How to make her stand still! Oh, the things you can find online......

[justduckie]

I suddenly started having problems with my mare standing still while I got up in the saddle. She kept sliding away from me everytime I would start to step up in the stirrup. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, though I had been getting up in the saddle the same for the last 6 months. When I first got her back from the trainer last fall when she was broke, I never had this problem.

So I went online to research it. I found several sites that said to lunge her for about 10 minutes then try to get up. And everytime she moves, lunge her again till she realizes that standing still for mounting lets her rest.

I tried it this afternoon and after her sliding away from me three times (we started with a 10 minute session, changing direction several times) and me lunging her for a couple minutes each time, she started standing stock still. She let me stand in the stirrup, lean over her back, just stand there with my foot in the stirrup......you name it and she never even twitched. After I got up in the saddle, we just sat there enjoying the nice weather and watching the birds fly by. Then I would get off, walk her a bit and try it again. And she behaved each time after those first few slide aways.

Wow, the things you can find online!

I'll keep reminding her in the coming days and weeks and hopefully we have gotten past this particular problem. I HATE it when a horse won't stand still.

 

[Chatychick]

Yep aint it great when you get the problem fixed...

 

[d.k]

*What does "lunge her" mean? I used to ride, but my horse was always solid. well, actually-- he was-- until the last day I rode. . . .

 

[patandchickens]

In addition, though, it would be a real good idea to figure out WHY your mare started doing this. In my experience it is nearly always because of either a) mounting technique that is poking her somewhere or torquing her back or like that, or b) the onset of saddle fit problems. In the quite infrequent cases where neither a nor be applies, it is a chiropractic type issue, the horse starting to dislike the work he's being asked to do, or *very rarely*, the horse just never actually thought of trying it before.

In view of how serious everything except the last, *rare*, possibility is, and in view of how ANY of them is quite plausible in a young horse, I would not content myself with having just fixed the 'symptom' for the moment -- I would seriously look into all of the above. Remember that there are a *lot* of ways in which a saddle must fit a horse, and as a newly started horse grows and fills out, saddle fit often changes.

Good luck,

Pat

 

[dfchaser]

She may be testing you, to see what you will do. Whenever this happens to me I pull the horse in a tight circle. Take the reigns towards me and push their hind end away from me. If they want to move their feet, i make them move on my terms. Usually, if it is not a saddle fit problem after a few circles they know that testing you is not going to work.

 

[chickbea]

d.k :

*What does "lunge her" mean? I used to ride, but my horse was always solid. well, actually-- he was-- until the last day I rode. . . .

It's actually "longing" (but is pronounced "launging"). It's from the French "longe", meaning long, referring to the length of the line you are using. I'm sure you have seen it being done - it is a way of exercising a horse and working on body suppleness from the ground. You stand in the middle, and the horse gaits around you in a big circle. Many folks do use it to work some of the beans out of a horse before they get on, but it can be used for many training purposes. I especially like it for helping a horse regain flexibility after the long winter months.​

 

[justduckie]

I personally think it was a saddle fit problem because for a while.....when she first started doing this......I was having problems with adjusting it right. She has very narrow shoulders and being an arab, a very short back. And, yes, she got a bit of a sore back for a bit till we got the saddle issue solved. Even though the saddle issue is solved, I think she learned that she could move away and kept doing it. Probably thinking that it was going to hurt.

How do I know the saddle issue is solved? Well, she used to lay her ears back when I would ask her to move out and sometimes do a bit of a crow hop. After fixing the saddle issue, she now keeps those ears forward, seems eager to go and I haven't had a problem with her not wanting to move. She just kept sliding away.........

Also, we have done quite a bit of stretching and rubbing down her back and hind end. Even doing some slow long "tail pulls" as I call them. And she LOVES them! It has also been a good way to "probe" to see if her back is still sore or not. And so far, so good. No spots where she flinches away, she actually leans into my hands when I do her massages. I was shown how to do this by a lady who used to do a lot of endurance riding and it has helped with Stormie and my communications and bonding. And I know exactly what her body is doing.

BTW -- don't try a tail pull unless you know for sure your horse isn't going to kick because you have to stand directly behind them to do it properly. And if you are going to try to do a massage, have someone show you the proper technique and stay with you to watch how you do it so you don't get yourself or your horse hurt. But once you learn, oh, they do love it!

Getting back into riding has definitely been an experience. It used to be just tack up and ride, but now I know better and it definitely has made me a better horse person.