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Leaving a horse tied for hours?

61K views 192 replies 63 participants last post by  Azale1 
#1 ·
What is the point of leaving a horse in training tied for hours? I know that the theory is that it teaches them patience, but it seems cruel to me. I am trying to be open minded as some of the trainers that I am considering for my horse use this practice and I know that I have heard some of the big name trainers say that they will leave a horse tacked up and tied for hours. Interested in opinions pro and con.
 
#2 ·
I have no problem with a horse being taught to tie for hours, it's very useful if you are a show without stalls to be able to tie your horse for most of the day.

I don't believe in tying for a punishment, or to let a horse 'think about' something it did wrong, not very productive, in my opinion.

I teach my guys to tie by starting for a short time, and gradually leaving longer and longer times. It's a lesson like any other.

If they are tied for a long time then I have them tied with a hay bag, and will offer water, it's not a punishment, so they shouldn't be deprived of anything.
 
#3 ·
My trainer and I each have a 4yr old. She was in-between facilities, so she sent her 4yr old to a well-known local trainer to be started. As part of his "starting" he tied her horse up for most of a day (hay and water was given multiple times). I bought my horse from a trainer who didn't believe in tying a horse up for any more time than absolutely necessary.

My trainer has a 4yr old that sleeps in the cross ties. I have a 4yr old that dances around in the cross ties, like the barn floor is made of lava. :roll: I cannot get more than 6" away from him without him going utterly berserk. Literally, if I forget something in the tack room, I've got to haul him with me because he *will* hurt himself if I leave and the tack room is all of 10ft away.

As soon as we have a safe place to tie him, guess whose about to spend some serious time learning to stand still!! :?
 
#4 ·
There's no harm in tying for hours as long as the situation is safe, obviously. As pointed out, there are many situations where having a horse that can tie for long periods of time is very useful. Shows, camping, events, even playdays.
 
#8 ·
It's an over exaggeration until you NEED your horse to stand tied for a long period of time.

Picture being on a trail ride with a friend and something very traumatic happens and you are left immobile. Your friend must ride to get help and you are left there unable to move and function.

In order to hurry, your friend cannot take your horse with her (pony the horse).

Would you rather have a horse that will stand tied (maybe even ground tied) until help arrives, or one that wants to dance around on top of you when you are in physical pain?

I know this is a fictitious story, but it could happen (and probably has happened) to you or someone that may eventually own your horse.

I have seen horses nap in the pasture in the same area for hours. I don't see how them having a halter on and tied to a tree (or something similar) could be perceived as cruel or mean.
 
#6 ·
I also don't think there is anything cruel about tying for hours. It's amazing for teaching a horse patience.

Agree with Golden Horse that this shouldn't be for a form of punishment and you should never leave a horse for a long period of time without water.

I would recommend tying in a place where someone can keep an eye on the horse, especially if the horse is not used to being tied alone.
 
#9 ·
Personally, I don't think it's exactly nice becuase horses were made to move and roam when needed, but I don't think it's necessarily cruel.
If the horse has water and hay (and even if they don't, I think a couple of hours without hay/water isn't going to seriously hurt anything) and there is a purpose for being left tied (teaching patience because that's a skill the horse is lacking, not leaving them tied becuase they were "bad" or something) I think it has its place.
I think it could be easily misused though so you probably want to be careful of that. I'd say that 3 hours is probably the longest a horse should have to stand tied. I mean, that seems like it's long enough to get the idea of patience across/get the horse comfortable with standing tied and I can't really imagine a reason to need to have a horse tied for longer than that... But that's just my opinion.
 
