|
|
Member
Posts: 19
| What would cause a horse to start setting back for no apparent reason? Our mare will keep pulling back til she breaks the halter…is there a way to stop them from doing it? |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
   
| Blocker tie ring |
|
| |
|
 A Barrel Of Monkeys
Posts: 12972
Location: Texas | streakysox - 2017-07-02 3:51 PM Blocker tie ring
Yes, absolutely the Blocker tie ring. It's not worth your horse hurting herself by continuing to set back against a hard tie. I don't tie my horses solid EVER. It's just not worth risking the worst when they do it. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 682
Location: Northwest | watch the Clinton Anderson video on how he retrains them from setting back with the tie blocker. As far as why they're doing it...could be a number of reasons. In my experience it usually is triggered by fear or pain. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1446
Location: Wisconsin | I bought one of my mares as a 7 year old, she always pulled back, never broke anything. 2 years ago I had her adjusted by an equine chiropractor and she hasnt once pulled since, she is 25/26 this year.
If you havent had this horse chiroed, it might be worth looking into. I always assumed the pulling back was a training issue she didnt get over as a youngster.
Edited by mcorcoran 2017-07-03 10:02 AM
|
|
| |
|
Location: WA | I posted about this a couple months ago. My horse starting setting back ONLY at the trailer. It's probably the most annoying bad habit I've ever had to deal with. She has a rope halter that I tie to bailing twine on the trailer. Once she feels that pressure she pulls until the twine breaks. There is no calming her down. I've worked with her more on giving to pressure, more groundwork, more trailer training. The only thing that helps her is knowing that she isn't tied. I'll just put the rope through without tying and she is pretty good about standing. I have to be much more vigilant about my surroundings now. It's a huge pain, but has really helped her realize she isn't "stuck" and doesn't need to break free and throw and tantrum. I'll leave her in the trailer until I'm ready to get her out. If the situation gets worse than better I might consider hobbling her.
The blocker tie ring is an excellent option as well. Mine is too small to hook to the outside of my trailer, but I have one on the inside. (I really hate Clinton Anderson's video on it though!)
Some people kept telling me to just tie her with the rope halter to the trailer so she couldn't get away and she'll learn to stand, but I don't want to see my nice mare break her neck or bash her head against my trailer. |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 889
Location: on the fine line between insanity and geniusness | We had one that sat back. She was sent to me that way. She was checked by the vet, the chiro, even the animal communicator- nothing helped. She would set back tied to the trailer, a tree, the fence- it didn't matter. She also didn't care if there was no movement around her. She would set back standing there alone on a still sunny day! I finally bought her a be nice halter and it stopped her! She set back once in it and never did it again. She was a big pushy Bully kind of a mare and I really think she figured out that she could set back and break something to get away! The be nice halter changed her attitude in that particular subject. I hauled her in it for about a month after the initial incident in it, after that- she went back to her regular halter with zero issues. |
|
| |
|
 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| We have a mare OTTB who has pulled since the day we got her. We have suspicions of why and have tried everything!!! We tried the Be Nice halters, different pully systems and gimmicks. She pulls until she breaks whatever she is tied to. We don't tie her anymore but did buy her one of those clips, I believe its just called "the clip." If we need to tie her in an emergency situation, we have it and if she pulls it will release. she has bad arthritis in her neck from years of pulling. A friend of mine also has a mare like that and also has neck issues. Not worth it to me anymore to fight with them once they have the habit.
Annoying and most inconvenient thing ever but we deal with it. https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=562395f7-7b04-4429-b...
|
|
| |
|
  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | I had one that just didn't want to be tied for long to anything. Trees, trailers, nothing. I tried long ties, short ties, clips, blocks, inner tubes, double halters with double leads. Yes, she broke inner tubes. She would set back on the tie block until just the end of the lead rope was caught. She'd look at it and give her head a fling. Walk a few feet and start to graze. The only place she would stand was my high tie. I had a brass snap on a big rope tied about 20 feet up on a pine tree. She'd stand there all day. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 2135
Location: Somewhere else | I had one that would tie to anything but the trailer.....and trust me, when I say I tried everything out there, I did. He would not just pull back but run forward, bust his head open, turn upside down, you name it and he did it. I had a pick-up man make me a 'gut rope'. He tried it 2 times and stopped. He figured it out pretty fast that he was doing it to himself. The absolutely best thing I've ever had for one like him.
|
|
| |
|
 Peat and Repeat
Posts: 2773
Location: IN MY OWN LITTLE WORLD AT LEAST THEY KNOW ME HERE | ;0) ever spank those back ankles with a buggy whip when she does that?
Course have her tied with something that won't break. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| blazinunicorn - 2017-07-27 1:13 PM
I posted about this a couple months ago. My horse starting setting back ONLY at the trailer. It's probably the most annoying bad habit I've ever had to deal with. She has a rope halter that I tie to bailing twine on the trailer. Once she feels that pressure she pulls until the twine breaks. There is no calming her down. I've worked with her more on giving to pressure, more groundwork, more trailer training. The only thing that helps her is knowing that she isn't tied. I'll just put the rope through without tying and she is pretty good about standing. I have to be much more vigilant about my surroundings now. It's a huge pain, but has really helped her realize she isn't "stuck" and doesn't need to break free and throw and tantrum. I'll leave her in the trailer until I'm ready to get her out. If the situation gets worse than better I might consider hobbling her.
