A friend gave me a foal to train two years ago. He's progressed well, I ride him all over the 900 acre farm using a halter.

I started out giving him a pail of feed and climbing on when he ate progressing to tieing him to a post and sitting on him. Before he knew it I was riding him all over with a halter. I asked for a bridle that fit him but never could seem to get one. He's done well with the halter always minding, never giving me a problem that a little growling and a jerk on the lead rope didn't fix. We did dig out a bridle as I need one to train him to neck rein but I haven't used it yet. I also will probably need a saddle, too but that is down the road.

THe problem is I can't figure out how to train him to ground tie. I've been told they use a STIFF rope that the horse can't tangle himself in attached to a shaft pounded in the ground. one attaches the STIFF rope to the halter, eventually the horse gets the idea when the lines are dropped he stands. My problem is I don't see a horse being that stupid. It wouldn't take a genious to realize the ground tie is extendable as he wanders off.

How is it done?

Be patient and start while he is young. Horses actually are "stupid" in many ways.
When i was training foals i would
put an arm around their necks and sometimes their chests. They would most often object and i would hang on until they realised they could not win, then pet and make as fuss over them.
Interesting that 3 years later and weighing 1200 lbs, they still thought they could not win a fight with me.
Most horses, in my experience, never really learn to "groundtie" but careful training can make it so that they do not run off when dragging a line.

Always remember that a "ground tied" horse is a loose horse.

quote:

Originally posted by nelsonted1:
A friend gave me a foal to train two years ago. He's progressed well, I ride him all over the 900 acre farm using a halter.

I started out giving him a pail of feed and climbing on when he ate progressing to tieing him to a post and sitting on him. Before he knew it I was riding him all over with a halter. I asked for a bridle that fit him but never could seem to get one. He's done well with the halter always minding, never giving me a problem that a little growling and a jerk on the lead rope didn't fix. We did dig out a bridle as I need one to train him to neck rein but I haven't used it yet. I also will probably need a saddle, too but that is down the road.

THe problem is I can't figure out how to train him to ground tie. I've been told they use a STIFF rope that the horse can't tangle himself in attached to a shaft pounded in the ground. one attaches the STIFF rope to the halter, eventually the horse gets the idea when the lines are dropped he stands. My problem is I don't see a horse being that stupid. It wouldn't take a genious to realize the ground tie is extendable as he wanders off.

How is it done?

I never really followed the tie them to a stake method. We always hobbled them to do this. That should come first in training. You also need a place to teach them that has no grass. This takes quite a bit of time to teach them and usually gets taught to a finished horse. It's only natural for them to move around and graze. They need to know they are supposed to stand still with their head up. I used a knotted rope attached tot he halter so I could send a good pop under their chin if they try to lower the head. You might want to check the library for books with a good method. remember if it sounds stupid or dangerous it probably is. I always taught them with a saddle on since I never ride bareback. They know when the saddle is on it's time to work. I don't graze them with the saddle on. They have learned that if it's on they need to pay attention.

All my horses ground tie, although it is never reliable, just handy when doing chores or having to do something from the ground.

First, use a rope halter and tied lead. Not a nylon one with a snap. Take your horse away from distractions. Have him stand calmly. Gather up about the last 4 feet of the lead rope, and then deliberately throw it straight down to the ground. Step back from the horse. If he moves, move to the lead rope, correct him back into the original position, and throw the rope to the ground again. Patience and consistency are the key. Continue with this until he stands still for a minute or so, then begin to walk around him. If he moves, correct and start again. Continue until you can walk aroun him from both sides and away from him and away from him from behind him. Each time correcting any movement. You can usually tell when they get a new concept as they will begin to lick their lips.

If you have a police department that has a mounted untit, contact their instructor and see if they have a citizens unit and offer training. It is a great way to learn and assist your community.

I just carry a set of hobbles, and when I get off in the pasture I drop the reins on the ground and hobble him...After a period of time they will stand ground tied..I can even shoot around them after a while....It takes time, but hey I don't have much of anything to do.

You couldn't run my old horse off, he is scared to death that I might leave him by himself and he would have to fend for himself, he is a rock, even when I shoot.

I always ground tie mine to a tree.
It beats walking back to camp.

IMO, a well trained horse is a blessing, a poorly trained horse is worth absolutly nothing and that applies to any disapline, hunting or in the arena..

I just have no use for poorly disaplined horses that cannot be depended on, and if I didn't have the skills to train one, or the money or wheretofore to have one trained, then I would find another means of transportation or just back pack hunt...A poorly trained horse will ruin a good hunt faster than anything I know of.

quote:

IMO, a well trained horse is a blessing, a poorly trained horse is worth absolutly nothing and that applies to any disapline, hunting or in the arena..

