Horses that Pull Back

How to teach a horse to tie

If your horse pulls back DO NOT tie him solid.

It is an age old belief that you teach a horse to tie, by tying him up to something unbreakable and letting him figure it out. This is NOT correct, it is also not ideal tying him to bailing twine so if he pulls back it will break, as this does not FIX the 'problem'.

Horses that do not tie up, do so because they do not understand how to appropriately respond to pressure. What this means is that they THINK when they feel pressure they need to pull away and fight it. Instead we want to teach our horses that when they feel pressure they need to do the opposite, by doing this they get 'comfort' as they are no longer being pulled on. So first off, if your horse pulls back AND doesn't lead well, he doesn't know how to appropriately respond to pressure.

It can take some time to break the habit, but it can be done, even in horses with HUGE fear issues created by tying up.

It is important to note that horses that pull back, do so because they are afraid they are trapped. By nature horses are very claustrophobic and instinctively if they feel trapped they think they must get away at once (fly from fear)!!!

This is a complex issue to deal with at times. I do not often swear by ONE product, but in this case the Clinton Anderson Aussie Tie Ring is a must have!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evul8o7AHyE
See this link for more information from the inventor himself: Clinton Anderson.

Image of the tie-ring. Available on Tack Shop website or TradeMe