Have computer narrator Jennifer read this article to you
Most horse owners have witnessed at least one time a horse that seriously doesn't like to be tied up. Whether resulting in just a slight reaction from treading on their own lead rope or a serious pull back when tied to a fence, the underlying problem can be extremely serious and in many cases dangerous, to the horse and anyone else within the vicinity.
No matter what kind of equine pursuit you favour, all of us at some time have to be able to tie our horses up, even if just for a short moment to get a drink or answer the call of nature. And as many of us have found out, those few seconds can be an eternity for a horse that just won't tie up. Some horse owners deal with the problem by simply looping the lead rope over a rail, so that if the horse pulls away he can get free so whilst he's being a good boy he'll stand at the rail, but if he tries to walk away he's really not tied. Other people deal with it by tying the horse to a piece of bailing twine ... once again the horse may think he's tied, but if he should pull back, he can break the string and get away. Both of these techniques may work in the short term, however they also both mask the fact that there is a more serious issue that needs addressing ... the horse simply does not tie up.
A 500kg horse on the end of a strong lead rope, putting all its strength and fear into getting free can be a terrifying sight. Especially if there is a small child nearby trying to get the horse free, or it is tied to a horse float by the side of a busy highway while the owner is changing a tyre. The fact is that you never know when you are going to have to tie your horse up so for your sake and that of your horse you'd best make sure that he ties up properly.
Personally I've traveled many many miles with my horses to thousands of locations, and in all sorts of situations. Whilst I'm always looking out for the best interests of my horses, sometimes circumstances are not quite ideal and I've had to make sure my horse is securely tied to the most solid thing I can find. If I can't put them in a secure yard and I have to tie them for a time, I want to be sure that they're going to be where I left them when I get back.
So ... why do many horses have issues with being tied up and what do we do about it? The Cause As with all things, instead of laying the blame on the horse, let's take a look at why some horses have problems being tied up. Have you ever seen a horse stand quietly for a long time, maybe even half an hour or more, or even many times in a row, without any hint of a problem and then all of a sudden they pull back for all they're worth? We then look around frantically for what scared the horse to make him pull back. The fact is though, even if there may have been a scary thing somewhere (often there isn't!) that explains why the horse startled and got scared, it is not necessarily why he pulled back. A dog suddenly coming into line of sight may startle a horse, but most horses aren't so scared of a dog that they need to run away from it. If they were, there'd be a lot more people getting dragged around by their horses on the end of a lead rope or being run off with. Getting a fright is one thing, pulling back is another. And I'm sure we've all seen a horse pulling back for no reason! So yes ... fear may trigger it, but what is the cause? Remember, horses are very intelligent creatures who have survived on this planet for millennia. As prey animals they are incredibly efficient at survival because of their finely tuned instincts ... those to flee and to be aware of everything around them. Therefore, there always a reason for what they do. I refer in this case to an earlier article in the Road to Horsemanship series, on Sensitive Spots on the horse and, in particular in this case, to the Death Spot.
The Death Spot can be found immediately behind the ears of the horse and is where the spinal column is closest to the outside of the horse. It is a very sensitive spot and horses instinctively know that it is one of the prime locations that an attacking predator will strike. One good swipe at this point can sever the spinal cord and disable the horse rendering him flightless, which is the worst thing that can happen to a horse. So he will do whatever it takes to protect this spot. Even if we use a really strong halter to tie him up and it may hurt him to pull on it, he'll just panic even more when he feels pressure here and pull back harder in an attempt to get away and find release. Many young foals have been killed before they even get a chance in life, because the first time they felt pressure at this point from a foaling slip (foal halter), they reared up and flipped over, breaking their necks. Most horses are happy to stand quietly with a halter on whilst it is just hanging there inertly, but as soon as they feel a little pressure, their reaction can become quite violent. If you watch a horse that pulls back, often you'll see in the first moment when he puts a bit of weight on the halter, that he is not overly fearful, until he feels the pressure increase and then things change very quickly. You'll see the fear intensify in an instant as the right-brain kicks in.
This can explain why a horse can be standing quietly one minute and then, without warning, become panic stricken the next, or why a horse seems to have an exaggerated reaction to something seemingly not that scary. The Cure Covering up the problem by avoiding tying your horse up or tying to a piece of string will not fix the problem. At best it will only mask it for the time being, and at worst, it will exacerbate the problem because any problem left untended tends to intensify. So, what do you do to fix it?
We have two issues here to deal with.
1) confidence and 2) yielding to pressure.
If a horse is confident in himself, in you and in his surroundings he will be less likely to feel the need to escape and therefore pull back.
