The behaviour of the horse at the time a rider mounts the horse is rich with information regarding how the horse physically, mentally and emotionally feels about the experience.
If one can read the horse, information gleaned from that moment demonstrates the horse’s mental state and physical response to being mounted as well as portrays the horse’s emotional state about being ridden.
How is the horse coping, adapting to and/or counterbalancing the activity of the mounter? Each of these facets have consequences to the long term soundness of the horse and safety of the rider.
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If while being mounted the horse braces itself, hollows its neck and/or back, raises its head, pulls its ears back, swishes its tail or moves about and does not settle to be mounted and even walks off in the process – then something is amiss and as such needs to be addressed. If the horse expresses displeasure while being mounted it is the rider’s responsibility to address all possible reasons for the mounting anxiety and discontent.
Although the unsettled behaviour of the horse is often treated as a “training issue” it is important to consider that the horse may simply be looking to alleviate discomfort. Physical discomforts or mental anxiety about accepting a rider tends to be far more common than a horse whom is simply poorly mannered. If so making the horse stand still and tolerate the discomfort does not address the root cause for the behaviour.
Mounting prowess in the human rider requires a level of fitness. Think ability to do squats, many squats. Ideally the rider mounts the horse gracefully and the horse calmly accepts the rider and shows no negative expressions. However what more commonly happens is an awkward, less graceful mount whereby the mounter weights their foot fully in the left stirrup and this movement pulls the saddle off-center, twisting the horse’s spine with it. Both the horse’s withers and the saddle are torqued at varying degrees to the left.
Anatomically the horse’s wither is comprised of approximately eight vertebrae, each with a long projection of bone alike to a sail coming up out of the vertebrae. Some of these vertebral processes or “sails” can be as long as 8 inches. These projections can act like a long lever arm during the mount and amplify any leverage placed on the spine and thus significantly impact tissues both near and far in the horse’s body.
Repeated torquing of the withers can cause local damage to the horse’s spine including thoracic subluxations, scapular asymmetry, thoracic paraspinal pain, fascial tie down and formation of scar tissue over the withers. Some horse may even develop a telltale patch of white hairs on one side of the withers indicating the distress. Over time a common sequela to the disordered withers is a sore back and a variety of compensation patterns in other regions of the horse’s body.
The horse has a long and graceful spine which can carry up to 20 per cent of the horse’s weight yet the spine is unable to withstand the pull of a rider’s weight from the side without harm during an awkward mount and many awkward mounts beginning from the ground. A mount with a good, strong bounce from the ground and a healthy grip on the horse’s withers and saddle have a place and time. Unless the mount is well executed the habit is not harmless and thus it may be beneficial to consider the use of a mounting block – even if only the mounting block is used occasionally.
New research has given us insight into the value for using a mounting block. Computer systems which sensor and measure pressure distribution under a saddle and across the horse’s spine while being mounted have shown that mounting from the ground caused the most pressure on the withers.
Comparatively the use of a high mounting block (3 steps) with no pressure on the stirrups produced the least amount of pressure. The saddle movement itself across the spine was also considerably reduced with the use of a mounting block.
Although less scientific information regarding the dismount exists the same principles for minimizing leverage forces across the horse’s back applies. ie. drop both stirrups and hop off where possible as opposed to a long drawn out cling and slide off of the saddle.
The advantages of the mounting block extend beyond the horse to the rider’s own back as well as the life of the saddle. Through the use of a mounting block the disordered forces experienced by the horse’s spinal column, the rider’s body and the saddle can be substantially lessened. For the lesson horse, the camp horse or the rental trail horse as well as for the less experienced or less agile equestrian the use of the mounting block brings especially numerous advantages for both the horse and the rider.
The mounting block can be a valuable tool in properly educating and developing the horse to comfortably accept a rider. If the horse willingly approaches and lines up with the mounting block, and then stands comfortably and awaits mounting then the horse is likely to be “okay” with being ridden. If not it is the responsibility of the mounter to question the source of the horse’s reluctance and address it before it escalates into unwanted behaviours. As humbling as it may be a person must accept that the horse may be using this opportunity to communicate a powerful concern.