I just have no use for poorly disaplined horses that cannot be depended on, and if I didn't have the skills to train one, or the money or wheretofore to have one trained, then I would find another means of transportation or just back pack hunt...A poorly trained horse will ruin a good hunt faster than anything I know of.

It always amazes me that just because people see horses at my place, I can train them to their satisfaction! I can, to a point, but am getting too darned old to get hurt, so I refer them to a real horse trainer. Heaven forbid that good training should cost a few hundred bucks. I send my daughter to riding lessons and the woman who is her mentor knows what a horse thinks before the horse does. Good training is money well spent. Like optics on a rifle.

As I'm a horsebreaker, its quiet easy to teach a horse to ground tie. The first step is to high tie the horse, this has the effect of getting any impatience out of him before you start, as well as instilling the basic knowlage that if you leave the horse, he is to stay put. Once he will stand there for an hour or two on two the second step.

The second is hobbles, hobbele him for everything saddeling, mounting, unsaddeling and washing. Once the horse is standing OK with the hobbels on for saddeling ect, walk away from him (in a yard of course) with a rope on incase he moves and fights. Dont stay away for long, move back rub him then go for longer and longer periods, untill it becomes HABBIT for him to stand when you are not around. It will also pay to crack a stock whip around the horse, just so that if he gets a fright out and about so he wont clear off.

You finish off by using a 2-3 inch wide collar with either a ring in each end or tied in a bowline so that it can NOT pull tight around the horses neck, about 6 inches back from the poll and attatch a strong rope. This rope then goes through the horses headstall/halter (not a rope one)and to a length of chain with a swivel in it. The chain then is fastened to a ring which is a slip fit over a poll 6 feet of the ground, and held in place be tacking the tread of an old car tyre around the top of the poll. It is importaint to note that the ring MUST be able to move easily around the poll in case the horse takes off to one side, and that the swivel is strong so that in the event that the horse falls and rolls he is able to free himself.

Also the collar is used so as the pull comes down lower on the horses neck where the muscels are stronger preventing the horse from getting sore, and sour, and the poll has to keep the chain 6 or so feet abouve the ground so again if the horse falls his head does not hit the ground and kill him, which is easily done.

Once the horse has had a few lessons on the tie up poll and has been worked upto where you can leave him for a few hours he should be a reliable ground tieing horse.

Feel free to PM me if you need clarification

Steve

Good advise from our Australian brother and thats about the way we do it..All my colts learn to stand high tied from the very beginning, then another good tip is to use a long lead rope in the pasture and use that lead to hobble them, on the tough ones hobble them with a tight lead to the head that pretty much locks them to the ground..but do all this at home before you go to the pasture...

How?

Expect them to. I don't tie up any of my horses to saddle, wash, or trim. They're not tied while working on hooves, or opening gates.

They do get used to the idea that they are "on duty" while they are bridled or haltered. I heard one trainer say that if you can't trust your horse to stand still while you take care of something with your back turned, how do you expect your horse to trust you?

My kids never really were "ground tied" even though I expected them to. My animals, on the other hand, seem to do better with my particular style of "parenting" -- firm and fair.

Overall, I like our Aussie friend's advice.

Old Indian Proverb; Man who ground tie horse, likely to walk home. Someone once taught me to tie the lead rope short to the fetlock and I've used it on occasion, but after a while, they can still move out pretty smartly, if they want to. The only time around here, when a horse gets ground tied, is when my wife wants to saddle hers and the training involves a fair amount of yelling and jerking till the beast gets the message, you don't move while you're being saddled.
Grizz

I have to agree Griz, it is just real hard for me to trust ground tying.
within a mile of home ok, would a person trust it 20 miles from anywhere? in other words, in my opinion it is a tie AND hobble deal when I simply must have him there when I return.

I have seen that several people liked the method I use for horse work, so I tyhought that I'd share the name of the man who developed it, namely J.D Wilton.

Old jim used to work on outback cattle properties breaking between 14 and 20 totaly wild horses, some had missed previous musters and so had never been touched before, all in 14 days.

After he quit breaking fulltime, he trained a team of 17 trick horses and toured around Australia with them raising money to help with the war effort. He also wrote a book called a horse and his education which may be avalible over the internet.

Just thought I'd pass on Jim's name in case anybody was interested, as I think he was the greatest trainer of horses Australia and possibly the world has ever known, who nobody has ever heard of.

Steve