First gentle him well on both sides, about the saddle, and all over,
until he will stand still without holding, and is not afraid to see you
anywhere about him.
As soon as you have him thus gentled, get a small block, about one foot
or eighteen inches in height, and set it down by the side of him, about
where you want to stand to mount him; step up on this, raising yourself
very gently: horses notice every change of position very closely, and if
you were to step up suddenly on the block, it would be very apt to scare
him; but, by raising yourself gradually on it, he will see you, without
being frightened, in a position very nearly the same as when you are on
his back.
As soon as he will bear this without alarm, untie the stirrup-strap next
to you, and put your left foot into the stirrup, and stand square over
it, holding your knee against the horse, and your toe out, so as to
touch him under the shoulder with the toe of your boot. Place your right
hand on the front of the saddle, and on the opposite side of you, taking
hold of a portion of the mane and the reins, as they hang loosely over
his neck, with your left hand; then gradually bear your weight on the
stirrup, and on your right hand, until the horse feels your whole weight
on the saddle: repeat this several times, each time raising yourself a
little higher from the block, until he will allow you to raise your leg
over his croup and place yourself in the saddle.
There are three great advantages in having a block to mount from. First,
a sudden change of position is very apt to frighten a young horse who
has never been handled: he will allow you to walk up to him, and stand
by his side, without scaring at you, because you have gentled him to
that position; but if you get down on your hands and knees, and crawl
towards him, he will be very much frightened; and upon the same
principle he would be frightened at your new position, if you had the
power to hold yourself over his back without touching him. Then the
first great advantage of the block is to gradually gentle him to that
new position in which he will see you when you ride him.
Secondly, by the process of leaning your weight in the stirrups, and on
your hand, you can gradually accustom him to your weight, so as not to
frighten him by having him feel it all at once. And, in the third place,
the block elevates you so that you will not have to make a spring in
order to get on the horse’s back, but from it you can gradually raise
yourself into the saddle. When you take these precautions, there is no
horse so wild but what you can mount him without making him jump. I have
tried it on the worst horses that could be found, and have never failed
in any case. When mounting, your horse should always stand without being
held. A horse is never well broken when he has to be held with a tight
rein when mounting; and a colt is never so safe to mount as when you see
that assurance of confidence, and absence of fear, which cause him to
stand without holding.