Getting On A Horse

[The Cowboy]

When I watch a weatern movie the horse is always mounted from the left hand side, why is this?

[hc4361]

No you won't - start off facing the rear, swing over, face front. I've just tried it with my sofa. Not quite the same but it worked - I ended up facing the opposite way to where I started.

[welshlibranr]

don't know why, but I have always mounted a horse from the left, just seems right, forgive the pun!...........

[DTCwordfan]

This is definitely off colour now......

[ELVIS68]

If you stand on the horses left and put your right foot in the stirrup how are you going to end up facing the right way?

Unless you sit cross legged

[DTCwordfan]

or the saddle is on the wrong way around.

[The-Toff-]

hc is looking at the horse from the front,

[wildwood]

Doesn't matter which way HC is facing, from the front or rear, if you stand on the left and put your right foot in the stirrup and swing (over the neck with your left foot) then you end up facing the smelly bit of the steed, even if the saddle is back to front. You can always try throwing you left leg backwards over the rump but that would need a very agile rider, and you'de still end up facing the wrong way. lol

[wildwood]

I see what you mean Toff, but if you're facing the horse from the front, the horse's left is still on the left side.

[tank1960]

never mounted a horse

[Clanad]

Grasscarp has the best answer... but from the American perspective (as well as horse country here in the western U.S.) it doesn't have to go back to medieval days. The U.S. Cavalry, (and most other countries) since it's inception, wore their sabres on the left side (again, primarily because most are right handed) and mounting the horse from the left keeps the sabre and its scabbard out of the way.
Still can't picture anyone getting on their horse in the manner hc4361 prescribes without winding up facing the ass end of the horse...

Additionally, cataract surgery is exremely common here in the U.S. In and out in 30 minutes, vision quality greatly improved (near 20/20)...surely the NHS does this in the U.K., no?

[tigerlelly]

If your right leg is in the stirrup on the horse's left it doesn't matter which way you are facing when you mount it you will still end up looking at the horse's tail. Your left leg is always on the horse's left when riding so unless you change which leg is in the stirrup mid-swing I don't see how it can be done.

[The Cowboy]

Great set of answers, gave me a good laugh. I am left handed but mounted a bike from the right. When you put your left foot into the stirrup your foot faces the horses head, throw the right leg over and you automatically end up facing forward. Re cataracts I am due to have an operation sometime in September.

[icemaiden]

I do western riding and I was taught to mount on both sides. Sometimes in some situations out on a trail, it's impossible to mount on the left side so ideally you should be able to mount on both sides.
English, I think is more strict and you only mount on the left.

hc4361-As everyone has said, you would face the horses bum if you were to mount the way you describe. Gave me a giggle though.

[ChuckFickens]

LOL....

I want to see HC riding a horse now!

[Barmaid]

I mount from the left - always have done. I dismount to the left too (unless the horse throws a wobbly and I leave over its head).

[jno]

surely right foot in left stirrup can only end up one way, hc? Good for shooting Indians coming up behind you, not so good for navigating.

[Euphemia]

I do recall mounting by leapfrogging on over the tail to ride pillion in gymkhana events in my long past youth.

[wildwood]

I don't want HC to get too much of a derision as I believe that at some stage he stated left as you face the horse, by which perhaps he meant the right side of the animal.

It was refreshing to see everyone have a good giggle though.