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  Discussion on Need suggestions to keep 5yr old safe/secure tied to trailer
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Member:
5691

Posted on Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 8:32 pm:

HI All,

Our five year old warmblood youngster is great loading and unloading with the trailer, but is not comfortable being tied to the trailer.. He was trailered once or twice a week thru the summer to go trailriding and never really was relaxed during the period when he needed to be tied for saddling and bridling.

We trailer once or twice a month to clinics and other barns for "field trips" and even with a hay bag he will be alert and want to pull back against the lead rope tied to the trailer.

Three times he has pulled back hard enough to break a leather halter or the snap on the lead rope.

How do you teach a youngster to be tied to a trailer and not pull back and break something like the halter or trailer tie? One thing I did learn was NOT to use hay baling twine to tie the lead rope thru. I was told that the twine would break and I would have my lead rope intact... Wrong... The twine did not break, the release end of the lead rope got majorly caught in the twine and the snap of the lead rope broke at the halter end.

I have read about the blocker ties and am wondering if they are safe for tieing horses to trailers?

My old guys tie and hang at the trailer like champs, so how do I get the young'un to follow suit?

Thanks,
Debra
Member:
sdms

Posted on Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 9:50 pm:

Hi Debra,

For the time being the only place I have to tie my horses at the house is to the trailer. I have several Blocker Tie Rings attached to the trailer for tying. I think they're a great tool both to teach young horses to tie and to correct pulling back problems.

With a horse that already has learned to pull back I'd recommend using a much longer rope than you normally would. A 20' rope would probably work well. You also want to make sure you use a smooth rope; the yachting type ropes work very well. The braided cotton ropes don't work well at all since they don't slide very easily. You need the rope to slide easily for training. You'll find that once your young guy figures out there's no resistance he'll probably pull back for shorter distances each time until he quits pulling back all together.

And, just as a disclaimer, remember you should never leave a horse un-supervised while tied whether it's directly to the trailer or to a tie ring.

Good luck!

~Sara
Member:
cgby1

Posted on Monday, Oct 27, 2008 - 10:00 pm:

I use the blocker ring to tie my horses to my trailer and I would recommend it for your horse. You have a pull back problem and so far this is where it shows up. I would start using the blocker ring at the barn first. I learned about the tie ring from Clinton Anderson and I suggest that you go to his web site and see if he shows how to properly use it to train your horse for the best results. He demonstrated it on his show on RFDTv and the mare he used was a real bad puller who constantly broke leads. In a half hour he had her standing tied and he could not make her pull back anymore. I use the tie ring even on vinyl fences because I know that my fence will not get broken.

Cynthia
Member:
dove2

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 - 9:36 am:

Debra, Watch the video on the main page of https://blockerranch.com/
It gives you the rationale and technique behind the blocker tie ring .... demonstrated by Ted Blocker himself. I've seen a 25 year old confirmed puller stop pulling! Also, I use it exclusively INSIDE the trailer for tying. It's the safest way to tie while trailering.
New Member:
realtor

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 - 11:25 am:

Definitely the Clinton Anderson tie ring. I had a TB mare that would pull horribly but as soon as she knew she wasn't tied tight, she never pulled another day in her life! I have about 10 of them all over the place!
Member:
5691

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 28, 2008 - 3:21 pm:

Thank you, thank you, thank you all!!

It has been such a help to get such ringing endorsements and individual experience stories. I checked out the Clinton Anderson website and ordered two blocker tie rings plus the DVD so that I could better see and understand how to work the rope and ring.

Dove2- Thank you for the video link..It was very helpful to see exactly how the blocker tie ring is supposed to work..That demo horse did exactly what our boy does, pulls back, feels resistance and sits down...

Are the blocker tie rings advertised in Valley Vet or other catalogs the same quality as the tie rings you would order from the web sites of Anderson or Blocker?

Can't wait to try these out and finally feel like I am three steps ahead of this critter.

Sara, I like the yacht rope idea... And I totally agree with you that leaving a horse tied and unsupervised is not a good idea.

Thank you all for your time and consideration.

Smiles,
Debra
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Oct 29, 2008 - 10:26 am:

Hi Debra.

I honestly can't remember from which site I ordered my tie rings. I do remember seeing them in a local farm and ranch store after the fact and thinking I could have saved myself shipping if I'd bought them there. So you might check local shops first.

I'd imagine that if you find a tie ring advertised as a "Blocker" it would have to be the same tie rings as you'd find on either the CA or Blocker sites.

~Sara
Member:
5691

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2008 - 11:31 pm:

Hello,

I have my blocker tie rings and was interrupted after watching the first 20 minutes or so of the DVD

Perhaps this question is addressed at the end of the DVD. Where does one purchase a lead rope longer than 10'? I checked thru all my catalogs from Dover, Stateline, Valley Vet ect and none are longer than 10'.