The second issue is yielding to pressure. At Quantum Savvy, one of our key principles is that horses always have options. So where you may ask is the option in being tied up? We know we need to be able to tie our horse up, however tying up does take away the option to flee. Fleeing is a good option in the horse world, but there are times in the human world, such as we've already mentioned, when fleeing is not such a good idea. So we need to teach the horse that he does have an option ... the option to find comfort. Instead of finding it through fleeing, it can be found through yielding to pressure. In other words, he needs to learn that he can find comfort by yielding to the halter instead of pulling back on it to try to escape. This will only work if you have also helped your horse to become confident at the same time. You can teach your horse to yield to pressure all you like, but if he is not confident, he won't be able to yield to the halter and stand still ... he'll still be scared and want to run away. These types of horses tend to run away (pull back) and then run right into the thing they were tied to.
To build your horses confidence, a good place to start is by desensitising him. Teach him, by using rhythm, timing and releasing when he tries, to be able to handle things all over his body and in his personal space. If you are not sure about what to do, take a look at these free videos from the QS programme for more ideas and information. Lesson One Chapter Two and Lesson One Chapter Three. Get to where you can touch him anywhere on his body with your hands, a stick, your rope, plastic bags, anything you can think of and the more the better. Then do the same in his personal space, all around him. This will really help him to relax and not react so much to his surroundings. Once you've done this, familiarize him with objects in his environment that may be scary ... tractors, burnt logs, motor bikes etc. Many horse owners will say things like my horse doesn't like plastic bags / motor bikes / flapping objects' etc.
Avoiding these scary things won't fix the problem, in fact it'll make it worse as horses are sceptical by nature and will become even more sceptical if never exposed to these things. Doing what we call the Flight Test will help here. Check out these videos for help with this task. Lesson Two Chapter Five, Lessons Two Chapter Six The other thing you'll need to do is teach him to yield to pressure so that when he does feel the pressure of the halter, he won't panic and become right brained. It is not a natural thing for a horse to yield to pressure ("from a preditor") on his body, his instinct is to push through pressure and escape, so it may take a bit of practise. Teach him to yield from the pole and the rest of his body too, as it is a concept that will help you in many situations. You'll need to be patient, use your phases (apply pressure gradually ... see Phases article from the RTH series) and release the pressure quickly when he tries. It's the release that teaches the horse, so this last point is crucial. The Lesson One videos will also help you with teaching your horse to yield to pressure. Lesson One Chapter Four, Lesson One Chapter Five
Once you've done both of these things, you can test it out by looping the rope once over a rail, to simulate your horse being tied up. Use a plastic bag or similar to gradually add a bit of pressure to your horse, so that he backs into the halter and feels pressure at the pole. If he reacts and pulls back a little you can let the rope slide a bit but make sure the pressure stays the same. Remember it's the release that teaches him so if you let go now and he finds comfort you've just taught him to pull back. If he comes forward and releases the pressure himself, even just a tiny bit, make sure you release too and stop waving the bag straight away. Now you've taught him to think and yield to the pressure. If he still has alot of trouble with this, then you have some more homework to do, so go back to the beginning and do some more. Yielding from pressure at the poll is a big deal for horses so expect a few reactions from time to time. However, if you are patient your reward will be a horse that you can confidently tie up anywhere at anytime. So even if it takes you a few months, it'll be worth it for years of trouble free tying up. Your horse may still get a fright from time to time when tied up he may even test out the halter and rope you have him tied with, however if you've done a good job he'll know how to find comfort and release and he'll stay left brained and relax again. Well worth the investment of time and effort.
DO's and Don'ts
- Do teach your horse to be confident and yield to pressure so you can tie him up securely. You never know when the day will come that you have to be able to do this and you want to make sure that your precious friend is going to be okay. You'd never forgive yourself if he got loose and hurt someone, or got hit by a car etc.
- Do learn how to tie quick release knots so you can get him undone quickly if need be. Add a safety latch if you have a cluey horse.
- Do use a narrow, soft rope halter that is almost weightless to wear and that will apply pressure should he pull back. He needs to feel the discomfort of pulling back so that he has something to yield from. It will also give high comfort and release as soon as he yields.
Definite Don'ts
- Don't tie your horse to an unhitched horse-float, or anything unsecured.
- Don't tie him to a net fence or anything that can become a moveable barrier trap should he pull it away from its posts etc.
- Don't tie your horse to an old or rickety fence or to a cross rail, unless its very sturdy. An upright post is the better part of a fence to tie to.
- Don't tie him so long that he gets himself in trouble if he puts his head down to graze and steps over his rope.
- Don't tie him too short either, that he has nowhere to go. He should be able to reach the ground but that's enough.
- Don't tie a complicated knot that takes forever to undo.
- Don't tie your horse near a gate or to a gate.
- Don't use a wide halter on your horse especially when tying him up. It may stop him from getting away however it won't teach him anything. The wider and stronger a halter is, the easier it is for a horse to pull back against as it distributes the weight being put on it therefore having no pressure point. Even though it may stop him from escaping, it is more likely to teach him to pull back and in many cases it'll make the situation worse, by making it comfortable to pull back. A narrow soft halter is a far better tool.
- This article was written by Meredith Ransley