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Post by lolamae on Jan 2, 2008 4:50:36 GMT 1
lolamae, how do you teach ground tieing? I have heard of it but never seen how to teach it. It sounds a bit aggresive though. Hi, Oh No, not at all, ground tying isn't aggressive in the least. neither is the way I train my foals to tie up. Have your horse somewhere with no distractions, I use the aisle between my stables, no food to eat there, and that's where I usually expect them to stand for tacking, grooming etc anyway. I then just hold the halter and drop the rope, apply a bit of pressure and tell him "Stand" If he moves, at all, he will either stand on the rope and bring himself up short or I will repeat the simple pressure and the command and step away again. I don't tell him he's good until I go back to him, a bit like a release cue, if you speak before you are ready he may step forwards, you don't want that. Build up the time, some get it straight away, others take a while, it is exactly like training a dog to stay. You can use hand signals as well of course. I have seen it trained with a metal ring set into the floor and the horse is tied to that, again, they soon figure out that if the rope/rein is on the floor they don't move. All my horses are trained to ground tie, I can drop a rope anywhere and there they will stay, it makes life very easy, also, absolutely vital for Trec competitions. They are all perfect to tie up too, I don't even tie knots, just throw the rein over/around a bar, they won't pull away. There is no force, or cruelty involved, just a lot of time. I daresay that there are a hundred ways to skin this particular cat, but these have always worked for me and I have been using these methods since I was a child with moor bred Exmoors and Dartmoors. I had some interesting mentors in those days.
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Post by Donnalex on Jan 2, 2008 10:15:32 GMT 1
I used to know someone who had one just like yours. Her solution was to put a hole in the wall with a rope through it on a piece of baling string in case of panic so he was hooked up to a rope that appeared through the wall. Then she put a dummy lead rope tied up in many knots on a tie ring next to the hole. He spent many hours amusing himself by fiddling with the knots and she knew he couldnt possibly get loose.
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Post by buntybits on Jan 2, 2008 10:55:55 GMT 1
My daughters horse has got it down to a fine art, thinkit's about time we got some trailer ties!
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Post by lolamae on Jan 2, 2008 12:12:53 GMT 1
dona, I like the 'dummy' rope approach. Just pondering about tying methods..... For a start, how high should a tying ring be positioned? There seems to be different schools of thought on this...chest height, or as I read more often, head height? Trailer ties? Are they the short ropes with those heavy quick release snaps? My cross ties have those on if they are what I am thinking about. My only worry about those is that the quick release clips MUST attach to the halter and NOT the tie ring as I have seen a horse almost take his eye out with one, he panicked, was released from the wall and the heavy safety clip flew up and clunked him in the face. If a horse is thrashing about it could be really hard to get close enough to unsnap the quick release and if the rope is taut then I should imagine it would be hard to unclip a normal clip too. Flat lead ropes are lethal, they always seem to pull themselves into a dreadful knot, and can slice a hand, or leg over the rope faster than anything, traditional ropes also tighten badly....so, much as I loathe the bailer twine system I guess at least that can be cut in an emergency.........and we all keep knives sharp enough to cut twine on us at all times don't we? Sods Law decrees that the one time it is really needed, it will be somewhere else, I have a knife, but it always seems to be in another jacket!
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Post by rj on Jan 2, 2008 12:22:08 GMT 1
'lolamae, how do you teach ground tieing? I have heard of it but never seen how to teach it. It sounds a bit aggresive though.'
I do honestly think that it's worth teaching your horse NOT to untie his rope, and/or to ground tie. It HAS to be the owner who takes responsibility for the horse, not t'other way about, and to allow the horse to put itself in danger is unforgiveable.
Everyone has different ways of dealing with a problem. Before I had my daughter I promised I would NEVER do what I had seen a friend do. As her child grew, she just put everything she didn't want it to touch, higher & higher up! I taught mine that NO meant NO, and left stuff where it was.
I work in the same with dogs, horses and husbands. and it works!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where possible, encourage and reward the good behaviour; avoid or ignore the unwanted. When that's not possible, distraction can work well, but if you have to make the point forcibly for their own safety, it has to be done, surely?
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