Teathering horses.

[jor]

Someone I know has had to move yards with her three ponies, although her new place is lovely she has had problems with her gelding bullying the other horses.
The YO was great about it and put electric fence up, cornering off an acre for this pony all to himself, hoping he would sette over the course of a few weeks.
However he was jumping out of this paddock despite having ample haylage and even when his old friend was moved in with him. Several people on the yard are scared of him so he has now been stabled with no turnout whatsoever for three weeks, he cannot be turned into the menage as he jumps out.
He is ridden/exerised everyday and walked out for grass by his very caring owner in the morning and evening, however he cannot be turned loose at all as he jumps out of wherever he is put. He has even had to have a weaving grill fitted to his stable door as he was jumping over the door.
His owner is very very upset understandably! She asked me about teathering but I know very little about teathering a pony for any length of time.
I know derby house have teathering stakes, do they also have teathering neck collars? Where can you get the safe swivel chains for teathering?
There is an area, that although not fenced all the way round is quite a safe little area with a mature tree for shelter and a water bucket could be placed beside the tree where it would be very very difficult to be knocked over.
Has anyone here teathered a horse for any reason, if so how did it work for you?
I have sent her the info the BHS have for teathering reccomendations.
She knows its not ideal but if it means her pony can be 'turned out' for a few hours a day it will be worth it surely?

[marywelsh]

jo
you have to make sure the horse gets used to tethering gradually and use a collar not a headcollar, i have known horses that have broken their neck when tethered, due to running full length of the tether and then their head snapping back, start with a small tether and also make sure the horse is not spooked by things around his legs. the chain has to be quite heavy, but if this pony is determined to escape all the time it might just stress itself out on the chain, and usually they have to be moved daily

[jor]

Not my pony but have already said to the owner to use a teathering collar (though she has been unable to find one yet) and introduce him to teathering carefully.

Really would be helpful is anyone knows where to get a teathering collar and the swivel type chains from so this pony can get out of its stable!

Having met the pony I dont think it will stress him and I dont think he will try constantly to escape when he realises hes attached to something!

Obviously if anyone has any other ideas I could pass on...

[jill]

Have they got some of the extra long electric fence stakes? If so a small round pen sort of arrangement may keep him in - the knack is not to give him enough room to get a decent run at a fence to jump it, and maybe double fence it (one inside the other) so that it presents a really formidaable obstacle. That way he could have at least the area a tether would give him without the risks.
And have they entered him in the puissance yet?

[jor]

lol jill, I did suggest the local chase me charlie competition!

Thing is this pony can jump over a 5ft stable door from a 12x10 stable...
Hes jumped over 4'6'' post and rail fencing and 4'6'' electric tape. They literally cant keep him in even for five minutes.
Someone else said to hobble him I expressed my feelings with no uncertain terms, imagine him deciding to still jump out with hobbles on?!
It may be once once hes out regularly tethered he can be moved closer to the field so he can touch the others over the fence, then put in the field on a tether in a fenced off area and so on until he could be reintroduced to the group.
he had none of these problems at the old yard so it is likely to be a settling problem but a pony who jumped out of anywhere is a big problem!

[jill]

Hi Jo, I see what you mean, but a stable door is solid and he could hoist himself over it which he couldn't with electric fencer tape. Was anyone around to see how he did it? If it was at my yard I'd give the electric round pen a try while I was around to watch how he reacted, and if necessary retrieve him, because I just think tethering is so risky, to legs as well as necks. But sorry if you've already tried it and it didn't work.
Hobbles aren't such a bad idea, actually, if they are soft enough, because he will be aware that they restrict his movement. Unless something panics him he won't put himself at risk, and as ever, you would do it while you could watch anyway.

[jor]

Dont really know, noone saw him actually take off but they heard him land on the concrete...
Dont know if they have tried a double line of fencing.
Dont know if they want to keep risking turning him loose, the yard is right on a main road which is why I think they have stopped turning him loose at all, not just for the sake of his bullying.
i didnt know what else to suggest! The YO isnt going to build a pen with 8ft high fencing for the sake of one 13.2hh either!

With regards the hobbles, think the pony would have a go at jumping anyway, if a large electric fence with 6000V running through it isnt a deterant dont think hobbles will be either.
Think the owner would rather just keep him inhand then turn him loose with hobbles on, she cant stand and watch him for four hours a day.

[kofihorse]

I realise that it might be hard to find one to borrow, but what about a round pen?

[jor]

dont know, I said to owner about those mesh panels like I am getting to use as turnout for my stallion and escapee pony (who seems to go through/under fences not over them!) dont think she can afford it though.
Round pens themselves are very expensive to buy arent they and must be expensive to hire long term?

[jill]

Mine cost around £1500 but if you talk to Vanessa Bee at Positive Horsemanship (http://uk-website.co.uk/courses/index.php) she may be prepared to hire hers out for a while if you think it's just a question of training him

[jinks]

have you though about the things you put on their legs hobbles or something like handcuffs they are used a lot in the US and sometimes in europe you can let the horses go to graze and they wont go very far they have to take very small steps and wont be able to get up speed to jump out probably thats for use outside.

[breezeocean4tray]

Hi Jo R,

I can see ur friends has very options.
I have 4ft + elec posts with 3 strands of tape, and my mare will go threw or over them, to get in2 the next paddock....you know the old saying "the grass is greener on the other side.....and to be fair to Ocean "it is" LOL

Its very expensive to buy a round pen as she wants to reintroduce her gelding to the other horses......

I tried finding a collar on the net and the only thing i could come up with was a wind sucking collar it was on the Robinsons web site, but im not sure this would work.
I then went on2 the www.redwings.org.uk/tethering.htm website, altho this is a rescue site, and shows horses that have been hurt by tethering it gives some good advice on how and where to tether. They also had a phone number they might be able to point your friend in the right direction on where to get the collars from.....

Hope this helps....Lv Tray xx Merry Christmas

[pip]

We used to have a tethering collar years ago, but don't know what happened to it. I think an old fashioned saddler might have one, or be able to make you one.

[jes]

One of the cob mares from the riding school at my yard used to jump out of every field and a few years ago the YO tried her in hobbles. They worked for a few weeks (she was only out for a few hours at a time in them), then she had obviously got used to them because she managed to work out how to trot & canter in them.....yes really! She then managed to jump out of the field in them with no problem! So if they're clever enough, and it sounds like this pony is, hobbles will only work for a while.