Horses with back pain often display resistance to a rider's weight. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Q: My horse won’t stand still at the mounting block while I’m getting on. My balance isn’t great, so I’m afraid I’m going to get hurt when he walks off with just my foot in the stirrup. How can I encourage him to stand still during mounting?

—via email

A: This is a common problem that riders experience with horses. Most of the time, we try to teach the horse to stand still by using pressure coming from the bit, the rein, or a whip. When we put one foot into the stirrup from the mounting block, there is typically a gap in or release of that pressure. The horse uses that opportunity to walk forward away from the mounting block