Today I want to talk about mounting blocks. I think some of what I am about to say will make some people bristle because the bottom line is that I hate mounting blocks. I really hate them. I hate using them. I hate helping other people use them. I hate watching other people trying to use them. I hate them. And if there is any further doubt about my feelings regarding mounting blocks, let me say I just don’t like them very much.
The main reason I don’t like them is that I feel they are arguably the most dangerous piece of equipment a rider can own. Many accidents are caused by the use of mounting blocks. I know a lady who lost her balance on a box and fell under her horse and was badly injured. I know a lady who was halfway up. The horse moved, and she couldn’t step down because the block was no longer under her. She swung her leg over the horse and landed behind the saddle. The horse bucked, and she landed heavily on the ground. I know a horse that put his foot through a carry handle in a plastic mounting block. The horse freaked out, and panic ensued. I know a lady who used an old milk crate, and it collapsed under her, scared her horse, and was kicked in the leg. A friend told me about a lady mounting from a fence whose horse moved just as she got her foot in the stirrup. She was halfway on and halfway off and fell to the ground and was dragged because she couldn’t get her foot free from the stirrup.
Did I mention I hate mounting blocks?
I understand that many people use mounting blocks. Most students at my clinics use mounting blocks. A lot of people need them because they don’t have the physical strength to mount from the ground. I need to use a mounting block nowadays for horses over 16.2hh. I understand this and empathize with the situation. Each year, I find myself heading further in that direction of needing help mounting as I grow older. Either the horses are getting taller, or I am getting shorter.
But some use mounting blocks out of choice because they believe it causes less physical stress on the horse. The assumption is that mounting from a high position keeps the horse from getting back and wither pain that mounting from the ground may cause.
Check out the video.
You can see from the video below that a saddle pulls a lot on the horse’s wither when a rider mounts from the ground. But there are a couple of points to be made about this. Firstly, many riders have a poor mounting technique, and instead of springing up from the ground, they drag themselves up from the saddle. The rider in the video is an example of this. But okay, lots of people do this too.
But in any case, while mounting from the ground may cause greater displacement of the saddle and cause significantly more pressure on the other side of the wither than when mounting from a raised platform, I have yet to find evidence that this does long-term damage to a horse. I have heard very many people claim that mounting blocks protect horses from undue pressure on the wither and reduces the risk of skeletal damage. Everybody is taught this to the extent that it has become a fact that is never questioned.
I have seen studies that show the increased pressure on the wither, but no studies to show the damage this does to the spine over time. It seems that there is a general assumption that mounting blocks are better for horses because there are fewer lateral forces placed on the wither. But as far as I can establish, it is an assumption without actual evidence of long-term damage? As yet, I have found no longitudinal study where they have compared the damage done to horses when mounted exclusively from the ground or a mounting block. No evidence that mounting from the ground causes damage, just theories. Furthermore, there has been no study to indicate the threshold height a mounting block needs to be to give relief from significant forces on the horse’s spine. If you know of any definitive studies to prove either theory, please send me the citation.
I’ve seen roping horses take a terrible amount of strain on their spines by holding a steer for a few minutes over and over again before being given a break. These horses generally do not suffer badly unless they are overworked. In comparison, it seems that the damage done by the strain of somebody (who weighs considerably less than a steer) mounting and applying pressure to the wither for 1 to 2 seconds would be fairly minor.
I don’t know if horses suffer because people mount from the ground – my feeling is that they do not – but I don’t know it. And I don’t know if using a mounting block reduces the chance of damage or pain. But what I do know with certainty is that mounting from a block is fraught with more risk for a rider than mounting from the ground.
So here is the bottom line for me. It’s okay to use a mounting block or elevated platform (like a fence or stump or bonnet of a car) provided (i) your horse is very steady about being mounted and doesn’t move until you are seated and ask him to move, and (ii) the object you are mounting from has a large platform, is very solid, does not easily move or rock and has nothing that a horse can catch a foot in.
If your horse is not brilliant about standing quietly to be mounted, don’t use a mounting block of any sort. This is the biggest cause of mounting disasters (whether or not a mounting block is used) and is made worse when a mounting block is used because aborting the mounting during the process could mean a serious fall. Get your horse very reliable about standing rock solid when being mounted before you try using a mounting block.
The second cause of disaster is that the mounting platform itself is not safe. Many people use small, lightweight objects because they are easy to move and take from place to place. But they are often flimsy and lack strength. They often have small platforms, which make them easy for people to fall off. And they can be easily knocked over, leading to a possible panicked animal.
I believe that if you need a mounting system that makes it easier to get on a horse there are better alternatives than the traditional style of mounting block. One is the idea of walking a horse into a trench dug deep enough to allow the stirrup to hang at ground level. This eradicates the need for a rider to lift themselves up and makes mounting a simple process of lifting the other leg across the back of the horse. Or perhaps building a mound that the rider can stand on (like a mounting block) and lead the horse to stand beside the mound so that the stirrup is at ground level. Again, almost no lifting of the rider’s weight is required. Both these approaches reduce the pressure on the wither that results from a rider lifting themselves up to mount a horse.
I don’t want people to think that if they show up at a clinic and use a mounting block, I will roll my eyes and give them a big lecture. That doesn’t happen. But I do want people to be as safe as they can be, and that means ensuring the equipment is the safest it can be and your horses are as prepared as they can be.
Anyway, I just wanted to say, “I hate mounting blocks,” and I dread the day that is coming when I will need one just to get into my bed.