foals learning to stand tied

[mustangdara]

I was at a horse barn the other day and there were two little ones standing like old pros tied to thier stalls, and they were smaller than my filly...maybe they were POA'S or somthing. so...I was woundering if any of you have tips on teaching a young one to stand tied. i will be weaning my filly soon and would like to also start tieing her.
I have seen some tie to a small inertube then that is atached to the tieing post. my filly seems to learn REALLY fast so i dont imagine a huge long drawn out fight...but she is a horse who knows what will happen..lol.
*How long should i let her stand in the start?
*rope or regular halter better for learning?

[kimk]

I am a real fan of the Blocker Tie Ring. ( or commercialized by Clinton Anderson as the "Aussie Tie Ring" )
Teaching leading and giving to pressure before beginning to teach tying is essential.
Kim

[fantasykiger]

I am with Kim ...an awesome little tool is the Blocker Tie ring and Clinton Anderson's method of how to train to stand tied is a good watch if you can see them on DVD or RFDTV.

[angelsdream]

Great question! I'll be going thru this soon with Bella. How do you introduce them to this?

[DianneC]

I don't have a safe place to tie a horse hard, but with Prairie we taught her to give to pressure even if I didn't seem involved. I passed the rope around her butt (desensitized to a rope around her butt first) and stood off the opposite hip. She had to follow the feel of the rope instead of just coming to me. Then I used a slick tall stump of a tree to get her used yielding to the pressure coming from different angles from where I was. When she got to her new home she pulled back a couple times, but not hard and then just stood there.

[Michelle Clarke]

Diane, those are great exercises that should be done BEFORE any tieing off! I never ever tie any of mine until they are close to 3 years of age, due to the damage that can easily be done to the growth plates in the neck and spinal colum...in fact, a client of mine just found out her yearling has a fracture in his neck - and she ties him all the time - related? I don't know, but scares me.

First we put them in stocks when they are two years old. That teaches them to learn to be confined without getting hurt. After that, we use a long 22' lead rope and run it over the top of our fence (it is 6' high pipe with 4"x4" mesh, so it is very safe). I hold one end of it and feather it when needed so they work into giving alot easier. I do it on both sides. Once they are tied, I give them a long enough rope to hang down to the middle of the chest, then I move them back and forth on the fence until they roll the hindquarter over when they feel pressure from the knot under the chin. I work at this until they go forward and give the hindquarter with the knot slack and no pressure on the rope. After a few days of this, I repeat this exercise with a flag - this teaches them to give even under diress. Again, it needs to be done until they are soft in body and mind. If it is left when they are upset, you will teach them to pull when they are upset.

This is usually a easy thing, as it has been taught from when they were small with the neck rope. I first teach them to step slightly side to side, making sure the nose follows the rope first, then the front leg comes with. Then right away I teach them when they feel the rope have any backward pressure, they roll those hindquarters over. I step past the shoulder, slide down the rope and hold. If they get confused I may use the end of the rope to tap the hindend (which they already know because since they have been born, I have taught them to give the hindend up). It takes only one quick session to teach them to stay off the neck rope and give those feet up every time. The hardest part is the human has to be consistant EVERY time.

Once they start training as a three year old, they get tied for hours. While we have class or have work sessions, sometimes they can stand there up to 6 hours at a time. We even get to where a bunch will be tied only a few feet apart, and teach them to all stand lined up straight and not fuss or kick at each other. During class, sometimes as much as 12 horses will be tied in a line - all getting along and standing quiet; a great exercise!

So, I know that is not a popular opinion - waiting until they are older, but that is just how we do it here and it works very well for us!

[fantasykiger]

The blocker tie always gives a release. That is why I have chosen it as my method of teaching horses to stand tied. It is easier just to have you look at a dvd or program where CA explains the particulars. In preperation of standing tied I agree it should start with ground training lessons on how to give to pressure, so they under stand the basic concept.

[DianneC]

There is some evidence that a neurological condition can be caused by early injury to the neck from pulling back hard. The Blocker is good, but you have to stay close so they don't pull enough rope through that they can get tangled in it or get away. The other thing that is essential is that they already have been sacked out with a rope dragging the ground around them. Just in case they get away. If they do the rope can panic them into going through a fence and really getting hurt. You might drag a rope on the ground in decreasing circles while they ate something wonderful, drag a rope on the other side of you as you lead them etc.

[fantasykiger]

It is important that you do the training for standing tied with the Blocker tie ring. You can not just go out buy a blocker tie ring and call it solution solved.
I think Dianne has made some valid points about the rope as well. It sounds so simple "I want to teach my horse to stand tied" yet there is a whole proccess of steps that come first.

[nrly]

good advice here, we do not tie where it will not give of any of our horses have to be tied. I always was told if they are forced to stay tied while in a frenzy, then it could always be a problem, but if they learn that it isn't a bugger then they tend to be allot better..we no longer tie Stormy when we saddle, or groom. We just lay the rope on the rail, and if she feels she needs to get away then she can.

[mustangdara]

Thank you all for the advice!
I just have the lead rope over my arm while grooming and mess with her she stands real good for that. She leads fairly good and has not been pulling on me or pushing on me. She dose real well while being led, when mom and auntie start running around like dorks she just kind of dances in place. I also have had her drag her led rope long ago..i feel like they learn SO MUCH from that, like giving to the pressure when they step on the rope and seeing the rope following them I i will do alot more sacking out and giving to pressure before i even think about tieing. I have heard alot about the Tie Ring....they are just so stinkin spendy...but its for saftey so i am sure worth the money!

[fantasykiger]

If you do not want to spend the money for a spending tie ring ...here is inexpensive solution. I learned this as I watched a program on the inventor of the rie ring. The very first tie ring was simply just half of a O-ring snaffle bit. I purchased my original Blocker tie-rings at a ranch supply store Big R for less then $20.00 each. Of course there is more then one kind of blocker tie-ring. The new updated version with magnets to keep the flapper in place and stuff I would imagine is more spendy.

[Leesa]

We use the blocker tie ring, and like it very much, but we don't put our youngsters on it at all. We prefer to teach our horses to ground tie first. We use the tie blocker if we are doing a lot of moving around the barn (away from the horse/s) so they don't venture off to start grazing and if there are a number of horses out in the isles at one time especailly if it is one of the stallions.
Leesa