Tying your horse

[Spencer]

This is not something I have done before so before I do it, I was hoping to get some advice. When you are hunting and get to country where you can no longer go horse or mule back you stop, strip the bridle, put on the halter and tie your horse up. Then head out on foot. Now my horse stands tied to the trailer and on crossties in the barn no problem. Can I assume that if I head out and tie up my horse that it should be there when I get back? Is there any pre-training I should do before I try it? I ride alone a lot so there will probably not be a companion horse tied nearby. There are no bear or mountain lions in my area, just coyotes so I am not worried about something like that spooking it to run off. If you are going to be gone for a while do you also strip off the saddle?

Any advice you can give would be great.

[catdogs]

I always bridle right over the top of my halter, but I'm a packer. That way, if I need to stop and tie the horse up to adjust a load, I have the lead rope right there. You shouldn't have any trouble with a horse being tied up all day. I use a manger hitch and then night hitch, just run the end of the rope back through the loop. That way, if they get bored and start messing with it, they won't get it undone. I take the bridle off, but I don't strip my saddle, and I only slightly loosen the cinch, I have seen where guys really loosen the cinch and come back and the saddle is under the horse and in pieces. I also have a bright orange Cordura saddle cover that I cover the saddle with when I'm gone all day. It keeps the weather off and better yet, you can see that thing a long ways off, so you don't loose your horse - easy to do when we were in Alaska. Also, make sure your lead rope doesn't slide down the tree, take it above a branch or wrap it twice. Maybe not a problem where you are at, but here, we tie to a lot of lodge poles. I know of a horse that pulled back when the lead rope was at the base of the tree and broke its neck.

[Catch]

Spencer,

The one thing you can do to help is start at home. Everyday tie you animal up when you go to work. Leave it tied up all day or night. After time the horse will learn patience and learn to stand all day.

[COUESAZ]

Just leave both on all the time. I just let the lead rope hang loose and then dally the tail end around the saddle horn. That way if i have to get off i can just tie him up. He should be there when you get back if you tie him to a good branch.

[Spencer]

Thanks for the input. Where can I find how to tie a night hitch and a manger hitch. I am going to get started on working on patience while tied today.

[catdogs]

Its just a quick release slip knot, same one most everyone uses to tie up a horse, then just drop the end of the lead rope through the loop, so if they pull on the end of the rope they cant get it undone.

[slickfork]

another thing that comes in handy is to teach your horse to hobble

casey

[Spencer]

Thanks, I know the knot you are talking about. I use it like that all of the time. And I just picked up some hobbles a month ago and was going to teach her to hobble. I did some of the preliminary work already for it it has just been too cold and the snow too deep to want to do much right now. Would you hobble AND tie or just one or the other?

[LCK]

I only hobble if there is nothing stout to tie to. If I tie, I don't like to hobble as well, if I am not going to be near enough to monitor the situation. If your horse gets uncomfortable he needs to be able to move his feet a little bit. If not plumb hobble broke, I would not leave one tied and hobbled. It is always a good idea to hobble break a horse, but hobble break the horse, don't just get him where he can wear hobbles. A hobble broke horse thinks his feet are nailed to the ground when they are on and do not move. Too many people hobble there horses then spend the next few days trying to find them LOL.

[tedsmith]

The best knot I have found to tie a horse with is the bowline we also brake our show calves and colts to lead using this same knot no matter what happens this knot will not tighten where you cannot untie it no more cutting lead ropes after a big fit you can also tie it slip not style after you learn to tie it

[Mike Leonard]

Lots of great advice! Plenty of post oats sure helps. That means learning to stand tied for long period of time. I discourage leaving a horse tied unattended for long period however. Wind storms, kids at play and horseflies you name it can cause a blow up and the horse is an animal that if anything can come apart he will make it happen. You could come home to a bad wreck worse yet a crippled or dead horse.




WE ARE LIVING THE THE HIGH TECH AGE. WHEN YOU TIE THAT HORSE UP SOLID ON THE MOUNTAIN JERK OFF YOUR CHAPS AND SPURS AND GET READY TO GO a few THINGS TO REMEMBER.

1. put you chaps spurs and brindle up high in a tree or a pup may come back and chew them up. LOL!

2. Take a GPS reading and mark your horse and carry a flashlight. Funny how somehting as big as a horse can blend into a mountainside and a lot of those trees and rocks look alike. You want to be able to bee line back from that tree in the most direct fashion possible, toghten up that cinch step on and ride away.


Horses and hounds about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. LOL!

[catdogs]

Another good knot for trees is the "Highwayman's hitch" or the "bank robbers knot" besides having a cool history, it works good on trees, cuz it won't slide down.



We tied them in AK saddle horn to saddle horn.


BTW Mike...If you take your clothes off while hunting with the hounds and the horses, is that THE MOST FUN a person can have??

[Spencer]

[Blammer]

I don't know why you wouldn't remove the saddle before leaving the animal tied up. I, personally, take the mules out and let them roll before tying. If you are going to tie to a tree, tie high. It is frowned upon in this area to tie to a tree so we mainly use a sky-line.

[LCK]

There are many very good dvd's on hobble breaking. I have a few of them. The one I like best is by clinton anderson. His website is downunderhorsemanship