Come Over!
How to teach your horse to pick up its rider from a raised mounting platform.
by
Jack Griffes
Certified Farrier - Colt Starting Trainer
(517) 7 Five Nine - 2 Nine 1 8
Lenawee County, Michigan
United States of America
Training horses always involves some risk of injury (or even death) to the horse, the trainer, any spectators, equipment used, etc. - this risk is totally your own as you will be making your own judgements on what to do. As with any suggestions on any subject you must weigh them out for yourself and proceed accordingly - at your own risk.
Yes the horse can be taught to be responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount from any raised mounting platform. It is so much easier to have the horse move itself into position to pick up its rider than trying to position your horse next to a mounting block then climb up only to have the horse move away and you get down again and move the horse back over - again and again. Yes make the horse responsible to move itself into position so you can easily mount it from a raised mounting platform.
Horses, like humans, learn at different speeds. And horses you have taught a LOT are likely to learn more rapidly from you - they have figured out your approach to teaching. So I have included videos of different horses which most decidedly learned at different speeds - with hopes this gives you a clearer picture as you prepare to teach your own horse - at your own risk - to pick up his/her rider from a raised mounting platform.
to pick up her rider from a raised mounting platform
Session One
(for her it only took one session)
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session One
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session One
(for him it took two sessions - see Session Two a bit further down)
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session Two
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session Two
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session Two
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
Session Two
(sorry Session One the video quality was poor due to rapidly fading light)
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
progress in one week after Session Two
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
progress in one week
to pick up his rider from a raised mounting platform
progress in two and a half weeks
this is being done with only the halter and lead
with the horse coming straight from the pasture
dropping off his rider on a raised mounting platform
two and a half weeks after first learning to pick up rider.
Hank came straight from the pasture
bareback with a halter and the lead tied as a closed loop rein.
had over a week off training
so will he remember the "pick up your rider" command?
Has the horse accepted responsibility to put himself in position?
Jack Griffes
All are invited to Come unto Christ
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Changes last made on: 14 Sept 2023
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