What's the best way to make an effective homemade lead?
Member:
terrido

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 9:05 am:

Can't help with making one atm.

To buy one, Parelli, Anderson and I am sure others have 12 foot and longer leads available for purchase. Parelli has three lengths.
Member:
stevens

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 9:38 am:

Buy twisted cotton rope from your hardware store and make one yourself.

https://pods.dasnr.okstate.edu/docushare/dsweb/Get/Document-3185/ANSI-3926web.pdf

I had an old horse that loved to chew lead ropes. I just bought a spool of rope and make new ones as needed.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 10:03 am:

An excellent article Chris. Some people make the mistake of not taping the ends before beginning the back plating. Tight tapered taped ends make the process so much easier. I also recommend the thicker rope.
DrO
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 12:44 pm:

Hi Debra. I have several ropes that I made the way that Chris suggests and they are all very good lead ropes that have lasted years. I have to warn, though, that these ropes don't work well at all for your purpose because they bind and don't slide through the tie ring.

The 12' ropes I have I bought on either the Country Supply or the Valley Vet website. I can't remember which. I also see good ropes on ebay all the time. The rope that I use as a lunge line was being sold on ebay as a mecate (just had a piece of leather on each end) and I attached a clip to one end. I wouldn't hesitate to use a 20' or so rope to start out with a horse that's already proven they pull back.

Good luck finding what you need!

~Sara
Member:
stevens

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 3:49 pm:

Hmmm, I've never had a problem with soft cotton rope binding in a tie ring, but ymmv.

I can't stand nylon or other synthetic ropes simply because they burn when pulled through a ring or your hands (need really heavy gloves).
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 5:12 pm:

Okay, Chris...I give. What is ymmv??

The nylon ropes I agree can leave some nasty rope burns but I haven't yet had that problem with the yachting ropes. Yet being the key word!

I suppose, too, the thickness of the rope would affect how well it slid through the ring. Debra, if you have access to fairly thin cotton rope you can sure give it a try. The key is that the rope needs to slide with minimal resistance when you first start working with a horse that pulls back.

Another idea is to use the cotton ropes for leading and the yacht rope only for tying at the tie ring.

~Sara
Member:
stevens

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 5:51 pm:

ymmv: your mileage may vary

I think you're right in that the diameter of the rope is the real key.
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 7:50 pm:

Ohhhhhh....ymmv...I like that!
Member:
sdms

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008 - 11:27 pm:

Hi again, Debra. I received a Smith Brother's catalog today and if you're interested here are a couple of ropes that might work for you:

https://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp?pn=MG-30029&qs=1

https://www.smithbrothers.com/product.asp?pn=MG-05095&qs=1

And one from Valley Vet:

https://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?PGGUID=b89b1c1f-9eb7-4cd1-96ec-86f1e5023 0a6

Or, if you decide to make a cotton rope (which agreeably would be much cheaper!), I would go no more than 1/2 inch in diameter and long enough that the braid-back at the end of the rope doesn't catch in the tie ring when your horse pulls back.

~Sara
Member:
maggienm

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2008 - 10:47 am:

I think the blocker ring is a fine idea but I would like to suggest that you don't rely on the ring to completely solve the problem.

Horses that have developed this problem can be very sensitive and need to learn to overcome their highly developed flight response.
Use a variety of items, stick with a plastic bag, fluttering flag, crinkle pop paper, plastic jug with rocks in it. Make sure you DrOp you a brush by her feet, kick(gently) a bucket around her feet. Do jumping jacks, sneeze standing right at her head, walk quickly toward her waving your arms, pop up suddenly.
Vary these activities and make them part of your everyday routine.
What ever you can think of.
She needs to learn that there are many scary monsters out there but none will actually hurt her.
Member:
5691

Posted on Friday, Nov 14, 2008 - 4:24 pm:

WoW- I really appreciate the responses and the suggestions

I will put my knitting aside and try to resurrect my macrame skills from the the 60's. The back braiding technique is really slick! Many thanks Chris

It seems that diameter and "slipperyness" is what I need to pay attention to when making or ordering a lead rope. Thank you Sara, for the websites.

Lori, you are absolutely right that tie training is an everyday occurance. His behavior has improved by leaps and bounds in the cross ties and his ground manners, but our biggest problem has been when tied to the trailer.

My plan is to be able to get this blocker tie scenario set up with the correct rope system and practice with trailer tying thru the winter. My goal is that he does learn that the scary stuff won't hurt and that pulling back and breaking the halter or lead rope is an absent option.

Horses- Always something!

Smiles,
Debra
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