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Pulling Back Horse

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High Plains

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Here's one for all of you clever horsemen:

A friend of mine has a mare that is sure nice to ride and be around in most every way. Very gentle and calm natured. Useful in all areas of the ranch. All except one glaring problem. When she's tied up she will pull back with the force of a freight train. She'll walk right up to the hitch rail or fence and let you tie her. But at some point she's going to go nuts and pull back. Normally she'll break the halter or something and flip over on her head. It's quite a dangerous habit because she'll do it in the barn or anywhere. If a person (heaven forbid it be one of their kids) were standing behind her during this circus act it is going to have a bad ending. The worst part is she might wait until you move in to untie her before she remembers that she has this little problem. If a person had a finger through the loop in the slip-knot, it's also going to end badly.

The only cure that they've come up with to this point is to just wrap the lead rope or rein over the tie rail so that she doesn't ever hit the end of the knotted rope. She just pulls loose and stops. I'd like to tell them something smart to do but I haven't come up with it just yet. Might be that she just can't be tied up. I hate to accept that answer.

I remember reading in a Ben Green book once where he tied a pulling back horse to a tree next to a big drop-off with a deep creek at the bottom. He then let the horse pull back, break the reins and fall down into the creek. The story was that this cured the horse of the problem. Don't know how much of that was true or how much was just story telling. Either way, that's not the solution that we're looking for in this case.

So, does anybody have a good cure?
 
Dont want to sound like those people that just slobber over the guy,but that australian guy has those tie rings,and if you use em right,and do some foolin around they work,at least for me,and believe me nothing i own is exactly "nice" or "gentle"...But like everything else that has to o with a horse it will require some time...or you could get an atv.....*bursts with laughter* jk...
 
You can do one of two things.

Tie her to something you know will not break, but put an innertube between what she is tied to and her tether, She can pull back all she wants with that set-up

OR

put a really heavy (crap I dont know what you call them, they screw into the wall and then have a metal ring on them???? anyone) it has to be heavy enough that it can not break. now put it higher than shoulder level so if she pulls her head will be up. put her lead rope through the loop and tie something really heavy on the end. She will pull back(it will just slip through the ring) but she will be working on the really heavy object, she will have no choice but to step forward to drop the weight. I find even the dingiest puller gives up on the last method, cuz it is too hard to pull back when your head is in the air.
 
The only prob ive had with judiths method,is when one just sits down and u have to cut something so theyll stand and breathe again...imho,not worth it,i just spent the 10 bucks and 5 minutes on the ring,and once they realize it gives a little they'll stand...its mostly mental from what ive heard /seen,and as far as my experiance goes (not too far if you ask some :roll: ) trying to out muscle a horse just never seems to be satisfactory...youll just be lookin for a hella big tree,or watching her jump back and forth with the inner tube...Been there done that,but if you want,go for it..yall be carefull..
 
Great! Good suggestions, except for the ATV part. Whaahahahahha! ATV, that's a good one. Whoooooeeee!

I'll be sure to pass those along. Many thanks to both of you.
 
No prob,im just the kindve fella tha has nothing but bad luck,and most of the time i have to go at it alone,so if i feel like if im of any help at all ill try.Good luck!
 
I've read several different methods.

Take a good stout rope that won't break and put it under the horses tail, and bring both ends over the back, crossing them over the back and under the neck and thru' the halter ring and then tie to something solid that won't break. Tie a light piece of twine or something that WILL break to the halter ring also,making sure that it is shorter than the stronger rope. When the horse pulls back the small rope breaks and then they hit the end of the big rope, which is tucked up under the tail like a crupper.

Another.

Tie to a STRONG halter with a STOUT rope and go thru' a STRONG ring in the wall and then back between the front legs of the horse and tie a slip loop, such as would be on the end of a catch rope, loop around the horses body, where a cinch and saddle would go. When they pull back they put pressure on themselves.

Also saw where you could tie from the halter to a ring in the wall, placed high, and then down to a front leg. When they pull back, it pulls on their front leg.

With any of these, it would be very wise to be there with a sharp knife to head off any real death endangering encounters. Or not, if you hated the horse enough.

I had one that pulled back that I was riding for a lady years ago. Last I heard of him they had a small chain they would put around his neck and then tie to a real stout post.

As to the mention of Ben Green's method, I think it would work, but remember, when the horse fell backwards into the water, Ben jumped in and held his head under water until the horse pushed him off. The horse then associated being drowned with pulling back, as he did it to himself.

Good luck. Cheap as horses are, I would get rid of her and get something that doesn't pull back. Doctor bills and funerals cost a lot of money.
 
i think any of these methods will work to some degree
i have not bought one of those rings but i have one i made out a cich ring and they work great if you have a problem or need to teach a colt to tie that way "me i pony them from a saddle horse and then don't have many troubles"
i have seen all of jb's sudgestions work except for tieing a front foot to the lead rope i'd be leary of that one unless like jb said you just didn't care about the horse but if it was that bad i would can the horse before this slaughter ban
so i geuss i better not say what i would do with one now that is not useful

now for my suggestion
if none of the above help
just get her broke to hobble and don't tie her up
if she learns to hop with the hobbles take a tie string or something and run it from the hobbles to a hind foot and she will be real close to where you left her when you return
in the barn just teach her to ground tie so you have to take time to hobble her just to brush or saddle her

jmo
if you ride her far enough and hard enough when you tie her she will stand
hope this helps
jerry
 
my dad ties the rope on the halter and partially around the horses nose, and then tie it to one of our posts a rail road tie 3 feet down in good ol' hardpan,

anyhow when the horse pulls back it puts pressure on there nose,
so far it has worked.

