All horses need to learn to tie safely. No matter what discipline you ride in, having a horse that stands tied in any environment is essential. Knowing how and when to tie a horse is just another part of good horsemanship.
The Blocker Tie Ring
One of the very best pieces of equipment you can get to teach your horse to tie is the Blocker tie ring. The Blocker tie ring is a snap connected to a metal ring with a movable vertical piece that sits inside the round part. To use it, make a loop in your lead rope about two feet from the halter. Make the loop by folding the rope in half. Put the loop into the ring and place the metal center piece of the tie ring through the loop, then push it up to connect it to a magnet at the top of the tie ring. Make sure the middle piece of metal opens away from you and doesn’t face you, or the metal piece will come off of the magnet if your horse pulls on it.
The tie ring is designed to let the rope slide through when a horse pulls back on the rope. This way if your horse panics the rope will slide through the tie ring, allowing the horse to move backward. When the horse can move he doesn’t feel trapped and will stop pulling. The tie ring will hold the rope firmly so it isn’t easily pulled out of the ring. It also has a couple of different settings that change how easily the rope is pulled through. For training, keep the ring in its first setting as described above. Use a long lead rope, twelve to twenty four feet, so a horse that chronically pulls back can have enough rope that if he pulls hard he won’t get loose. Another way to tie your horse without a tie ring, but that works similarly is to wrap the lead rope around a strong post two or three times. This way when if your horse pulls the rope will slide and allow the horse to move.
Teaching to Tie
The first step in teaching or reteaching your horse to tie is doing groundwork. Work on the ground helps a horse learn to come off of rope pressure which is key in learning to tie. A horse must move off of rope pressure before you ever start tying him. To ask him to move forward start gently taking the slack out of the rope until it becomes taunt, putting pressure on the halter. Hold until the horse moves forward. It is your horse’s job to come off of that pressure and move forward to get a release. When he moves in the correct direction, drop the rope so he understands that when he pulls against pressure there is no release, but when he comes off of it the pressure stops. If he is really pulling against you, walk to one side of the horse while keeping pressure on the rope. The horse will become unbalanced and will have to take a step forward, when he does release.
Once your horse comes off of rope pressure readily, it is time to start tying him. Find a safe spot to tie where he can’t get hurt or stuck, won’t bother other horses, the ground is level, and the post is sturdy. Once he is tied, start desensitizing him to the rope by grabbing the end of his lead and tossing the rope over his back just like you did in the groundwork. This movement can make noise and cause a horse to pull, if he does that’s ok just keep tossing the rope the best you can while following the horse. When he stops and relaxes you do the same. Bring the horse back up to the tie ring and shorten the rope. Continue tossing the rope all over the horse on both sides until he stands for desensitizing while standing tied relaxed.
You want to give your horse the opportunity to pull back instead of preventing him from doing it. Pulling back helps the horse realize that he doesn’t get loose, instead he stays tied but he also doesn’t feel claustrophobic and can move his feet when he gets scared. Another good exercise is to walk, skip, jump, march, run, wave your arms, and do other irregular movements as you come up to your horse’s head on both sides. Start slowly at first and gradually build the speed and intensity of your movement. If he gets scared and pulls back that’s ok just keep doing what you are doing and go with him. When he stops and relaxes you do the same. Then bring him back up to the post, adjust your rope, and start again.
Have Patience
Always be present when your horse is first learning to tie so you can take the slack out of the rope if he pulls back or in case he gets loose. Once your horse consistently stands tied without any pulling or fidgeting you can start leaving him alone for five minutes and gradually build up the time he spends by himself in five minute increments until he can stand tied quietly for a few hours. Don’t untie a horse when he is pawing, moving around, etc. Wait and let him stay tied until he stands quietly for a few minutes. If you untie a horse who is fidgeting you are rewarding that behavior.
Remember to be consistent when teaching something new. Designate a “patience pole” where the horse can stand tied for long periods of time. The more he is tied the faster he learns to stand and relax each time because he doesn’t know when he will be leaving. Tie him in different places around your barn and eventually take him to a horse show or other event where he can practice standing tied in a new location with strange horses. Always check on him periodically or tie him in a place where you can see him at all times.
Also, tying the horse after each ride or groundwork session gives him time to think about what he just learned and keeps him from rushing back to the barn or his buddies afterward. Once the horse is confident tying anywhere with the tie ring you can then switch to using a quick release knot or cross ties. Overall, teaching your horse to tie makes him safer, calmer, and easier to work with.