Endurance Horse Training Basics: More on Tying

For the start of this lesson, I have tied Chief to a hitching post with a cotton lead rope in a quick release knot. The snap cannot touch the ground.

I want to start to get into more advanced ‘basic training’, but before I do I want to go over the basics of tying and emphasis again how important it is to have a horse that is trained to tie well.  This is something that can’t be practiced enough.  Endurance horses need to be able to stand tied to numerous different objects and be able to do it without panicking, pulling back or digging holes, pawing, chewing or screaming their heads off.  The only way to achieve this is by practice, practice, practice!

My horses are so used to the things I do with and to them that very little ever surprises or frightens them.  Different animals respond to different techniques.  For example, one horse may react to something new by a quick startle and then lets out a sigh of relief when they realize what it was that got their attention (such as a flag waving).  Another horse my try and bolt, while another one spins around, snorts and then needs ten minutes to come down from the adrenalin high.

Now the slack in the rope has been taken up. Horse's do this on their own all of the time. For training purposes, it should only be done after a horse ties well and gives to pressure. Start by tying shorter and shorter.

Something to keep in mind when working with any horse is that they all have it in them to react in ways that can lead to a wreck.  I have often been teased over having Arabs (some call them Airheads, etc.).  I like working with Arabs – they are intelligent and usually very quick to learn.  The problem arises when they learn what you don’t want them to.  This is why it is so important to start with the basics and spend as much time as you need before progressing to the next step.  Trying to rush through things and go too fast may result in a horse having issues that could last for years or for the rest of the horse’s life.  If working with another breed, remember that any breed is capable of having a ‘flight response’.  Sometimes it’s non Arabians that I have seen do some of the goofiest and unpredictable things ever.  It’s not fair to blame the horse when sometimes it’s a matter of training.

Chief knows he is 'stuck' and has no more slack in the rope, so lowers his head and waits for me to release him.

Each time I take a horse out, it’s a training experience for them.  I think this is a good approach and am always looking for ways to do something ‘new’ that hasn’t been done with them before.  Once you do enough of those ‘new things’ with them, they usually are not terribly amused and don’t put out a lot of effort reacting.  These things include shaking out trash bags in their vicinity, turning on a power tool, throwing a ball over or under them – the basic things you would normally do to desensitize or sack a horse out.

Many horses will wrap their ropes around buckets, feed bags, etc. It's good to know that they won't panic if that happens.

On the long XP this summer, many horses early on would jump and pull back whenever somebody got on top of their horse trailer.  Obviously, many of these horses had never experienced that before.  Nor had they experienced bales of hay being thrown down onto the ground around them.  Most of these horses learned that this was no big deal and stopped panicking over it.  There were times that horses broke loose and went running amock through camp due to some of these new experiences.  All things that could have been taught ahead of time.  This is where it pays to think outside the box and try to expose your horse to as many types of situations as you can think up.  Me?  Prior to the ride I got on top of my trailer with both horses tied to it and waved my flag over their heads.  The first time they had a “whoa, what is that?” reaction and had a quick startle, but then it was like “that’s just our mom trying to entertain us”.

Today I took a few photos of Chief tied to a hitching post.  Right now, we have a big storm or two coming in and it’s really windy so we had the added fun of the wind blowing things around while we were working.  This is another great training opportunity for a green or new horse;  even if you just tie the horse while it’s windy it gives them the experience of being tied in the wind.

The first thing I did was tie Chief up with a quick release knot on the hitching post.  Then I moved him over to one end of the post and asked him to lower his head so that I had enough slack to wrap his rope over the end of the hitching post.  This took up all of the slack in the lead.  He simply kept his head down in response to the pressure when he realized what had just happened.  This is the kind of thing that needs to be worked up to slowly and should only be done after the other basics such as hobbling and rope work on the legs has been done.  Start by tieing your horse shorter and shorter.  Horses are notorious for getting their lead ropes wrapped around objects and becoming ‘stuck’.  Once a horse learns to give to pressure they will wait to be rescued, or whenever possible will often learn how to untangle themselves.

After doing that exercise with Chief, I went and got a bucket and clipped it onto the snap that is on the hitching post.  I often feed the horses this way especially when I want to feed separately, or after returning from a ride.  Horse’s that are hot and itchy will often rub their faces and heads on their buckets which can lead to having their rope getting wrapped or caught up in the bucket.  In this case, I had to help Chief out so that I could get a photo showing the bucket being supported by the rope.  This is another great exercise once the horse is handling the other training well.  I’ve seen horse’s get wrapped up in their buckets at rides more times than I can count.  Having your horse do that and not panic, is great.

Sometimes a hay bag or bucket will get stuck on their nose. Looks like Chief was so worried he went to sleep(ha)!

Next I got out a hay bag and hung it up on the noseband of Chief’s halter.  He stood quietly so I could take photos.  Over the years I have looked outside to see a horse with a hay bag over the top of their heads.  Next I pulled the bag all the way up over his head.  I think Chief just thought I was putting a really poorly designed fly mask on him.  He stood for that while I took a couple of photos.  The hardest part was keeping it from blowing away in the wind!

I've had this happen before - this time I did it on purpose. Chief just thought it was a fly mask!

Being able to do some of these things with your horse will take some time. Don’t expect to be able to go out and do it all in one session.  It may take weeks, or even months to work up to being able to have your horse stand quietly and calmly while you do some of these exercises.  This is the kind of training that enable you to take your horse to an endurance ride and be confident that he is not going to panic or get into a huge wreck or cause a bad accident because he got tangled in a rope, or got caught in something on the trail or in camp.

For safety purposes, always use a cotton rope, wear gloves and have a sharp knife handy.  Don’t push your horse beyond what he is comfortable handling.  Take your time and make sure your horse stays calm during this type of work.   Different horses will progress at different rates.  This is the type of work you can do in addition to everything else – riding lessons, conditioning rides, etc.  Treat each time out as a learning experience and before you know it your horse will have enough of the basics down to be considered safe to take out in public.

Disclaimer: These lessons I am covering are meant to be for endurance horses or for horses that travel that already have some training and conditioning base on them.  They reflect my experience and opinions and are not guaranteed to be effective in the hands of others nor are they meant to be the only method or means of training a horse in order to accomplish the same things.  Working with horses can be incredibly risky and dangerous.  You should only try these methods with proper supervision or assistance from an experienced trainer or horse person that you trust, and at your own risk.  If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment in my blog.   Happy trails, Karen