06/09/2026
All of my training horses learn to line up at the mounting block at some point in their training.
This is not only helpful for situations when their owners would like to mount with a mounting block, but also gets them used to me above them, gets them used to me asking them to move from a different position, and teaches them to default to standing still. I also practice this concept away from the actual mounting block, using stumps, logs, and the fence to practice the same concept in different environments.
The first horse here, Sandee, is starting to figure out how to line herself up without me guiding her through every step. It’s hard to see from the camera angle, but I led her toward the stump at an awkward angle that required a bit more thought in where she lined herself up. She nearly got it perfect, just needing a little help from me to move her shoulder one more step sideways and backwards.
The second horse, Ozzy, is just starting to learn to move toward me while I’m on the mounting block. He wants to move his shoulder more than his hindquarters, so I focus on slowing his shoulders and rewarding when he moves his hindquarters. He’s trying really hard and has gotten the general concept!
The third horse, F***y, is in the very beginning stage of leading next to the mounting block and just learning to stand while I move around. She had a tendency to want to swing her hindquarters away, so we’ve spent some time moving laterally toward the mounting block with me on the ground so that she learns that she can move toward it and find rest by it.
