safety and
the comfort of your horse, and you need to perform a couple of tasks before you
even think about dismounting.
Unlike Hollywood stunt riders,
you can’t leap off just anywhere, and you need your horse to be standing still
before you get out of the saddle. Save running dismounts for the professionals.
Remember
As with mounting, pick a safe place to dismount. Follow these guidelines:
- Find a spot where you have plenty of room to land when you step out of the saddle without being close to a wall, fence, or another horse. If you’re dismounting on the trail, pick a flat area free of trees and other objects so you have a lot of elbow room.
- Choose a place where your horse is comfortable and unlikely to spook or start moving, such as inside an arena or in front of a hitching post or cross-ties.
- Aim to land on sturdy ground. Mounting blocks can tip over.
- Avoid dismounting near an open gate or barn door, which may be too tempting for your horse to resist. You don’t want her to start walking off while you’re trying to dismount.
Of course, you have to stop
before you can get off. The way you stop your horse depends on the gait you
choose: walk, trot or jog, or canter or lope. All involve cues with the reins
and seat. For details on how to stop your horse at the different gaits, see
Chapters Enjoying
the Walk, Bumping
Up Your Skills with the Jog or Trot, and Getting
on the Fast Track with the Lope or Canter.
Get Down: The Mechanics of Dismounting
Dismounting is similar for both
Western and English riders, with only slight variations. The key to figuring
out how to get off the horse is remembering the process in steps; I explain
both processes in the following sections.
Remember
Always maintain your hold on the reins while you’re dismounting so you can keep control of your horse.
Tip
Talk to your instructor about learning an emergency dismount, a way to safely get off your horse in a hurry if you need to. He or she should be willing to teach you this safety procedure. Also, ask for advice on “involuntary dismounts” so you know how to stay safe when you fall.
Western dismounting
Dismounting Western style is
fairly easy because the stirrups are longer and the saddle has more to grab
onto should you need help with balance. Follow these steps when dismounting
Western:
1. Bring your horse to a
complete stop.
2. Take your right foot out of
the stirrup, hold the reins in your left hand, and grasp the saddle horn with
this same hand.
3. Swing your right leg over
the horse’s hindquarters — being careful not to touch the horse as you do — and
at the same time, move your right hand to the cantle and your left hand, still
holding the reins, to the pommel (see Figure 12-8).
Figure 12-8: Swing your right leg over the horse’s hindquarters
as you move your right hand to the cantle.
4. Turn so your stomach is
against the side of the saddle and your legs are next to one another; free your
left foot from the stirrup (see Figure 12-9).
Figure 12-9: Turn so your stomach
is against the side of the saddle.
Figure 12-10: Still
holding onto the cantle and pommel, lower yourself to the ground.
English dismounting
Dismounting English style is a
bit different from Western because English saddles are built differently.
Follow these steps to dismount from an English saddle:
1. Bring your horse to a
complete halt.
2. Take your right foot out of
the stirrup and position your hands.
Put the reins in your left hand and grasp the horse’s mane at the base of the neck with the same hand. Put your right hand on the pommel.
3. Swing your right leg over
the horse’s hindquarters — be careful not to touch the horse as you do — and at
the same time, move your right hand to the cantle (see Figure 12-11).
Figure 12-11: Swing your right leg over the horse’s hindquarters
and move your right hand to the cantle.
4. Turn so your stomach is
flat against the side of the saddle and your legs are next to one another;
remove your left foot from the stirrup (see Figure 12-12).
Figure 12-12: After your stomach
is flat against the side of the saddle and your legs are next to one another, remove
your left foot from the stirrup.
5. Slowly slide down until
your feet are touching the ground.
by Audrey Pavia with Shannon Sand
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