Sophie is, unfortunately, one of *those* horses. The ones who don't reliably tie. At some point her younger self probably got scared, pulled back, and got free. She's smart and I suspect it's now forever there as an option to try if she's scared (or frustrated) enough.
I've had a couple of horses like that. I suspect we probably all have owned or needed to manage one at some point. Then there's the flip side, the Bridgets of the world who would probably stand tied forever if that's how you left them, because it would never occur to them there is any other option.
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Thinks she is tied, will therefore stand at this tree until the end of time. |
The old school approach with the trickier ones used to be to just tie them, leave them, and let them figure it out. I actually know someone whose horse died that way. The poor horse stuggled a while before anyone could get him free and his death was not the result of just one 'unlucky' injury. So, count me as someone who would never try that.
My go to method with Sophie is to loop (rather than tie) the rope so there is resistance when she pulls back, but it doesn't catch. Normally she stops as soon as the rope gives a little, so there is no dramatic exit or anything like that, just me coming back to rewrap a foot or two of the rope again. Those blocker tie rings accomplish the same. I've had success cross tying where there is a wall behind them too to discourage that option (like in a wash or grooming bay).
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Ropes looped around posts - an imperfect solution but it seems to work. |
I also always leave her with a hay net or something else to keep her busy (she likes playing with the end of the rope or a brush (or really anything) and I let her - I want the experience to be fun and positive rather than stressful and looking for a reason to leave.
I also spend a little bit of time getting her to lower her head and give to pressure every day. Every time I put her halter on, I use it often when she wants to giraffe and be distracted, sometimes just to clip or trim her bridle path. It's a handy thing for them to know. She's a smart cookie, and it's been a long time since there's been any drama, but I'm not kidding myself that I've really solved anything - I'm just managing it until the next time her instincts take over.
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Bridget looks so offended, but you can see the broken snaffle bit someone attached to the post as a cheaper version of the blocker ties you can buy. |
When I see an article or video on teaching a horse to tie I'm all over it. I'd love to find a fail safe solution.
However, there was an incident here a while ago that got me thinking harder. It could have gone so, so, wrong. It kept me up at night for a while after, just in disbelief that everyone was OK. I feel nauseous just thinking it out now. As is the way, I also spent a good chunk of time wondering what I could do to keep myself and my horses safe in the same situation.
The (short, edited, version) of the story: Where I board, someone inexperienced tied a horse to some round pen panels. He pulled back and brought the whole series of panels with him. He ended up on top of and tangled in them, with a small kid, assorted saddle stands, saddles and gear, all now pinned underneath both the panels and the panicking horse. The whole mess got dragged over to two other horses who were tied at the barn(and now also trying to get out of there and kicking at the whole disaster behind them, one falling over in her attempt to get free) Only one of the three horses were tied with a quick release knot (which someone luckily was able to safely get to). None had any kind of gear that would have allowed them to break away - one was even tied in a rope halter. I have no idea how that little girl is OK (she was right under the horse for a bit), how the horses didn't break legs or worse, or honestly how anyone trying to help untangle the whole mess while it was happening (to get the little girl out) walked away unscathed. I was on a different part of the property and heard kids screaming and just arrived in time to get one of the horses tied at the barn out of the way and that felt sketchy enough.
I don't think I need to go into crazy detail on all the things that shouldn't have happened there. I doubt anyone reading this blog needs a safety PSA on tying horses properly.
It did get me thinking that I'm not sure there's any situation where I'd feel comfortable tying a horse where they couldn't potentially break away and leave if needed. So if I own one that knows they can take advantage of that, well I guess that's just life and I manage it as best I can. Quick release knots are fine and all, but it means you've got to be close enough and able to get to the end of the rope to pull it loose. Not so safe for you if there is one panicking pony, let alone a few of them.
I guess that means I just keep on keeping on with Sophie. She knows she can pull back and get away, I know she can pull back and (eventually) get away, but maybe we just keep our truce where she knows a good pony stays where they're put. If she does pull back, we have a deal where I won't make her feel trapped. Fingers crossed, she's been very honest about our little arrangement so far. It will be a bit to manage it properly outside our bubble (thinking of events where there is no stabling and everyone ties to the trailer, especially) but I can't be alone in this.
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Enjoys pretending to be wild and fierce, is actually quite civilized |
How well do your horses tie? Do you have any tips or tricks to reform the ones that pull back?