#10 ·
If horses could be tied up for hours at a time back when cowboys got drunk in the bars I think they can handle it today. Just have water with it and it's not cruel. Once it's untied and back in its paddock everything will be fine and it will get over being tied up. I'd just keep an eye on it though, so it doesn't manage to do anything to hurt itself while being tied up. Being bored for a few hours isn't the end of the world :-p
 
#15 ·
If horses could be tied up for hours at a time back when cowboys got drunk in the bars I think they can handle it today.
I didn't think about that, either! Some horses today are, in my opinion, very spoiled. In pioneer days, horses weren't given paddocks or great fenced in pastures-- they were tied to a stake in the ground and that's the only area they had for the whole day (I just finished the Little House books again, and was reminded of that now). Sure, some horses should be allowed to run free, but they don't have to be. No one cried out "abuse!" when a horse was tied for several hours, it was just natural.

Hmm.. bit of a rant there.. sorry! My horses are spoiled rotten. I'll admit it. My mare will stand tied forever, but my yearling... well, he needs to learn some manners. He tried to roll next to the wire fence he was tied next to when the farrier came the other day.
 
#11 ·
I think it's a great thing to do. A lot of people think I'm mean for teaching my horse to stand with hobbles, but then they wonder why I am able to leave him out in the middle of the barn isle untied and him not run or even walk away.

My barrel horse, on the other hand, prances around like an idiot, so we've got work on that with her. :)
 
#12 ·
It's amazing how useful tying a horse for hours can be... example, I had a yearling hurt his leg in the field, noone but my 12 year old brother was home, he called me panicking because he didnt know what to do.. i told him to catch chevy, and Tie him in the barn so I could look at it when i got home (wasnt as serious as he thought), ... Chevy was the most paitent 3 year old I have ever seen... when told to stand he would, he would let young childern crawl all over him, and wouldnt budge, I could ride him to the lake and go for a swim, and not worry about him freaking out while being tied up and hurting himself... it also made breaking him quick and painless...
 
#13 ·
All of mine learn from weanling to tie and by the time they are weaned will tie for as long as I need them too. Think about it. Even if you trail ride and camp the horse need to tie and tie for a long time. Show horses also at times will not be showing at places with stalls so they need to learn to tie and stay tied for a long period of time.

I have horses who will stand in their stall and sleep where they are tied up. Even when they are not.
 
#18 ·
By that same train of thought, isn't it cruel to keep horses in standing stalls? Horses were designed to stand easily, and can spend HOURS napping on their feet.

All my horses learn to tie well, and it's a blessing at events where I don't want to pay for a stall and I certainly don't feel like building a makeshift paddock. My horses stand quietly tied to the trailer, with hay and water available, for hours at a time.

Horses spend MOST of their day standing with their heads in a feeder anyway, how is this much different? I think it's an invaluable tool!
 
#19 ·
Standing while tied for extended periods of time not only teaches "patience", it's basic submission.

Some trainers are good at teaching submission through other, more subtle or more complex ground work methods, but standing while tied is a good, very basic way of doing it.

It's really the equivelent of teaching a dog a "long down" for basic submission at the beginning of obedience training - a horse that sleeps on the cross ties is the equivelent of a dog that naps on a long down. Not only have they learned basic submission, they're relaxed about it.

I agree with the poster who asked "How long do you think you want your horse to stand quietly?" I want a horse that will stand quietly, tied to the trailer, with a hay net in front of him for 8 - 10 hours at a stretch, with an occassional water break.
 
#20 ·
Okay; I think this is all wonderful and though I have taught other horses in the past to do this, it has been way long ago and I remember some not-so-good incidents that happened at the time.

I now have an 18 year old that does not stand well; it really irks him and he will try and untie. break halters, etc. to get loose. (he even broke a small tree)

Teach me to teach him, please.........
 
#34 ·
Firstly, I am not anyone, but a person who has worked and studied horsemanship and management for many years. I do take credit in having been told by an accredited trainer that I was an assest to his barn and got put on his payroll as an associate to his business. I have several issues to address here, but your's takes priority in my "mind's eye".

