OT-Horse question

Chas. · Post by **Chas.** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 8:58 pm

I have virtually NO experience with horses - only ridden them a very few times. The question I have is simply one of curiosity. Why does everybody mount the horse from its left side rather than its right side?

765x53 · Post by **765x53** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:02 pm

Because your sword hangs on your left side. It would be unwieldy to have to swing it over the horses back every time you mount.

BC in TN · Post by **BC in TN** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:26 pm

765x53 wrote:Because your sword hangs on your left side. It would be unwieldy to have to swing it over the horses back every time you mount.

That's as good an answer as I've ever heard. I'm sure there's some validity to that.
I mount from the left because that's the way my granddaddy taught me.

BigSky56 · Post by **BigSky56** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 9:50 pm

Ive trained all my horses so I can mount and dismount both sides helpful if I have to get up or down on a narrow trail while packing or whatever and if Iam hunting and have to dismount to keep the horse between me and the elk. danny

rossim92 · Post by **rossim92** » Fri Sep 16, 2011 10:58 pm

on the same token with motorcycles, mounting from the right is considered bad luck. At least that's what i've been told., After you been riding for about 30 years , it just feels natural to mount from the left.

Gobblerforge · Post by **Gobblerforge** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 5:50 am

The difference between the horse and bike is the bike already leans to the left while at rest. The horse stays upright.
Gobbler

BenT · Post by **BenT** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 7:35 am

Left brain , right brain with horses. You have to train both sides of a horse. If you train it to mount on one side and go to mount from the other it will act like it's never done it before. Don't know why history has decided on one side or the other. Unless you know the horse always mount with your left foot in the stirrup.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:45 am

BenT wrote:Left brain , right brain with horses. You have to train both sides of a horse. If you train it to mount on one side and go to mount from the other it will act like it's never done it before. Don't know why history has decided on one side or the other. Unless you know the horse always mount with your left foot in the stirrup.

True that and a horse sees thing different than we do, they have tunnel vision, the things they see from the side moves a lot faster . That`s why a work horse wears blinders so it doesn`t see whats behind it. Ask me i know, i tried running no blinders on a 2,000 lb Belgian i had hooked to a bob sled once. He turned his head and seen that bob sled chasing him at a high rate of speed and we were off for a heck of a ride. We went around the field many times and whoa didn`t sink in at all, the only thing that stoped him was he seen our riding horses on the other side of the fence and he went there which gave me time to get off and get hold of his halter.
Point being as said a horse is trained and gets used to the side you mount on.

Sixgun · Post by **Sixgun** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:49 am

I think it all somes down to "what feels natural". You figure, most people are right handed so you put your left foot in the stirrup and pull your body up with your strong right hand--its got something to do with the brain as my left leg is more coordinated than my right leg even though I'm basically right handed. But I shoot a pistol right handed but a rifle/shotgun left handed. At work, I mount my fork-lift from the left side.

Don't we all get in our cars/trucks from the left side?

see how smart I am?

(I guess that holds true as long as your not English---Nath--weigh in on this.

Hey look man, I'm so screwed up with all of this brain work from answering your question I need to go lay down. You gotta remember, I'm half Italian and brain work don't come easy.

----------Sixgun

Marlin32 · Post by **Marlin32** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:12 am

A spooked Belgian hooked to a sled? That would be a funny sight for sure, if not so scary and dangerous!

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 12:28 pm

Marlin32 wrote:A spooked Belgian hooked to a sled? That would be a funny sight for sure, if not so scary and dangerous!

Yea it was a stupid move on my part, can imagine that horse thought that sled was chasing him and he couldn`t lose it.
He was a well trained horse too, followed commands to a T until tthat happened. Lucky the snow was deep and those other horses were there though he would of played out in a few miles and a couple hours.

Here`s Joe the horse it happened with.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:06 pm

765x53 wrote:Because your sword hangs on your left side. It would be unwieldy to have to swing it over the horses back every time you mount.