The blocker tie ring is an excellent option as well. Mine is too small to hook to the outside of my trailer, but I have one on the inside. (I really hate Clinton Anderson's video on it though!)
Some people kept telling me to just tie her with the rope halter to the trailer so she couldn't get away and she'll learn to stand, but I don't want to see my nice mare break her neck or bash her head against my trailer.
^^^^ This. A big ole pain in the a$$ but I do exactly what you do with my gelding. I just slide rope through tie ring. Sometimes he walks off but I just calmly walk over bust his butt once with end of lead and put him back on trailer. I strongly believe his issue was bc they used a **** flipping rig on him at the track. I just manage his deep seeded emotional issues left over from his hell there. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 102
| I have a 17 yr.old gelding that started pulling back at 3 when he came back from the guy who was suppose to have broke him.Well let me tell ya' the guy ruined my colt forever,the guy was tying my colt's head high to a tree and cinching him up so tight it was cutting his air off.I can't tie him to anything or barely get him cinched up without him setting back. |
|
| |
|
 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | Mine set back even with the blocker tie ring and it definitely didnt stop her from trying when i didnt have a blocker tie ring with me. I kept a be nice halter on her for a long time, it puts poll pressure on them when they set back. I also had to use a neck rope for a few days because she always was used to breaking halters or lead ropes. It was a rough three days but she got over it. Now I can loop her around anything and she won't try to set back. She had a shady spot under a tree with a bucket of water and a hay bag. she would stand tied during the day while I was at work.. someone was always there in case something happened.
She was just dangerous, she wouldn't even wait for me to get out of the way before she would set back sometimes. Now, problem is solved.
Edited by casualdust07 2017-07-30 1:38 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | I had a horse who was terrible at pulling back. To the point when set back with a trainer she came forward and crushed the whole side of her face and then pulled back till she was free.
The trainer used a blocker tie ring and had zero luck getting this problem to get better.
Horses who pull back generally don't have a great understanding of coming forward off the pressure of the halter.
The tie blocker can help but to me that is more a crutch than anything. I'd much rather educate the horse.
I have a few ways to do that, which are easy on the horse, the owner and low risk for injury. Unlike some of the suggetions I've seen posted.
If you want to know more let me know and I'll take the time to write it out.
|
|
| |
|
I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| equussynergy - 2017-07-31 10:26 AM
I had a horse who was terrible at pulling back. To the point when set back with a trainer she came forward and crushed the whole side of her face and then pulled back till she was free.
The trainer used a blocker tie ring and had zero luck getting this problem to get better.
Horses who pull back generally don't have a great understanding of coming forward off the pressure of the halter.
The tie blocker can help but to me that is more a crutch than anything. I'd much rather educate the horse.
I have a few ways to do that, which are easy on the horse, the owner and low risk for injury. Unlike some of the suggetions I've seen posted.
If you want to know more let me know and I'll take the time to write it out.
We have an older mare who sets back until her halter breaks, so we keep her in the trailer WHEN we haul, which truthfully, we have cut back on because of this.
Would you mind sharing your methods? I have come to a place in my life where the old methods just don't make a lot of sense to me any more.
Thank you |
|
| |
|
 Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | CanCan - 2017-07-28 8:43 AM I had one that just didn't want to be tied for long to anything. Trees, trailers, nothing. I tried long ties, short ties, clips, blocks, inner tubes, double halters with double leads. Yes, she broke inner tubes. She would set back on the tie block until just the end of the lead rope was caught. She'd look at it and give her head a fling. Walk a few feet and start to graze. The only place she would stand was my high tie. I had a brass snap on a big rope tied about 20 feet up on a pine tree. She'd stand there all day.
I have read somewhere about tieing them up high - they can't get leverage that way. |
|
| |
|
Half-Eaten Cookies
Posts: 2076
Location: Fort Worth / Springtown | equussynergy - 2017-07-31 10:26 AM I had a horse who was terrible at pulling back. To the point when set back with a trainer she came forward and crushed the whole side of her face and then pulled back till she was free.
The trainer used a blocker tie ring and had zero luck getting this problem to get better.
Horses who pull back generally don't have a great understanding of coming forward off the pressure of the halter.
The tie blocker can help but to me that is more a crutch than anything. I'd much rather educate the horse.
I have a few ways to do that, which are easy on the horse, the owner and low risk for injury. Unlike some of the suggetions I've seen posted.
If you want to know more let me know and I'll take the time to write it out.
Please do, if you have time! |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 102
| I could sure use your help with this pull back problem if you have time.Thanks |
|
| |
|
Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | Sorry to post and run but yes I will write up a post in the next couple of days.  |
|
| |
Folks on-line