How do I teach my horse to stand still for mounting?

Hello! A first step is to work the horse from the ground and teach it to stand still. This is not a job that sorts itself in a day, it takes work over time. From the ground, teach the horse to move in every direction off your aids and install a "pause button". I usually train it so that resting the whip across the croup means stand still, pause.

Once the groundwork is working, move on to the standing-still mounting work. Use the exercises you have practised from the ground, and once the horse is standing still, step up and "mount". If any stress or fizz creeps in, try the pause button. If that does not work, do a little more work on the exercises and then come back to the "mount". Focus on getting your horse relaxed and calm before you try, the whole point of the groundwork is to settle and focus your horse. Good luck 🙂