Yep. 'Sides cavalry would soon deteriorate into bedlam if everybody just "did their own thing!" Like BigSky said, the additional trainin' sure adds flexibility. Indian ponies are often mounted from the left, or whatever suits their owner.

mack · Post by **mack** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 1:14 pm

A well broke horse shouldn't care what side. I'm on and off from whatever side is convenient. I try to mount from the high side on the trail, I really don't see the need to turn the horse around.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 3:38 pm

765x53 wrote:Because your sword hangs on your left side. It would be unwieldy to have to swing it over the horses back every time you mount.

BigSky56 wrote:Ive trained all my horses so I can mount and dismount both sides helpful if I have to get up or down on a narrow trail while packing or whatever and if Iam hunting and have to dismount to keep the horse between me and the elk. danny

BenT wrote:Left brain , right brain with horses. You have to train both sides of a horse. If you train it to mount on one side and go to mount from the other it will act like it's never done it before. Don't know why history has decided on one side or the other. Unless you know the horse always mount with your left foot in the stirrup.

I agree with all above.

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:10 pm

The key word in all the replies is trained, and some horses don`t scare as easy as others.

rimrock · Post by **rimrock** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:25 pm

Pitchy wrote:The key word in all the replies is trained, and some horses don`t scare as easy as others.

cuz they got more sense!! Some horses are just plain stupid!!!

Even donkeys can be stupid. In the recent central Texas fire evacuation, my 4 donkeys thought they were smarter than me by not loading in the trailer. I had to turn them loose to try to survive. They'd been too dead to be dumb if the wind hadn't shifted at the last moment.

rimrock

Pitchy · Post by **Pitchy** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 4:43 pm

Just to validate what i was making a point about their vision here`s a article about it.

The placement and structure of your horse’s eyes is vastly different from a human’s. While we can easily wear glasses to correct poor vision, this isn’t possible for horses.

Also, we are used to a clear field of vision in front of us. Horses, however, have amazing peripheral vision with two blind spots—one directly in front of its nose extending around four feet in front of it, and the other behind the tail, about ten feet long.
When you consider the front blind spot, the abilities of jumping horses seem all the more incredible. The horse loses sight of the obstacle when it is a few feet away and has to rely totally on the rider to tell it when to jump.

Horses also are unable to focus their eyes the way humans and most animals can. Have you ever seen a horse raising and lowering its head as it looks at an object? It does that to adjust the focal length, moving until the object comes into focus on its retina. Also, since the horse’s field of vision doesn’t overlap—the right eye sees what’s happening on the right side of its body, and the same on the left—it’s amazing that the horse isn’t confused all the time by two images that don’t match up at all.

The horse’s eyes also act something like a human’s bifocals. If the horse lowers its head and looks up, gazing through the upper portion of the eye, it can focus on the horizon. However, if it needs to look at something closer, it will raise its head to regard the object through the lower portion of the eye, where it can focus more clearly.

When you see a horse startled by a sudden movement just behind or beside it, its peripheral vision has sighted the movement but it has not yet had time to focus on it. Even when the horse is traveling a familiar path, such as to the stable or pasture, it can be startled by something as small as a paper blowing past.

Horses’ night vision is generally superior to that of humans. Horses have a reflective panel on the retina that helps to gather all available light at night. However, horses have a much lower sense of color than people. While they can distinguish green and blue, a horse’s sight is mostly in shades of gray.

Lastmohecken · Post by **Lastmohecken** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 8:53 pm

Speaking of horses, I bought a new horse, a few weeks ago, a mare. Well, at first I really liked this horse, but now I don't trust it. I haven't figured out exactly why it happened yet, but I got throwed, and at 54 years old this is not a good thing. I mean I did not just fall off, or the horse spooked sideways or crowhop or something, I mean she blew up like a stick of diamite.

