Tying for Training

Tying a horse can be highly beneficial in many ways. Not only is it for convenience and safety, but it can also be implemented as a training aid. Nowadays, there is much found praise for using patience poles and tying for the purpose of patience. I agree with much of the discussion but want to focus on the benefits of tying, even without a patience pole.

I believe that everyone can agree that a horse who does not tie can be frustrating or inconvenient to work with. There have been countless helpful exercises, articles written, clinics given and training aids made to help with the process of teaching the horse to tie. However, once a horse is trained to tie, the art of tying for training purposes can easily dissolve away when many horse owners are on a busy schedule and will often opt to ride versus ground training the horse.

Nonetheless, there is vast benefit in tying, including improvement of your rides.

Benefits of tying

Anytime that a horse is tied, they are being worked. They are mentally having to focus, or, as they become better at tying, they are practicing the art of relaxing and being patient. A horse who tends to be very busy under saddle, nervous, excitable, resistant or defiant can all find major calming effects from practicing being tied each day or periodically through the week. Tying can invoke both patience, coping skills, respect, relaxation and even serve as a boredom breaker from lack of stimulation. Even more, many horses can become sour if every time they are haltered they know they are going to be worked hard. Tying the horse and then releasing them without being worked can aid in teaching them to not be upset each time they are haltered.

Furthermore, the skill of relaxing and standing still while tied needs to be practiced. When going to a show, your horse may need to stand quietly and patiently while being braided. They may need to be tied while you wait for their hoof polish to dry before their class. They need to be relaxed and respectful to be tied for the farrier. They will need to be tied while in a trailer, heading down the road. They may need tied while you are out on the trails taking a lunch break. Yet if they do not practice standing tied, your horse that already knows how to tie may lose respect for being tied, get antsy and start dancing around while you are wondering why they are not standing still and relaxing.

How to practice tying

When practicing tying, the horse must first be trained to tie, meaning that the horse has been taught to give to pressure and has been worked with and supervised through the process of learning to tie.

Without a patience pole available, many people will use the option of a tie wall, tying in the stall or tying to a fence post. For a stalled horse, you have options of using a tie ring with a trailer tie, a tie rope or tie chain to make it much more time efficient versus having to knot a lead rope every time you practice tying. If you do use a lead rope, be sure that you are using some form of a quick release knot to ensure that you can quickly get a horse untied if they get into a bad situation.

The horse should be tied with their head in a natural position. The tie rope or tie strap should be short enough that the horse cannot get into danger by putting their head underneath it, nor should the rope be too short thus making the tying process uncomfortable and defeating the purpose of learning to relax; usually about 18 to 24 inches of length will be about appropriate. When using a tie ring in a stall, mount the tie ring at the natural height of the horses poll or just above so that when they are tied their head is in a natural and comfortable position.

Breakaway halter or not?

Trainer by trainer and barn by barn will have different policies. Some barns will want a horse to be tied in a way that if they pull back the halter or tie will break away. They often use leather breakaway halters, panic snaps, baling twine tie rings or other means to have a breakaway option so that the horse does not strain if they pull back.

Other trainers and barns may say the opposite; don’t use anything that will break away. Use a flat nylon halter with a solid tie strap so that the horse cannot learn that they can easily free themselves by pulling back.

Either way, always use a halter that is well fitted and comfortable for the horse. This discussion as to which option you should use, breakaway or solid tying, is one for your personal trainer or barn owner, as well as based off of the horses individual needs. There are tremendous pros and cons to both sides. The decision is ultimately into the hands of the owner of the horse; each of our responsibilities is to be sure that regardless of preference, that the horse is comfortable and safe.

How long to tie and when?

When first starting to utilize trying as a training method, it is recommended to start for a short amount of time, 10 or 15 minutes. You can then work your way up from there in 10 minute increment until you hit 60 minutes. The horse should always be supervised and never left alone. At the same time though, for this exercise, you should not be hovering over the horse and actively working with them. This is not the time to groom, it is a time for the horse to learn to cope on their own as they practice tying. Instead, use this time for barn upkeep, aisle sweeping, tack cleaning, just as long as you can hear the horse if they get into trouble and can check on them frequently without disrupting them.

Some horses who tend to be very busy can benefit from being tied daily. Other horses may do just fine with a few days per week of tying practice. Either way, be sure that you are practicing tying at an appropriate time of day to be sure that you are setting your horse up for success. Do not practicing tying for training during feed hours, or when their buddy is going to be leaving to go out for a ride, or during their normal turnout times. Try to find a downtime, aside from feeding, turnout and riding, where this time can be devoted to practicing this skill. By doing so, you are not only getting the benefit of this training practice but the horse is also getting more mental stimulation in addition to their normal routine.

The horse will not be upset with you that you were the one to tie them up. They will however, notice that you were the one to release them at the end of the tying session.

About the author:

Liz Haben, M.Ed., is an associate professor of equestrian science in undergraduate studies and an instructor of graduate studies for equestrian education. Additionally, she a collegiate judging team coach, a trainer and avid competitor within the western industry. She has coached, trained and shown Pinto World champions, APHA champions, AQHA point earners and Class A Arabian champions.