How to Mount a Horse Without Hauling on the Saddle

Mounting should be a controlled transfer of your weight, not a scramble up the horse’s side. Use a solid mounting block whenever one is available: in a study of ten riders, mounting from a 35 cm platform produced significantly lower total force and peak pressure on the horse’s back than mounting from the ground (The Veterinary Journal).

The instructions below describe a common left-side mount with a stirrup. Practise it with a qualified instructor, a suitable horse and an assistant until the sequence is familiar. Hand placement and small details can vary with an English or Western saddle, so follow your instructor’s method rather than improvising.

Before you put a foot in the stirrup

Wear a properly fitted, fastened riding helmet and riding boots. Check that the bridle and saddle are correctly fitted, the girth is secure, and both stirrups are ready before mounting. The United States Pony Clubs advises beginners to have an instructor or experienced horse person help with the tack check (USPC).

Place the mounting block on level, firm footing in a clear area. Bring the horse alongside it rather than stretching across a gap. The horse should stand quietly while you organise the reins and stirrup; if it walks away, step down and reset with your instructor or handler instead of trying to climb aboard a moving horse.

For beginners, this is a supervised skill. British Horse Society guidance says introductory ridden work should use a safe horse suited to the participant and be conducted under a coach’s instruction and supervision. Its mounting checklist includes positioning the horse at the block, gathering the reins, holding the front of the saddle and landing lightly (BHS).

How to mount from a block

1. Stand on the horse’s left. Position the block close enough that you can put your left foot into the stirrup without pulling the saddle toward you.
2. Gather the reins. Hold them in your left hand near the withers, with enough contact to discourage the horse from walking off but without pulling backward.
3. Put your left foot in the stirrup. Point the toe forward so it does not jab the horse. Keep your body close to the saddle rather than leaning away.
4. Place your hands. Keep the left hand near the withers. Put the right hand on the front or middle of the saddle as your instructor directs. Do not haul on the cantle—the raised back of the saddle—because that can drag the saddle sideways. This front-of-saddle hand position is also the method described by USPC (USPC).
5. Push up smoothly. Drive through the right foot on the block while allowing the left leg to support you in the stirrup. Bring your hips above the saddle before swinging the right leg over. Avoid a series of hops.
6. Clear the horse’s back. Bend the right knee and pass the leg over without kicking the horse’s croup.
7. Lower yourself quietly. Face forward and control the descent instead of dropping into the seat. Put the right foot in its stirrup only after you are balanced.
8. Recheck before moving. Organise the reins, confirm both feet are secure and have the girth checked or adjusted as your instructor directs.

A successful mount has three visible checkpoints: the saddle stays centred, your right leg clears the horse, and you arrive softly in the seat.

Fix the part that feels difficult

You pull the saddle toward the block. Move the block closer and higher if an appropriate one is available. Keep your chest nearer the horse and push from the leg on the block instead of trying to pull yourself up with your arms.

You need several hops. Pause rather than adding momentum. A higher block or a leg-up may be the better option. Ground mounting is not a fitness test, and the pressure study found that force increased with rider mass as well as with mounting from the ground rather than a platform (The Veterinary Journal).

Your right foot brushes the horse. Slow the swing and bend the knee. Check away from the horse whether hip stiffness, clothing or the saddle’s height is limiting clearance.

You land heavily. Think “stand, pause, lower”: rise until your pelvis is above the seat, become stable for a moment, then lower under control. Do not practise repeated clumsy mounts on the horse; improve the movement off the horse and review it with your instructor.

One side feels much harder. Mounting conventionally from the left can conceal a left-right strength difference. Compare the off-horse drills below on both sides. A large or painful difference deserves assessment by an appropriate health professional, not extra repetitions through pain.

Three off-horse drills for an easier mount

Rider fitness work commonly targets core stability, hip stability and flexibility, balance and symmetry. Penn State Extension specifically lists squats, single-leg deadlifts and dead bugs among its sample exercises (Penn State Extension). These three variations connect that work to mounting.

1. Controlled step-up

Use a stable step beside a wall or rail. Put one foot fully on the step, lightly hold the support and rise without bouncing. Pause tall, then lower slowly.

Do 5–8 repetitions per side. The checkpoint is a level pelvis with the knee tracking over the foot. This trains the leg-driven rise you need from a mounting block without hanging from the saddle.

2. Supported single-leg hinge

Stand beside a wall with one foot planted and the other leg reaching behind you. Tip forward from the hips, keep the pelvis approximately level, then return to standing.

Do 5–8 controlled repetitions per side. Use fingertip support rather than turning the exercise into a balance contest. The checkpoint is that your standing knee and hip remain steady while the free leg moves—the same separation needed when one leg supports you and the other clears the saddle.

3. Dead bug

Lie on your back with hips and knees bent and arms pointing upward. Brace gently, then lower one heel and the opposite arm only as far as you can without your lower back lifting. Return and change sides.

Do 4–8 repetitions per side. The checkpoint is a quiet trunk while the limbs move. That control helps you organise the leg swing without throwing your upper body across the horse.

Perform the drills two or three times a week with at least a day between harder sessions. Stop if they cause pain, and choose an easier range or professional guidance as needed. For a broader strength and symmetry plan, see rider fitness off the horse.

The aim is not to make ground mounting your standard. It is to develop enough leg drive, hip clearance and trunk control that, from a suitable block, you can mount without dragging the saddle sideways or landing heavily—and then confirm that skill under mounted supervision.