I was just riding along, with my boy, who doesn't have any experience, riding my other horse behind me about 20yds or so as we were riding in an open field. And I was relaxed, and only about a hundred yards from getting back to the house, when all of a sudden there was daylight under my butt (she lowered down) and then she comeback up and launched me before I could even grab for leather. I later found out that this horse was known to be a bit cinchy, and I did have a new saddle on her, and a new wide mohair roping cinch.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, I have never been throwed from a horse like that in all of my life. The other thing I wanted to say, is on carrying a rifle on a horse, I see people sometimes carrying a rifle with the barrel nearly straight down and the buttstock sticking up above the saddle horn a ways. IMHO this is very dangerous, because if I had had a rifle on this horse in that position, I would have probably lost a few teeth when she came up. There is no way I would carry a rifle in that position on any horse, I knew that before, but it was driven home to me, on that ride.

It's strange, but she just jumped a couple of jumps, but man! did she launch me and turned me into a lawn dart. Then she just stopped and stood ground tied, as one rein had fallen down. I got up and looked around and saw a plastic bag rolling along like a tumbleweed, and wondered if she spooked because of that, but she has never been very spooky, being much solider then my other horse in that dept. I do know she didn't like that wide roping cinch and I had been hanging on her mouth a little that day, because my other horse has a smaller motor and was not keeping up very well. Anyway, as bad as I felt, I knew I had to get back on her, and that is what I did, and rode the remaining hundred yards to the house.

Anyway, not meaning to side track this thread, Everything I ever read, said that it was because of the sword being on the left side of the soldier, that the horse was mounted from the left.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Sat Sep 17, 2011 9:52 pm

Sometimes horses do that and some will periodically do that until you're done with them. Sometimes it's a respect issue and sometimes it's just the horse. I'm 55 and I've been dumped twice by my boys and both times I ended up black and blue for weeks. Once my halfbreed latigo ripped and my saddle started slipping. I bailed befofe I ended up under my horse, but hit the two bottom rails on my round pen with my left arm. The second time I was free galloping in my pasture and we came to the end and I picked left and he picked right. Caught the bottom three strands of wire with my left arm again. Getting old sucks.

BigSky56 · Post by **BigSky56** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 12:47 am

If she'd of pitched you on the beginning of the ride that could be attributed to cinchy but on the end of a ride not so much and the cinch would of loosened up by then. If there wasnt any cinch galls or tender spots on her back I dont think it was a accident. A pack saddle with 200lbs (4 salt blocks) a nice long pack trip can do wonders for a horses temperament as the saying goes sore backs and tender feet makes for good horses danny

mack · Post by **mack** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 4:06 pm

Lastmohecken,
Plastic bags can do strange things to horses. We had QH gelding, Reminic stock, great cow horse, sorter, penner, well broke, only thing that ever bothered him was plastic. I think it was the noise, not the sight of it that bothered him. I actually sacked him with a large M&Ms bag on a stick to break him. Any horse can, and most will dump you at some point. I end up in the dirt a couple of times a year, mostly cause I try something I shouldn't. I'm very selective on what I will ride on the trail. In the arena I'll take a few more chances, (softer landings).

rogn · Post by **rogn** » Sun Sep 18, 2011 11:41 pm

Ive read in the past that horses in China are mounted from the right. Noproof of that, Just what Id read.

LeverBob · Post by **LeverBob** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 2:01 am

Dealing with a horse is all about who's boss...the trick is understanding what you're dealing with.

I've posted before about this & I'll post this one last time...a Nag can hurt you real fast and it can be permanent. I have friends who are vegetables in wheelchairs that they stear with a straw in their mouths, because they got familiar around horses. All of them women-no offense.

Never let your guard down at ANYTIME when near them...go into condition yellow. My own mustang mare has two personalities depending upon the time of day. Thats four different personalities (see below) in one 12 hr. period, not counting the plastic bags, pumas, blowing papers or the smell of a real big black bear running down the road in front of my place.

