When a horse won;t stand by the mounting block it is easy to send the owner off on a potentially expensive tour of back specialists and saddle fitters - both very important if there is any element of pain. In Nile's case, however, it was a simple case of miscommunication. As M approached the mounting block she would ask him to come to a halt by applying pressure on his left rein. Being the good responsive horse that he is, Nile took this not only to mean stop but also turn your head towards me. If you bring a horse's head towards you then the bottom will almost certainly go away as they are basically designed on the same lines as a plank! By asking Nile to stop with the right rein, this whole situation was resolved in a few minutes. Incidentally, he is still accepting his bit in 7 seconds flat!
