The equine biomechanic experts at Centaur Biomechanics in the UK captured the impact of mounting from the ground on the horse’s saddle and back in this high speed camera footage. The video is only 59 seconds long, but by the 27 second mark, you’ll be screaming, “OMG, SWING YOUR LEG OVER ALREADY.” It’s torture to watch.
Turns out, it’s not all that comfortable for the horse either. Studies, also conducted by Centaur Biomechanics, measured the force of climbing aboard the old fashioned way using pressure plates. They revealed:
In technical terms: THAT’S A LOT OF PRESSURE.
What’s more, being on the small side doesn’t necessarily help the cause. The shorter you are respective to the horse, the greater the pressure you’ll create by mounting from the ground.
Conclusion: we’ll be using the mounting block from here out.