My wife was launched 10 ft. in the air into an electrified fence a few years back by our new gelding from a double front kick. He shouldn't have done that. My wife is about as tough as old wang leather & knocked him out for it. He woke up & is a better horse with more respect for her. She wore two hoof prints on her chest for three weeks, not counting the pain. If his hooves where a foot higher I would have had to pay for a funeral...or a new electrified wheelchair. You will get kicked sooner or later and boy howdy it hurts...hope it doesn't break somethin'.

A horse has two brains...I mean that their brains do NOT have a bridge between the lobes. Consequently, your have two horses in one. If you train one side, then you have to train the other. In both my nags their personalities are completely different from side to side. One side will respond differently than the other. Any experienced horseman knows this. They can have bad moods, be a little under the weather & so on. They are not predictable machines. I mount from either side, but careful to let them know what I am doing so's they don't spook. Let your nag know what you're doing...a hard cowkick can break some important things inside you body if you don't. Don't ask me how I know...I learned it young.

They are skittish, ornery, moody, stupid, smart, sneaky, coniving or may pull a knife on you in the afternoon. Never trust them & don't get a squishy about how much they love you. They don't love anything. If'n you do, then you may wind up being the sap...not them.

I follow Cllinton Andersons methods...get some of his tapes. He's pretty good as a trainer of horses & humans around horses.

Learn to read body language, whether it is a horse or a human, It makes the dismount less painful. The martial arts helped me in that regard. When you are launched, don't land on your head, something in your neck might break. If you ride, it will happen one time or another.

Hope it isn't in a cactus patch like me....

They are livestock to me, I don't get emotional about them or make them pets. They have to earn their keep, just like me.

Pitchy & the others have given good advice...they are horseman & woodsman.

It's not all bad...learn how & enjoy your ride.

LB

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 9:54 am

I'll give a little story here and it happens to include Clinton Anderson. The wife and I were auditing a clinic he was giving and in this clinic he started off with safety. His thought is the same as Leverbobs, mine and probably many others here. A horse has the size and strength to seriously injure you or worse. Respect, or more correctly whose the one in charge, is one thing a horse does understand and they are always pushing that agenda. If you lose their respect you're no longer in charge, they are. Anyway, on to the story. There were about ten people in the clinic with their horses. He asked this one girl about a story he'd heard of her and her horse. He asked her if her horse had bitten her ear off and she said yes. He couldn't believe the way she was treating her horse. She was treating it like it was a puppy dog, not a 1200 pound horse. He didn't called her stupid, but he sure made it clear that she wasn't treating her horse like a horse. She was treating it like a dear old friend. That mindset doesn't work around an animal that carries no endearment for anyone. Sorry this got so long winded, but people don't need to use their horses for work anymore. They use them for recreation for the most part and turn them into their loving pets. This is a dangerous mindset around an animal that can kill you in less time than it takes to blink.

Wes · Post by **Wes** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 10:23 am

I use horses a lot. Ranching for a living puts me close to them daily. I harness two teams every day in the winter and use them for chores and haying in the summer. Horseback most all year.
My own experience says you will get hurt some time, no matter who you are. I get along well with my horses and mules all in all, but they aren't bomb proof and many of them wind up at my place because they are a little too rank for other folks. Not that I'm a great cowboy or bronc rider (I'm afoot from a broken pelvis from colt's bucking with me right now), but I have enough use for them to make them into good enough animals. Almost all the problem horses and mules that come my way just need a lot more regular use. I know that's easy for me to say and do being a full time rancher, but most folks could do themselves and their horses and mules a favor by using them as much as they can all year and not just hunting season (common out west; saddle up opening day and head for the mountains; get in bad wreck; put nasty cinch sores on pony).
Far as mounting on the left side, I guess it's one of those things that we still do because it was done that way in the past for a certain purpose and we keep doing it. I do as others and break them to mount/dismount from both sides. I used to calf rope and you had to get off right side to be fast. Also, like the experienced guys here said it's nice to be able to do that in a tight spot on trail or around elk (good advise guys).
Oh and another thing. Green horses and green riders equals wreck usually. If you're a little new to them, get a good ol' broke horse to start with.

