I am uncomfortable mounting from the ground?

Feeling uncomfortable mounting from the ground is more common than most riders admit, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging it and finding a better solution. Mounting from the ground puts significant strain on the horse's back, torques the saddle sideways, and for many riders — particularly those with limited flexibility, knee or hip issues, or simply a tall horse — it is genuinely difficult to do well. The good news is that there is a smarter option that virtually every top trainer, clinician, and professional uses without a second thought: the mounting block. Using a mounting block is not a sign of weakness or inexperience. It is a sign of horsemanship awareness. When you mount from a block, you reduce the sideways pull on the saddle dramatically, you are able to place your foot in the stirrup with much greater ease, and you swing onto the horse's back with far less torque on its spine. Over the course of a horse's working life, consistently mounting from a block rather than the ground adds up to significantly less wear and stress on its back muscles and saddle tree. Many veterinarians and equine chiropractors will tell you that ground mounting is one of the most common sources of chronic back soreness in horses, particularly when riders haul themselves up heavily from a low position. If the discomfort comes from a horse that will not stand quietly at the block, that is a training issue worth addressing directly and systematically. Start by simply leading the horse to the block repeatedly until it stands calmly beside it. Then add the action of stepping up onto the block while the horse stands. Then place your foot in the stirrup without mounting. Then put weight in the stirrup. Each step is taught separately, with the horse being asked to stand quietly and rewarded for doing so. Most horses, once they understand what is being asked, stand much more willingly at a block than they ever did for ground mounting, because the process is calmer and less physically demanding for everyone involved. If a mounting block is not always available — on the trail, at an outside arena, or in the field — you can build the habit of finding a natural alternative: a large rock, a hill, a fence rail, a truck bed. Experienced trail riders know how to scope out terrain that gives them a height advantage, and there is no shame in using the landscape to your benefit. Carrying a portable folding step in your trailer is another practical solution that many riders use without a second thought. Beyond the block itself, if ground mounting continues to be necessary on occasion, working on your own flexibility and leg strength can help. Exercises that open the hip flexors and strengthen the leg — lunges, yoga, targeted stretching — make the act of pushing up into the saddle more manageable. But the most practical and horse-friendly answer remains simple: use a mounting block every chance you get, teach your horse to stand quietly beside it, and stop thinking of it as a crutch. It is simply the right way to mount.