but like Jinglebob said buy a horse who doesn't pull back, it is a lot cheaper then vet bills
 
i have used jb's idea about running a soft rope through the halter and then around where the cinch would be tie this shorter than the one attached to the halter. when the horse goes to laying into the rope it will take the wind from them but do not leave the horse alone. sometimes they may thrash around and throw themselves down. then you need to be
quick with a knife. nine times out of ten it has worked for me the one time it didn't we got ride to the horse
 
I knew I'd get lots of good thoughts on this. Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Pretty sure that this feller isn't going to be getting rid of this mare, as she's just dog gentle in every other way and real useful too. Kind of funny that she's a knot-head in just this one way. Had it been me, I wouldn't have let her continue the habit for this long. A little effort put in would have surely cured her already. Putting lots of miles on would fix her at the end of the day, but probably won't change her mind first thing in the morning. My thought is, if a guy wants her to stand and be tied up, he ought to figure out a way to make it happen. Not that ground tying won't work. It's nice if a horse will stand well enough so that it doesn't need tied at all. But that's not really the point here. It'd be nice to just fix the problem if possible. I think a sharp knife would be handy to have at the ready. When she pulls back, it's pretty serious and RIGHT NOW!

JB, thanks for correcting me on the Ben Green story. That's surely what made it a significant event in the horse's mind.

HP
 
We had a mare much like the one you describe. Kid quiet but hated to be tied. We never put her in the trailer first. Always untied her with the horse beside her. She was raised on the ranch but sold and then traded for back. I could have sold her many times not would not sell her to someone that might get hurt. We knew her, worked around her problems. I learned later on the fellow that broke her tried a "Nerve line" or something one her. She was touchythe ears and pulled back . At times she would just stand in the barn not tied and that worked .
 
I've never had a horse stop breathing on me but I only use a halter, I would not try either of the ways I do it with a rope around the neck. I've seen the way Jinglebob is explaining as well and it works really well. I couldnt do it that way as I would end up lashed to the horse somehow. I have to use the Keep It Simple Stupid principle when I train. I opt for the easy way every time :)
 
ok well since my gentle methods don't appeal to you here's you another idea that i would not do myself but i belive it will work

get a good rope halter "no hardware to break" and a good stout rope for the lead "dock line works ell on my halters"
get you a flying w
put the flying w on her and tie her to somthing stout that she can't break "long enough that you can get her on the ground with her head flat on the ground"
wait till she throws a fit and then pull her legs out from under her and when she hits the ground go to her and stomp her eyes shut until you are to tierd to do it any more
let her up repeat process until she will stand somewhat quiet but trembbling i bet then maybe she might stand tied
mind you i would never treat a horse this way i would put it down before i would resort to such methods

but the rings that were mentioned before will work for this problem as when the horse pulls back the rope will stay tight but feed some slack and then the horse has no chance to panic and flip over and there is some release
just use a long enough lead that you get her stopped befor the rope comes thru the ring
until later
jerry
 
Horses that pull back are claustrophobic for one reason or another.
It is, without a doubt, very dangerous, especially if there are kids
around.

I've never known a horse that pulled back to ever be completely
cured of it. You might get by for awhile, but it will happen again.

When they pull back, it many times puts the 'axis' out, which is
a joint right up behind the ears. I would have a chiropractor take
a look and see if this horse is out there. I would bet money
she is. I'm not into horse chiropractors much, too many that say
they can 'fix' a horse when they can't, but I do know this 'axis'
thing is real and can be fixed by a knowledgeable person. (Another
thing that I believe in, is repairing ribs that are out.)

I'd get rid of that horse before she does hurt someone.
Good kids horse...BUT

...and that's a big BUT. If she hurts
a kid, the owner is gonna HATE himself forever. And there
is a good chance she will.

Anyway, good luck.
 
We've had horses that pulled back at home... One broke a mans pelvis...
We have used two methods depends on how bad the horse is... ONe we tied a soft rope to the halter down through the hole in the manger to a back foot..... Was a hell of a wreck(for the horse).... And another we tied a soft rope around his belly back to halter.. When they pull back they just pull on themselves.... We found with one horse that what created the problem was... untieing and backing the horse up... He got confused on the order... Untie first, then back up....... So we quit backing him up after we untied him... and turned him around instead.... And in time he quit......
Some never quit the habit.... I have a show mare that would pull back just enough to break the lead rope so she could graze. Wasn't a fast flying back pull.. Just a steady pull till the rope broke....... So I got a thicker lead rope and she quit after she couldn't break it..... And now I never have any trouble with her pulling back......
 
Sounds like a manners problem I would tie him up with a stout rope and halter and leave him stand for the whole day a few days of that and it should be fine.We were trimming hooves on monday ended up throwing an older gelding twice before he stood for the trimming once he thru himself one of us would hold pressure on the rope and the other would cover his eyes.This does'nt hurt them and works real well..Problem with most people is there hearts are to big and by being kind and gentle they create more problems.Be stern but not cruel,ever heard the saying "Kill'em with kindness" by being so kind with these prick horses you end up bigger problems and in the end all they are good for is the kill market.

The best thing for the horse in question is WORK ride the heck out of it then tie it up if it throws a fit work it some more pretty soon it will associate the tied up time with rest and horses are by nature lazy.Problem with most horses is in this fast paced world they don't get used for weeks at a time and when we do use them we want a deadbroke kids horse Not Going to Happen..Wet saddle pads make good horses nothing else.
 

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