kimwcook · Post by **kimwcook** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:05 pm

Wes, sorry to hear about your pelvis. That's one wreck I've never had. Actually I've never broken a bone from a fall, yet. Sure got sore and bruised up a bunch, but nothing broke. I know what I just did, but if it's time, it's time. Hoping you heal quick and without complications.

2571 · Post by **2571** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:23 pm

To a city boy like myself this is all very interesting.

But how did they teach that horse on tv to talk?

Used to be one of my favorite shows. Wish it were still on.

2571 · Post by **2571** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:25 pm

rogn wrote:Ive read in the past that horses in China are mounted from the right. Noproof of that, Just what Id read.

There's a WalMart joke here if I just think about it for a couple of minutes.

BigSky56 · Post by **BigSky56** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:47 pm

Kim if I ever meet anyone that cowboys that hasnt been hurt I'll give em a reward. Ive had broke collar bone broke leg been kicked so hard by a mule my grandkids carry the mark been dumped I cant count the times. If you make a job of them they can cripple you up, their fault your fault or nobodies fault.
Wes you need to find a high school kid to ride those broncy colts them kids bones are green and dont break. take care and heal up for elk season. danny

20cows · Post by **20cows** » Mon Sep 19, 2011 8:58 pm

Dad always said the Pyrenees Mountains were the reason the Indians mounted on the right. They learned their initial horsemanship from the Spaniards.

(The Pyrenees separate Spain from the rest of Europe and allowed them to develope several independant habits).

piller · Post by **piller** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:14 am

Neighbor of mine has a horse, and it recently sprained its ankle while trying to let her know it didn't want to be in the trailer at that time. It fell and got a hoof caught. I happened to be around and helped to hold the horse by the reins and scratched its neck while just talking into its ear so that it didn't pay attention to her while she worked on the ankle. I have no idea why the horse acted up, maybe the horse doesn't know either. For some reason, what I did kept the horse calm and it let the owner clean the ankle and bandage it. I don't have a lot of experience with horses and am not sure why this worked. From what little I see, they are creatures of habit who get upset by things being out of the ordinary.

Back to the topic, mounting from the left was the way to keep your sword out of the way while climbing into the hurricane deck. The Cavalry all did it the same way, as the military way is for everyone to do the same thing in the same way at the same time on the same command so that everything happens as a unit. This helps to keep some sort of order at the start of a battle.

Wes · Post by **Wes** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:40 am

Thanks Danny. I can't find a high school kid other than my boy to ride the green ones. I can't afford to have him laid up, he's doing all my gathering and horseback work!
I've been nursing this pelvis for a year and a half not knowing what it was that was hurting so bad. Had been taking a lot of Ibuprofen for the pain and opened my ulcers up. Nearly bled out there in late July. 3.5 pints of blood to get me back up. Bad deal. Everyone watch how much of that stuff you're taking.
This spring I was breaking a young mare mule who'd been pretty easy going. Spanked her a little to head off a cow and she broke in two right on a county road (looking at landing on hard packed crushed gravel makes you have a bunch more try). Normally don't have much trouble riding a mule bucking but she was a little rank and I blew my right stirrup and got beat up on the saddle horn some (which re-aggravated the pelvis). I did get her shut down and finished moving cows though.
As far as the mounting on the left or right, you guys dig up some neat information. Fun to read.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Tue Sep 20, 2011 11:30 am

kimwcook wrote:Wes, sorry to hear about your pelvis. That's one wreck I've never had. Actually I've never broken a bone from a fall, yet. Sure got sore and bruised up a bunch, but nothing broke. I know what I just did, but if it's time, it's time. Hoping you heal quick and without complications.