Secondly, I never worked with a horse in a training situation, a camping trip with our horses without a very sharp, specially made rope cutting knife. Never can know when it might have come in handy for emergencies. Thankfully I never needed it.

idw - This is an exact rendition of what I did to train my QH mare to stop pulling back, breaking lead rope bull snaps and stand tied quietly when ever necessary, which was very often. What you need to do with your 18 y/o is get a 1/4 inch nylon rope-tied halter with braided in lead and about a separate 15 foot of 3/4 diameter nylon braided rope. Take the 15 foot of nylon rope and make a very strong, very non-slip knot with a loop big enough to go over your horse's head and hang about a foot or so below the jowl groove. Then with the knotted halter with lead attached run the loose end of the 'neck rope" back down the jowl space between it and the halter. The next step, and make this indelible in your mind's eye, do not tie in any fashion a hard and fast tie knot of either the lead rope or the neck rope. Tie the halter lead rope then tie the tail of the neck rope about a foot or so longer. When you horse sets back the rope halter will stop him for certain, but the neck rope will be there for insurance.
 
#21 ·
Tree/Pole of knowledge :D
 
#22 ·
my horses were tied for 8-10hrs a day where i got them from. its awesome, because you can leave them anywhere and they immediately fall asleep. they are so trustworthy.

obviously if they are tied for a long time they get water, its really no different then standing in a stall after they run out of hay all night.
 
#23 ·
I am another that expects my horses to stand tied as long as I need them to. That can range anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours. What I like to do with young horses is give them a good ride, put their halter back on, and depending on how the session went and whether I decide they need another one later, I will either untack, wash them off, and tie them up or leave them tacked up and tie them up while I work with others. I consider it an action worthy of pride when I can jump off a horse in the middle of working cattle, loop a bridle rein over the fence, and come back 3 hours later to him still standing there even when he could have easily just walked away from the fence. I like a horse that sees the tie or feels the tie, and the first thing they do is cock a hind leg and go to sleep.

Just a few months ago, my brother was riding with me when he came off a bronc and broke 3 ribs. Didn't have time to untack and put up the horses so his horse stayed in the roundpen and the filly that I was riding got a halter put on and was tied up to the trailer. Come back home from the ER like 5 hours later and guess where the filly was. Still tied to the trailer with the saddle on and her eyes closed.

Maybe it's the way I grew up or something, I don't know, but I just cannot fathom why a person would be completely accepting of a horse that will break loose when tied:?.
 
#24 ·
I don't think it's necessary to leave a horse tied up to teach them to tie. However, I think it's necessary to teach a horse to tie in order to leave them tied up. :)

Teaching is the key here and that is where I usually differ with the "training" barns that drag them over to the wall where they get tied and are left. I have never done that and yet all my horses tie for as long as I need. In fact, the show Arab that I got years ago could not be tied because he went kookoo every time but then I taught him and now it is no problem at all. In fact, motorcycles went past us a couple years ago when he was tied to the trailer and when I came back from the other side he was patiently waiting for me.

Someone said please teach me.. I can't think of a good DVD but basically what you do is get a 22' line and loop it around a fence rail. The horse is attached to one end and it gets looped around a fence rail or better still a hitching rail. Now you are going to slap a stick/string/whip onto the ground around the horse and he is probably going to pull back. This when you get a chance to teach him to yield to the pressure on his poll. The idea here is not to make the rail hold the horse it is to teach the horse to yield to the pressure so that when they feel it the just have to yield and that is where they find the sweet spot. viola. Horses that don't tie have not been taught to lead.
 
#26 ·
Horses, unfortunately, need to learn to tie because of human society. Wild horses naturally travel 20-30 miles a day, so standing tied for very long isn't natural to them, & doesn't keep their circulation going.

Agreed with TLO that you must teach the horse to yield to poll pressure in an approach-retreat fashion, rather than hog-tie him to something solid & "see if he injures himself", & even worse, gets his spirit broken/loses trust in the human.

