Get your basics right and the rest will follow. I know this, we ALL know this, but I bet I am not the only one guilty of skipping over the basics.
Here’s what I’m talking about…
In racing it is pretty typical for jockeys to mount from a leg up, or a walking leg up, getting chucked into the plate from a willing ‘legger-upper’. Obviously when taking on an ex-racer this needs to be addressed and re-schooled away so that they become obedient to mount from the floor, block, or leg up and remain still until asked to move away.
Now I am very spoilt at our yard because we have ‘the big momma’ of all mounting blocks (the yard was originally a dairy so this wall just got re-purposed into a mounting block) it is approx 4ft high, and the wrong way round (you mount from the off side). As a result I have been lazy with letting Dustry walk up to the block, pause for a moment, I hop on, sort stirrups and girth as we go.
This leads to issues when we are away from the yard if I don’t have a legger-upper to hand as he gets fractious and fidgety when trying to orchestrate a leg up, or clamber from a near by obstacle which then leads to a rather dishevelled mounting attempt! So….it was time I went back to basics and tackled this long overdue issue.
I think sometimes it’s the little things that we overlook, but the combination of many little disobediences can filter into other work and behaviour. So I spent an evening teaching him how to stand and be mounted from a smaller block. At first he was anxious and anticipating, but remaining calm and repeatedly putting him back in line where i wanted him to be eventually paid off, and now he stands like a rock for me to mount. (from the correct side)
Next test was mounting whilst out and about and I’m pleased to say the penny has dropped as he stood like a lamb last weekend when i hopped on from the step on the back of the lorry.
Now it’s great that we have cracked the mounting niggles we had, but it has also had a positive knock on effect, he is instantly much calmer when mounted, there’s no walking off. He seems more settled and happy to wait and listen as opposed to impatient and wanting to go go go.
I guess this little thing that I let slip actually had a bigger impact on him that I thought. evidently ‘manners maketh horse’ 😉