Likewise, Wes.

I'd been put off a couple of horses when younger. Once... er three times by this one in a (of all things), a Navy rental string. They wouldn't rent her (yes, mares are generally the most tempermental), but I was attempting to line her out for the string so they could use her. She wouldn't buck, but she was small enough and quick enough that she' pitch you off sideways from a dead run. Day one, she did her level best and failed... day two she tried another two or three times, failure. Day 3 she tried another tactic: runnin' straight for the fence and turn at the last second. Yep, broke her of that when I kicked in the nose just as she started the turn... but we both went thru the top three 2x6 fence rails. Days 4, 5 & 6 were uneventful, walked, trotted and cantered when asked, stopped when asked.

Day 7... forever burned in my memory. Let's just say it ended with me in the Navy hospital with gravel embedded in my back, two broken bones in my left hand, and firm conviction never to ride in low-heeled "walking" boots again! If you've never been dragged with a foot caught in a stirrup, well... hopefully, you can learn from the experience of someone else... it ain't a "GOOD" thing! Oh yeah, even when you're 24 and think you're bullet-proof, tougher'n nails, and generally indestructible, don't, I repeat, DO NOT punch a horse in the forehead!

See, Kim, I can say I've never broken a bone in a fall, also.

Wes · Post by **Wes** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 11:47 am

Wow Griff, that's a bad spot to be in for sure. Lucky they didn't wind up putting what was left of you in a coffee can.
When I see all these kids out at ropings with tennis shoes on I tell them stories like that.

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Wed Sep 21, 2011 9:33 pm

Wes,

I was a'laying there on my stomach, after they set and put cast on my hand when the ER doc & nurse pickin' the gravel outta my back were called away to an emergency. Anyway, these brown shoes and khaki pants walked up and asked, "saillor, did you get hurt on those {insert favored navy expletive here} dirt bikes? When I said no, it was a horse; he said, "that's ok then, but one more motorcycle accident and they're history on this base."

When a corpsman came back in to finish cleanin' my back, I learned the brown shoes and khakis belonged to the base commander, who'd been playin' golf with some politican who'd suffered a heart attack. Seemed he hated motorcycles with a passion!

While I still got a few of the scars that're visible almost 37 years later, the doc and nurse were most stressed out that everything had started to scab over by the time I got to the ER. That, along with the dirt and other assorted vermin you find in arenas and other places where horses... well... do their business, they were most worried about infections. But, they did a good job cleanin' me up and gettin' it all out. No complications. I was really lucky that the reins didn't break, they were the only thing that allowed me to keep my head from bouncin' along that road also! All in all, the worst wreck I've been in. Seen worse, and don't wanna be in another!

Wes · Post by **Wes** » Thu Sep 22, 2011 10:24 am

That's a pretty funny story (the brown shoes and khaki pants part). I had to explain away my broken right hand (with a classic boxers fracture) to my division officer one night (LTJG, USN). He let me off with the excuse that I hurt it in a fall and not from a bad aimed punch that hit a Marine in the forehead as the Shore Patrol said (note to self: don't fight Marines first off, secondly don't punch them in the forehead!). Young, dumb, and full of aiming oil at the base bar.
Boy did this go astray from mounting your horse on the left side or what? I still get on the left side mostly. How's that for a recovery?
P.S. A real cowboy never gets off his horse to get a gate, his horse is broke good enough to open them horseback.

OJ · Post by OJ » Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:24 pm

Chas. wrote:I have virtually NO experience with horses - only ridden them a very few times. The question I have is simply one of curiosity. Why does everybody mount the horse from its left side rather than its right side?

Cause that's how young cowboys are trained to do it - having grown up as a cowboy - that's just the way it is (KISS thinking).

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