Ken McNabb: How to Train Your Horse to Pick You Up at a Mounting Block
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ต.ค. 2024
- Well hello and welcome to the show! In this episode renowned horse trainer Ken McNabb talks about mounting blocks and teaching your horse to come pick you up from wherever you are! If you are looking for “a leg up” then this episode is for you! Coming up on Discovering the Horseman Within.
MOUNTING BLOCK EXERCISE FOR YOUR HORSE
Do you struggle mounting your horse?
Will your horse not stand still to let you get on?
Are you always looking for a way to get a lift up?
When you are out riding on the trail, do you worry about stepping off and getting back on?
If you answered yes to any of these questions then this exercise is for you!
EXERCISE SHORT REVIEW
(Teaching your horse to come pick you up. How? Using release!)
Step 1: Start by working parallel to a fence. Use the bit to stop going forward. Use whip to stop horse from going to backwards.
Step 2: Kiss to the horse and tap with the whip (1,2,3 Pause 1,2,3 Pause). Continue until the horse steps towards you and immediately release. Repeat this series, remaining consistent and asking for more. Your horse may not be terribly confident with the process of pushing into you. They know that they are not supposed to step on you. Don’t release until they achieve the next step, where you want them to go.
Step 3: Now move away from the fence and start the same exercise with the mounting block.
*This is a very simple exercise; however, your timing is critical.*
KEY HORSEMANSHIP LESSONS
-Training is repetition. Training is consistency. Your horse is never any more consistent than you are and he must understand the question we are asking. If the answer to the question always keeps changing the horse will never know what answer to give you. The question and answer ALWAYS NEED TO STAY CONSISTENT. We can change the environment anyway we want, but the question and answer must be the same. One of the biggest mistakes we make as trainers is we do something once or twice and then we think the horse has got it.
-An important thing to remember isn’t that you have the right tool, the important thing to remember is that you have the concept of what you are doing.
-There is no more important piece of horsemanship than release.
Until Next Time, May God Bless the Trails You Ride ~Ken McNabb
kenmcnabb.com
dmhorses.com
Jesus I'm speechless.. I'm all new to western riding and I have a new mare who is the biggest alfa ever.. and she both bites and kicks whenever she feels pressure.. but yesterday I watched your video and I decided to try that with her and after 25 minutes she did it and I almost cried because I feared so much I couldn't make her do it. Thank you so much for your support. I would love to meet you sometime but your videos are definitely a huge help and inspiration ❤🙏
Even the most dominant horse will take clear, fair and kind guidance and leadership if you can provide it and communicate as they can understand it. Good job!
Worked like a miracle. In 20.minutes my 2 yo was lining up on the mounting block. We had different ideas of what on the mounting block meant.
I’ve been looking all over for how to teach my horse to do this and this is the best explanation I’ve seen. Thank you!
Thanks for this vidéo Ken I love the way you explained it. Makes so much sense. Anyway I tried it with my mare this morning and 15 minutes of répétition and she got it 😊
I thought it was incredibly cute how at the 10 minute mark, first attempt at the mounting block, that she worked her way back over to the fence, and then proceeded to do it correctly! she almost had you trained! Great video!
Thanks for keeping it simple Ken .
😊 This was something I've wanted to know for many yrs. Then I saw you demo it few yrs back and have trained horses and my 2 current mules to do this. It works well in so many other ways. If my mules step away when grooming / saddling or anytime when I don't ask them to move I keep my position and ask them to come back to me - I don't follow them. Works like a charm. Also to aline them up to load in a straight load trailer.
I've had numerous people ask me how to get a horse to do this and I refer them to your channel for complete lesson. I'm STILL following your channel even though I'm 🎉81 in May & say I'm quitting.
Someday😂😊
My horse was one that moved away as soon as you put a leg over him. Saw this, he learned in about 20 minutes, has been standing to mount ever since, 5 or 6 years now. Especially nice now out foxhunting if I get off since I got a knee replacement. I just find a log, stump, rock or hillside, and I'm back on. Thanks Ken!
Ken, Thank You the mounting training reminder is just what I needed today
What a great horse trainer.
May God bless you and your family Mr. McNabb.
This is immensely helpful! I can't wait to try it. Horses are so smart! I'm so glad you added that last part about the horse not wanting to move toward you because they are taught that above anything! This is the point where it becomes difficult!
Love this!! Thank you for sharing it.
Looks like Ruby got a little camera shy at the end. 😂❤
I love that you have a pulling collar on your mare. I’ve been considering a breast collar for my gaited Paint X for certain rides and I like what I’ve read about pulling collars vs traditional breast collars.
Thank you! Love your videos. I’m amazed you can move her towards you by raising your hand and giving her the kiss sound. Going to try this tomorrow.
wow, she is a really quick learner and def sensitive. what a good girl
Saving this video. Going to try this later with my mare. So excited!
Nice going to try that tomorrow for my grandson. Thanks
I tried this last week and it worked like a charm … thx!!!!
Well darn - I should have watched your video back when I was competing in the summer.
Tried it with two of my horses and your technique and explanations really worked for the boys.
Thank you!
I learned this when he taught it on his RFD show many years ago. It’s a great tool, but it also taught me so much about pressure and release. It was an “Ah-Ha” moment. My horsemanship truly changed from watching this one video. Thanks Ken!
