Now that the evenings have drawn out and the weather is mildly better, we have started to back Welly, our 13.3 (and growing!) 5 year old New Forest gelding. Picture of said, cheeky pony (in his winter woolies!) He was sat on a few months ago and then left apart from the occasional long rein, lunge or in-hand session to keep him ticking over, but now is the time to get him going!
I thought this would be a good opportunity to go through our steps when first starting them under saddle.
I have previously done lots of mounting block work with him, using r+ methods, so that he already understands what is expected of him at a mounting block, subsequently he stands still nicely without tension next to the block. I do this with all our horses in training and make sure that they know how to stand correctly next to the block. Sometimes they may need a refresher session but usually it doesn't take long to remind them, especially if you are quite strict in your mounting routine.
When starting a newbie my first port of call is always to ensure they are going to be happy with actually being mounted. Although Welly has done mounting block work, he obviously hasn't done much actual mounting work. I always start by just walking up and down the mounting block, ensuring they stay still with no tension and remind them of the foundation work already set previously. I will do this a couple of times, more so if they are unsettled until they relax.
Generally the next step then I will add on a slight lean across the saddle. So for example I would still walk up the block, lean across, briefly at first to ensure they keep relaxed and still, and then walk back down and reward. Again I will do this a couple of times, increasing the duration of the lean as I feel I can, rewarding each time. If they do move or get tense, I simply start again, maybe decrease the duration until they are relaxed again. Most are generally quite happy and accepting of this as it has been integrated slowly. This is useful for horses that may have mounting block issues as well!
Now instead of a slight lean across I will lean over all the way, still gently, letting them take my full weight and get balanced. I am not heavy by any means but you still quite often feel them "wander" a little underneath you while realising they have to engage their muscles a little to take my weight and stay balanced themselves. Again after each "belly over" they are rewarded.
Once happy with this we may go for a little walk in the "belly over" position (being lead of course!), depending on the horse, maybe just a couple of strides to start with. They are often a bit wobbly at this stage but the quieter you ride them the easier they find their feet. Whilst it is not the most comfortable position to be in admittedly, it is safer to do this incase the horse takes offence as you can easily slide off and get out of the way.
If the horse is tense at this stage, I would continue going over the previous steps until they are happy. Getting on-board at this stage if they are tense could be quite detrimental to the horses development and potentially dangerous. There should never be any rush when starting a horse and every new experience you give them should be a good one. Don't push them too much too soon, each horse is individual and may require more or less time than the last.
Once I'm happy that they are confident with all this, we'll start back at the mounting block repeating the steps, but this time I'll get on for real! I always make sure someone is holding my stirrup as well as the horse and I get on slowly and cautiously, making sure not to thump all my weight down on their back harshly. I always get on slowly and cautiously regardless of the age or training level of the horse as it is much more comfortable and kind for them, it also helps ensure that they don't get sour of being mounted, understandably! I will mount and dismount a couple of times, again rewarding each time and then go for a short walk as before. You should be merely a passenger at this stage and should just be getting the horse used to your weight and the feeling of a rider. Definitely no kicking or pushing with the seat and definitely no see-sawing hands trying to get the horse "on the bit"(ever for that matter!) Let your leader do the work at this stage.
These stages may be split over a few sessions and repeated as needed depending on the individual horse. Welly for example is a super laid back chap who has been very well handled since a youngster and so took to this all very well, and had a little walk round on the lunge line in the second session, gaining balance with each step, and has now progressed off the lead in his forth session. Others may need to go over being leant across more times before accepting full weight, and then they may need a few times of this before going for a walk. Keeping it short and sweet at these early stages is great and important.
After this, you should have a horse that is relaxed, happy and content with standing next to the mounting block, being mounted and having a nice short walk. If this isn't the case, then maybe the horse needs to go back a step and solidify the things that the horse finds difficult.
There is so much more after this to get them confident on their own, which I will go over in another post soon, but these are the initial stepping stones to having a happy, confident and comfortable horse. Remember these are their first experiences of a rider and it is so important that they are a good one. I should point out that this includes correctly fitting tack!!! We never chuck any old saddle on, or a "breaking saddle" thats cheap and falling apart with hard flocking and usually doesn't fit. The saddle (and bridle) is always fitted correctly and to the horse it is being used on (the wonders of treeless and adjustable saddles!). Don't give your horse a first bad experience of tack. Tack should ALWAYS fit.