How to tie your horse.
Cross ties, hitching posts, and tie rings – what’s best?You have a lot of options here – and it usually depends on what is available at your facility. Whichever method that you choose, try and make it as safe as possible – which often can mean giving your horse an escape route. An already bad panic situation can become much worse if your horse realizes that he is forever tied to something and there is no “give”!
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Cross ties are great.
Cross ties are one option.
- Cross ties create a space for your horse to stand quietly while being groomed or tacked up. The actual cross ties can be rope, chain, hose, nylon, or even an elastic material.
- Perhaps the most important part is how they are attached to the wall and your horse, with safety/panic snaps or some sort of breakaway system.
- Common breakaway systems include the Equi-Ping or even a bit of bailing twine. Some folks like to use the breakaway system on the wall attachment of the cross ties so that if you need to cut it or release the panic snap, you don’t have to wrestle your horse’s head.
- Others like to use it on the halter end of the cross ties so that if your horse snaps it, he will run off without a cross tie attached to him.
- There are so many pros and cons of each method that I basically have both ends of the cross ties in a breakaway system. Just in case.
Some folks like both ends of the cross tie to have a safety release mechanism.
Some barns have hitching posts, which are usually just a rail to throw your lead rope over.
- I used one for years at a previous boarding stable! A safety release knot should always be used at the very minimum. However, know that even a release knot can be ridiculously difficult to release if the end of it is being pulled taut by your horse sitting back. To make this even safer, you can use a lead rope with a panic snap at the end.
I like the panic snaps to be easy to reach, even if your horse is flailing around.
You can also tie to the side of a barn, the stall, or a trailer with a tie ring.
- Ideally, the ring you use to tie to is at your horse’s eye level.
- A simple tie ring can be used with a slip release style knot, just like a hitching post or rail.
- To make this safer, add a panic snap to the lead rope, or use a bit of bailing twine to attach your lead rope to the tie ring.
One way to do things.
Blocker tie rings are a specific style of tie ring.
- These work by allowing you to slip in your lead rope without using a knot. If your horse panics and tries to pull back, the lead rope will give a little, releasing pressure. Your horse, if he’s particularly smart, may learn to just slowly back out of being tied.
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