to stand, or not to stand?

Ok y'all, Happy Monday! I have a random question that I'm legit curious what people think. Like, I actually have pretty... set in stone opinions myself, but... am curious. 

I wanna ask about: manners at the mounting block. 

this is a post about mounting blocks and such, so obvi i searched the archives for representative photos. here we see the absolute focal point of that mounting block, almost dead center. obvi. just gotta look past the joyous kiddos, saintly pony, and snoopervisory kitten

So I'll start with some of my own past experiences, anecdotes, and opinions. 

In my early days, where I learned to ride, you walked the horse up to the block, it was your responsibility to position them accordingly, and then get on, independently. I don't remember much of a focus on horse manners at this farm bc... All the lesson ponies were saints lol. 

and here, another mounting block!! put to its alternate use --- prevent emma from breaking her leg AGAIN from somehow failing to stick the landing upon exit. (really tho) (yes i'm wearing shipping boots, so what lol).

Things got a little sharper when I went to college. Good lesson horses were fairly protected with limited jump heights and capped weekly ride counts, so eventually the more experienced riders ended up on more green horses --- both to keep it interesting for the rider, and to help said greenies get mileage. Obvi these green horses were... less saintly lol. 

and, another block. guys, charlie has always been a little weird tho

One such mare, Ellie Mae, my first red mare flame, had a bit of a rearing problem at the mounting block. We worked through it with routine consistent practice over time, but never lost sight of the risks involved. 

Bc... Guys, actually, putting a foot in the iron of a saddle attached to an antsy animal, while standing atop a platform... is actually kinda a compromising, risky, vulnerable operation that can go very badly very quickly.

we love giant heavy tall wooden platforms!

One thing stuck with me from Ellie, tho: Onward! There would be no boxing her in, no holding her in place, no claustrophobia. Once aboard, we proceeded as needed per mare's request, end of story. 

In time she normalized and in fact became reliable enough for full integration into the lesson horse program --- and even did a few IHSA shows (tho I always acted as her handler). But given it was one of my earliest experiences in "horse training," it stuck with me.

this block is legit excellent --- just make sure the barbie dream horse mare (just slightly visible above doozy's neck) isn't #hangry

And proved massively useful with Isabel too. Long timers will remember Isabel was basically feral when I met her. There were days in our early years where... I legit couldn't actually get on her. 

Again, over time and with practice, we got better, but I always kept my focus on the main event: be safe enough for me to take that most vulnerable step --- shifting from the block to the stirrup iron, and whatever may come next. Let me arrive safely into the saddle, and the rest is history.

after years of challenging isabel, and tall charles, these plastic blocks give me anxiety. doozy is shockingly.... great tho

Charlie, notably, being a sweet gentle kind tempered, albeit giant, gelding, has been among the easiest horses in history at the block. Or the fallen log. Or random xc jump. Or like, fence post. 

You could probably paint a giant "X" in the grass, stand him there, go get into a helicopter, parachute out of it, aim for said "X", natch with Charles still standing there, and land astride --- ready to get on with it. 

lol that time i ordered a janky step stool off ebay for horse shows etc and y'all lost your shit on me

And so far, Doozy has been a bit of the same flavor. She's been good. But... I don't make her stand. She lets me get on, I let her walk off. We seem happy. 

Tho a few folks have asked me why I don't make her stand yet. Like we had a ground person the other day who stepped in to help, and then wanted to hold the horse in place after I was already on, and we sorta had this weird moment where the horse was confused bc I'd changed the rules, the person was holding the horse, and I was trying to explain, "actually, please let go" and then Doozy spurted off a bit offended. 

sometimes we dismount onto blocks too!!

And I dunno. To some people, standing at the mounting block until being asked to move is like, an absolute fundamental requirement. The 11th Commandment. But to me.... eh, I've never really cared? To some horses, making them stand at the block seems like a straight up antagonistic way to start a ride, and to others... an unnecessary formality. 

I need a horse to be good at the block. Obvi. It's gotta be safe. But I also don't want to make a big deal out of it. Kinda just wanna get on with it. 

My green horse's first experience with being asked to stand, but I actually really mean stand, and I don't care how you feel about it, will happen separately from the mounting block. Bc those are two separate questions that I definitely don't want to bleed into each other. Tho ya know, a seasoned horse can realistically be expected to respond to any request for standing, at the block or otherwise. 

But I'm curious... Again, bc I know to some folks my ambivalence seems more like blasphemy. Do you care if your horse stands at the mounting block. Or maybe a difference set of past experiences that have influenced how you feel about it? Or are you kinda like me, basically indifferent so long as the main event happens without a hitch?