I have two horses I'm going to try this technique on tomorrow. Super excited ☺️
This worked so well!! Absolutely amazing how quickly the horse picks this up! Thank you so much for this video. 😀
I tried this. I tap her for 25 minutes. The tap meant nothing to her. I use positive pressure instead. I had her in her stall and i stood on the out side with my hand in the air so she can associate with scratches which She love so much. So in order to get a scratch she would have to come to me side way. If she didn’t make it all the way , I wouldnt scratch her. I verbally say “a little more” so she would move a bit closer. Then I would scratch her. Then I introduce the mounting block. It’s a beautiful thing. 😊 .
Thank you very much for sharing those videos with each of us 😊😊
Great technique! She’s a smart one and picked up quickly!
Time to go practice. Thank you! ❤
Thanks! Critical moment is the release. Hard one to catch on to but this helps tremendously!
Wow, great explanations!
Excellent video..
Thank you so much for the video. I learned so much
Great lesson
I love this! Can’t wait to try it!
This was so helpful thank you!!
so good 😍🤩
Hi Ken, great video... I tried doing this with my horse, it worked great the first 3 times or so at the beginning, then he froze up. Just stopped coming back towards me at all, just zoned out... i kept tapping him for 10-15 minutes and he would not move, just dug in. Is there anything i can do? have you seen this before? Is he just being stubborn or what? Thank you, any help would be great.
Great lil horse!
Ken I love ur lessons but I’m not a good kisser like u I just can’t make that sound what else is there to use ? Thank u for posting all ur videos blessings to u
Snap your fingers also work and clicking in your mouth with your tongue.
I tried this for awhile and he just stood there. Didn’t react at all to the stick. What else should I do?? Any ideas?
Isn’t that confusing when training a horse to move away from pressure?
That's what I was thinking! I start this training with me above the horse on the fence tapping the off side so they're moving away from pressure. I raise my arm to give the cue first.
I have a mare that was a bully on ground always trying to intimidate by moving into my space. She would move into pressure until it became firm. Last thing I want to do is have her move into pressure again lol
If you watch the video he covers that very well. They are separate cues, just as you have for many things.
That's my question too. I'd like to tap that off hip instead of the near. I'll bet Ken will say it's ok to do. If you make sure it's all about the release and timing.
My horse is blind in her left eye. I can get her to swing towards her blind side by lifting the whip and clicking in her blind side. But I cannot get her to do it in her good eye. Any tips? I honestly think since she can’t see the wall on her left she thinks she has an out that way.
Help! This is what happened tonight when I tried with my new 10yo quarter gelding: he absolutely would NOT step his hip toward me! Forward, back, step away, he even pulled his leg up and gently kicked at the tapping. I stayed consistent waiting for even the slightest try. It was so problematic I wasn't sure how to release in order to get out of the struggle. I have a few ideas, but I'd sure like to know what ya'll think I should try.
I cam to the comments for just this reason. My gelding tried to go every direction but toward me until he eventually gives up and stands still. I couldn't bring myself to keep using the stick when he just stood there.
Agreed. I haven't tried since. He comes to the mounting block well and stands to let me mount, so I'm opting not to ask this of him until I figure out how best to approach it. I've seen other techniques that reach the stick over the top of the horse to cue him closer, but I'm not always going to have a stick, so...? Let me know if you come up with a plan!@@jodyyoung-po3rm
Hi @homeedconnect I am no where near at Kens level and anyway I'm just a random internet buddo so take this with a pinch of salt but felt bad you hadn't had a reply.
One possible option is to let your horse move more? I.e. it doesn't matter if it goes forward, away back, your not getting hung up on that, instead just be looking for the tiniest movement toward you and reward that. That's why I think he recommends being next to a wall, horse will naturally move away but then 'bounce' off wall/fence and at that moment move into the pressure and that's where you release/reward.
Here's my logic....Any movement at all better than none cause a 'wong' movement can become a right one and is still a try, imo your instincts were right to stop when you got 'stuck' as what your describing with them not moving, in psychology is called learned helplessness - where animal/person will just stop trying to change a situation and just tolerate whatever cause it feels it can't do anything about it.
Anyway that's my 2 cents worth, I hope you have a lovely day and enjoy spending time with your horse :)
I tried this. I tap her for 25 minutes. The tap meant nothing to her. I use positive pressure instead. I had her in her stall and i stood on the out side with my hand in the air so she can associate with scratches which She love so much. So in order to get a scratch she would have to come to me side way. If she didn’t make it all the way , I wouldnt scratch her. I verbally say “a little more” so she would move a bit closer. Then I would scratch her. Then I introduce the mounting block. It’s a beautiful thing. 😊
Notice he rubs the area where he was tapping. That matters too.
I tried this... But I have a very lazy very unmotivated friesian so I stood there for an hour tapping asking and trying everything while he seemed to take a nap... Totally unbothered by me or even thinking about it
I tried this. I tap her for 25 minutes. The tap meant nothing to her. I use positive pressure instead. I had her in her stall and i stood on the out side with my hand in the air so she can associate with scratches which She love so much. So in order to get a scratch she would have to come to me side way. If she didn’t make it all the way , I wouldnt scratch her. I verbally say “a little more” with my hand still in the air. so she would move a bit closer. Then I would scratch her. I did this for around 50 times. Then I introduce the mounting block. It’s a beautiful thing. 😊
No one designed horses and especially not as a gift for mankind. Leave the religious stuff for church, it adds nothing to your message.