How to Safely mount

If you're inexperienced at getting on, it's a good idea to do this from a mounting block and to also have someone hold the horse's bridle or halter, so that the horse doesn't walk off or move around too much

Whether you're getting on from the ground or a mounting block, the procedure is the same. First make sure the horse's girth is done up tightly so that the saddle doesn't slip around as you get on. Standing facing the left side of your horse, gather the reins together and hold them loosely while holding onto the pommel with your left hand. This is the front bit of the saddle

Place your right hand over onto the opposite side of the cantle. This is the back bit of the saddle. Stand facing the same way as your horse, and now slip the ball of your left foot into the stirrup with it pointing towards the horses shoulder. This ensures that you don’t dig the horse in the ribs with your foot as you get up

Crouch down a little bit and spring yourself up using your grip on the back of the saddle to help pull yourself up that last little bit. Try to make the action as smooth as possible

Once your left leg is fairly straight, bend your body forward and swing your right leg over the back of the horse. Make sure you don't hit the horse with your foot as you swing it over. Slot the ball of your right foot into the stirrup

It’s important to place only the ball of your foot into the stirrups, so that if the horse bolts, you can release your foot easily and quickly to jump off if you need to. Also after mounting up, always re check that the girth is still tight, because when the saddle is depressed with the weight of the rider, the girth will become looser. Once you are able to mount up easily, it’s a good idea to practise getting on either side. If you only get on one side all the time, the stirrup on this one side can get stretched more than the other side