The Mane Street

Teaching Young Horses to Tie

Before you teach your young horse to tie it is very important that your horse knows how to lead, is comfortable being caught and handled.
When you are ready to start this lesson we should keep in mind how our horse might react. Horses are prey animals that use flight as their primary defense. When we restrain a horse we are essentially taking away their ability to use their strongest instinct. When a horse feels that he can no longer run away from danger or a stressful situation he will be more prone to fight. This fight can manifest itself in several forms. Pulling back, then lunging forward, striking out, rearing, and even throwing themselves to the ground are common. This is why the more comfortable your young horse is being led and handled the less likely he is to panic and chose a less desirable option than standing tied.

When preparing your horse to learn to tie the equipment you use may decide if the lesson is a success. I prefer a rope halter that fits properly and a lead rope that is tied directly to the halter. This is only because web halters and most lead ropes have snaps, buckles or other hardware that can break. If your horse ever breaks a halter or lead I will almost guarantee that he will try to break another one.

Also seriously consider what you tie him to. A solid wall is ideal but a solid fence post is usually adequate. Do not tie him to the board of a fence unless you want a wreck. I have seen horses drag sections of fence behind them after they have pulled and broke a board. I always consider the worst before I tie my horse to anything.

The easier the young horse is to catch and the more comfortable he is being touched the more prepared he is to be tied. This is simply because he needs to trust us before he will be comfortable with us removing his flight ability. If he does not like our attention he is not ready to start tying.
He will need to know how to yield to pressure. Leading is a good example of how he will give to a pull on the lead rope. If he braces on the lead rope as you try to lead him he will certainly brace or pull on the lead when he is tied.
When your young horse is happy being caught, he likes being touched or groomed and he will lead without resistance he is ready to learn to stand tied.

If you have an older horse that ties, tie him up first. Then tie your young horse near by. The rope should be tied short and high. If the rope is too long and/or too low he could get a foot over the lead rope and get hurt.
When you first tie him up do not leave him alone. Many horses will pull initially when they realize that they are tied up. The degree to which they pull varies greatly. If he does pull you need to be prepared to untie him if he gets into a wreck or falls down but do not untie him until he is in danger. He needs to learn that pulling is futile. If you release him when he is pulling he will learn that when he pulls you will untie him. This is what he wants so he will quickly put two and two together. If you wait until he stops pulling on his own then untie him he will also figure out that he was rewarded for not pulling.

Do not tie him for long periods. A few minutes at a time is enough. Try to make the time he is tied enjoyable for him. It is a good time for grooming or to be fed a little grain. Increase the time he spends tied as he becomes comfortable with it.
Do not always tie another horse beside him. He needs to know he is still ok to stand even though he may be alone. If he paws or paces initially do not worry about it. He is just trying to deal with a stressful situation. If you scold him for this it could be enough to push him into a scared tantrum. Over time most horses will just learn to stand quietly. Especially if you tie him up after a training session rather than before.

It is important not to introduce scary new things to your horse when it is standing tied. This could be overwhelming to him and you may be teaching him that when he is tied he gets scared. He is much more likely to start pulling when he is scared. Things should be introduced when he is free to move around. You can then re introduce things that he is comfortable with when he is tied.

Learning to stand tied is fundamental training that all horses should be comfortable with. The success you have teaching you horse this lesson will depend on the preparation you do. At some point you will need to tie your horse up, whether for the vet or farrier or there is no one around to hold him for you if you need to leave him. Do not take this lesson lightly as you are establishing now whether your horse will be safe to tie. If your horse is not safe to tie he could be a threat to himself and those around him.

Will Clinging 2004 (c)

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Teaching Young Horses to Tie

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