I say NAY You shall not!

That was his attitude yesterday when I tried to mount up. He made a game of side stepping his hind quarters every time I stepped up on the chair. I'd set the chair by him and he'd be ok, but as soon as my boot hit that chair, he'd swivel those hips away from me. I'm assuming his back and his legs and his feet are sore from all the extra work he's been doing after being pasture decoration for so long, but I couldn't let him get away with it, so I started moving him on purpose in a tight circle, and only let him rest when I had my foot on that chair. I eventually got him to stand still while I mounted from that chair.

I did attempt to mount from the ground... well... that was not successful. Dad maintains the belief that I do not have the muscle required to pull myself on his back, I dissagree. I've mounted horses who are 15 or 16 hh with that same saddle with the stirrups that same length, so I know that is not the issue. I discovered the real issue. I put my foot in the sirrup, I tried to pull myself up, and wham bam the saddle slipped to the side and I had to loosen it and straighten it back up and recinch it. The thing is, that saddle was as tight on his back as it would go without making him wheeze to breathe. So the problem is, I suppose, that he does not have high enough withers and spine (very flat back, for all that he's narrow) to hold up the saddle. So I really don't know what to do about that. The saddle fits fine, as far as I can tell there is no problem with the sweat patterns on his back. He's just difficult, I guess.

So anyways, I got up. Eventually. And we walked around the corn field, and we crossed a deeper part of the irrigation ditch. He didn't jump. He didn't bolt. He walked into it, stuck his nose in it, pawed at the water, then we went on our merry way.

I think if the weather holds nice through the afternoon today I'll bring him down and work with the chair and not actually try to get on, no saddle or bridle or anything, just standing on the chair and laying over his back and stuff. Just because it's a very big waste of time spending a half hour trying to get on him.