How to Safely Mount a Horse in a Western Saddle

This is the proper and safest way to mount a horse in a western saddle. It was developed more than a century and a half ago by cowboys who rode half-broke broncs on a daily basis, and it is still the safest way to mount. See my blog at westerntrailrider.com for a more full description of the whys and wherefores.

I have seen a couple of instructional videos criticizing what I teach in this video. The method I presented is what was actually developed over more than a century and a half of western horsemanship. Today most people don't ride "half-broke broncs," so many of these techniques are slowly being lost, because they simply aren't as important as they used to be, but this is still the safest way to mount in a western saddle.

I realize this isn't the only way to mount a horse in a western saddle. The rider may have physical limitations that affect the way they are able to mount. There is nothing wrong with mounting from a block, or even teaching your horse to lay down to let you get on. There is nothing wrong with hanging onto the horn and the cantle if that makes you more comfortable. Just understand that if your horse shies or bolts while you are in the process of mounting, you are more likely to end up in the saddle and under control if you follow the method I teach.

By the way, I do a little "hopping around" in the video. That was so that you could see what I was trying to show with the camera angle. You don't really have to hop around. Just start next to the horse's front leg, positioned so that you can see his rear hoof, then up from there.