Horses who go to sleep when tied ARE bored/frustrated & so they "check out" by sleeping. Just because they're living beings, we want to bore them as little as possible.
 
#27 ·
The only time I think tying a horse in training would be cruel is if the person tied it in the sun or in a muddy area.

Tying doesn't hurt the horse, and it does teach them to be patient. Horses don't really have a need to lay down like we need to sit, so standing isn't really a problem for them.

I also think its practical to teach a horse to tie for long periods because there more than likely will be an instance in a horses life where it will have to be tied for more than 30 minutes in one setting.

If you are looking to show, there (usually) aren't pastures or corrals to turn your horse out while you are waiting for your class/turn. When there are corrals, you usually have to pay big $$ to get them. No corral or pasture means one of two things: Your horse is either tied or in a stall.
I don't know about you, but I would be embarrased if I was the one whose horse was going bezerk because he isn't used to being stuck in one spot for 2 or 3 hours.

Another place this skill is essential is trail riding. God forbid something happen to you, your horse, or another person or horse, but when an emergency strikes, it usually does so when you least expect it.
I was on a trail ride this summer, and a guy's (he was fairly new to riding) horse bolted and he fell off, breaking his collarbone. We were miles from the nearest road. His wife took the guys horse and tied him to a tree, while his daughter rode back to their truck, drove all the way back (it took twice as long for her to get back). It took 2 hours for their daughter to arrive with the truck. All this time the guy and his wife's horses were tied. Neither of them caused a problem. Had they not been taought to tie for long periods, that would have been a mini nightmare.
 
#28 ·
I am the one that said teach me to teach him. One of you responed by saying a 22' line over a fence rail and make them pull back. I also said he sets her down~breaks the freaking brand new leather halter. He can really PULL. He broke a tree for crying out loud. Yes, we are working on leading correctly as well. He lags behind when we lead. We all inherit or sometimes buy horses that aren't the ideal already made into what I want horses. He is 18 years old. Do you have any avice on teaching him to tie, and if so how? I know it doesnt seem hard. I have just never owned a knucklehead like this before! Does anybody have any idea besides taking a 2x4 to his head???
 
#67 ·
I am the one that said teach me to teach him. One of you responed by saying a 22' line over a fence rail and make them pull back. I also said he sets her down~breaks the freaking brand new leather halter. He can really PULL. He broke a tree for crying out loud.
Use a rope halter and a stout tree.
 
#29 ·
I, too, find tying for long periods of time to be productive and necessary. I start out doing this with young horses going into training. I would not even bother to start saddling and handling as long as the youngster is 'reactive' and not 'settled'. They are only going to resist everything I do and will learn little until they are settled and accept being tied out by themselves. Accepting this goes hand in hand with being able to focus on me and learn what I am trying to teach them. Training goes exponentially faster and better when they are settled and accepting. Tying until they are relaxed and quiet accomplishes that.

Tying out away from other horses is how I handle ALL herd-bound horses. I have had it take several days of being tied out after morning feeding until evening feeding. By the third day, even the most frantic, herd-bound horse is ready to 'give it up'. In addition to learning that they must stand there -- no matter how much they want to be with their friend(s), they learn that there IS life after being tied and they learn that they WILL see their herd mates again. After that, all of their training goes much better.

There are several safe ways to tie out a horse, but my favorite is to use a heavy nylon rope WITH a good swivel snap. I tie it to an over-hanging tree limb and tie the horse to it with a good nylon web halter. I want the snap to hang to about wither height. You MUST have a good swivel snap as all horses will go around and around at first and they will twist their rope up. The swivel snap keeps the from getting in trouble. The rope hanging down from the tree limb keeps them from pawing a fence or other structure. Mad and reactive horses WILL self-destruct if given the chance, so I just don't give them the chance. The other 'plus' to tying from a big tree limb is that there is shade and air always circulates better out in a place like that.
 
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