This is taking me a lot of guts to share this. It's quite embarrassing! I have trouble dismounting a horse. I don't have any trouble mounting up on the horse, but when it's time to get off, I'm not very coordinated. Any suggestions?
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Hi
What is causing you to be apprhensive in the dismount?
If you remember how it feels when you mount the horse and try to transfer that confidence to the dismount you will be more deliberate in your actions
Also do you use a mounting block and if so do you also dismount to a mounting block?
Break it down into steps 1. feet out of the stirrups 2. hands at front of the saddle 3. lean your weight over your hands 4. swing your right leg directly back 5. swing leg over 6. lower yourself down!! If you have a really good horse to practise on that always helps. Practise swinging your leg backwards and up to their rump and back down again, the practise swinging right off!!
Hi Horseaddict,
I find it very courageous to share your insecurity about dismounting with the forum!
Now that you mention it, I know it's not easy for me too, to dismount. In my case it's due to back-and pelvis problems, but still the issue is there. What I do before I dismaount is to play the whole action in my head, like a video. When that is in place, I try to relax all muscles and joints involved, keep my left foot in the stirrup, right foot out, and than decide to swing my weight forward and at the same time move my right leg over the back of the saddle. When I feel my belly leaning against the left side of the saddle, I remove my foot from the stirrup and slide towards the ground. In my case the pelvis is an issue, can you see any physical cause for yourself?
Hope this helps you find the reason for your not being very coordinated.
Miriam
Hi horseaddict,
I red the suggestions and they are realy good.
You don't have to be imbarrased, because nobody is perfect and it is brave to share this with us. We all have something!!!!
What I was thinking, there is something going wrong and you have to analise that.
Think off what you are doing and what your thoughts are, because the horse will feel that and shall react on that.
Did you ever think of videotape your mounting and dismounting?
I think if you do that and watch it, not only one time, but over and over again, maybe you will see your action and reaction from the horse. It is a little bit difficult to video your feelings when you are mounting and dismounting, but I think you can see what your bodylanguage is telling you and that from the horse. O yes, maybe it is a good idea that somebody is videotaping it and you don't know it!!!
So if you put those together, what are your feelings (like Dennis suggests) and thoughts and the videotape, it can give you the whole picture!!!
Good luck, kind regards May.
Hi Horse Addict
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I can't add anything to the great advice that's already been offered here, but just want to encourage you and thank you for sharing this with everyone :-)
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One of my favourite quotes is "the only silly question is the one we do not ask" so don't feel embarrased because there are probably a lot of other readers who have benefited from your courage in making this post on the forum.
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Kind regards,
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Gen
Hey guys! Thank you so much for the advice and encouragement from all of you :) . To answer your question Dennis, during a riding lesson, I've used the mounting block to mount up, but I don't use it to dismount with. It's not injury related, that I have problems dismounting. I guess it has to do with the height, and lack of coordination. Sometimes I end up getting my leg stuck on the back of the saddle when I swing it back. I was also told once, that if I don't dismount a certain way, I could end up slipping under the horse.
Thanks for clarifying my question. Make sure that your stirup leathers are not too long personally I ride with long stirups and so I dismount very diliberetly and slowly. I stand on my left stirup and face to my right I then swung my leg over the back of the saddle holding on to the mane with my left hand. Once I swing my leg over the saddle I pause making sure I am balanced then I lower myself to the ground. If your horse is taller than you are comforta ble try dismounting to a mounting block. That would be easier on you as well as the hors
Good luck and remember to be deliberate in your moves. Speed does not help
Cheers
Hi horseaddict,
What I suggest is do some groundwork with yourself.
I was thinking how are you going to do that? Well what I would do if I had your problem I would take a table lets say with a width of 40/50 cm and round about 1,5 meter long, where you also can put your saddle on. The hight must be enough when you place your saddle on it, your stirrups will just come from the floor. Oké, then I would start without saddle and sit on the table like I would sit on the horse its back.Your feet will just touch the floor. Then you train yourself to swing your leg as it is the same as on the horse and practice this. What Miriam suggested is play to dismount first in your head and then do it. Do this over and over again untill you get the feeling it is going right. When your coordination improves you can start to put the saddle on the table and do the same thing first without your feet in the stirrups and then with your feet in the stirrups. Did you ever try to dismount from the right side? Maybe it works better for you.
Then you can try again on your horse. Mount with your mounting block and dismount with your mounting block (Dennis his idea)because of the height. And don't start to do that on your own but get help from somebody who can hold your horse stand still. I am sure you will make progress on the coordination and height will no longer be a problem. And my suggestion to videotape your mounting up is still there, because then you can see how you can practice on your groundwork.
I don't know if there is an other solution in groundwork to practice this problem.... anybody there who knows something?
Good luck, May
And offcourse videotape also the most important thing the dismounting.
May, thanks for that suggestion, but not sure where I could get a table like that. I don't have my own horse or saddle.
Horse addict,
I'm glad you pushed past your embarrassment and shared your problem. What is the forum and the horse friends that use it for if we can't share whatever problems we have? It seems to me there are a lot of people that can mount a horse but have difficulty dismounting. All the suggestions I thought of have already been said but I want to encourage you to try all and find out what works best for you!
Joy
Hi Horse addit,
Something that can help and works everytime is, find yourself a large log about the same height as the horse you use. Have a friend pretend they are the horse and sit oppisite you about 3-4 feet away.
They will hold onto the reins, as well as you, and you learn to swing your legs properly, not touching the horse's rump, up and over.
Hold onto the log as if it were a saddle, one hand on the front and one on the cantle(back).
While holding onto the "saddle" and both of your legs are free from the stirrups, slowly lower yourself to the ground.
This is very important to do it this way, you may have to emergency dismount one day, practise over and over until you are strong in the arms to hold your weight and be able to lower yourself slowly to the ground, land on both feet, with your knees slightly bent.
It is very hard on the horse's back to keep a foot in the stirrup while dismounting (causes the back to twist) and very dangerous for you.
The horse could be stung or bitten and take off for a number of reasons and you could be seriously injured or be dragged. ALWAYS, remove BOTH feet from your stirrups before dismounting.
I have ridden for over 55 years and trained many and trust me I have seen some very serious injures to those who do not learn to dismout porperly and safely.
The horse is a true athlete and so must you be also, to be safe. It's not hard to make your arms and shoulders strong, work at it everyday and you will see a difference in all avenues of your ridding skills.
Ronda
Hi Ronda! Thank you for the tip, I'll be practicing to dismount with both feet.
Hi horse addict, having read all the comments on your issue I remember not a human who had a problem with dismounting but a horse ! His name was Prince and he was part of my introductory exam course at Flag is Up. He accepted his first rider's weight when he just "hang" on him but he was extremely scared at the moment the rider moved back to the floor and arrived on it. I don't want to scare you, just tell you that horses can be afraid of that procedure too ! :-) I have another idea for your physical training on dismounting: we call it in Germany "voltigieren" and a lot of children do it before starting to ride. They mount and dismouunt on a gentle horse and make figures on them. I did it as a child and I remember that we dismounted that way: we leaned forward on he bare back of the horse, holding on the grips of the girth. Then we had to stretch out our legs so that we lay on our belly for a second then we had to swing the right leg over and slide down on the horese inside. I guess you call it "horse acrobatic" in English. It really helps you to get a save feeling on, off and beside your horse and it is a lot of fun. Be the first adult to attempt a course would be my suggestion !
interesting Vio Berlin.