I have a 7 year old thoroughbred gelding, and when hes tied to the hitching post he pulls back seemingly out of no where. I tie him with a rope halter so as it doesnt break and discourages the pulling back considering the pressure points, but he still does it. He is not fearful, he stands very quietly and calmly and he will step back to adjust his position and raise his head while doing so and as soon as he feels any kind of tension on his poll when he would rather go back he just pulls back until he gets loose or hurts the back of his head. But when he does get loose he doesnt run off he just stands there quiet as ever. He has begun to pull back like this now when im leading him. If he doesnt wanna go forward with my he shoots back. I do alot of ground work with him, encourages forward movement when i ask for it and halting when i want him too and hes very good with it. I just got him about 3 weeks ago, he was never abused and is very trusting, this is just his only vice. Ive.been told to tied him to a tire to decensitize him to the pulling but im concerned he could potentially hurt himself? If you have any experience.with that as well please let me know.
?2012-07-25T08:12:43Z
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it is most likely that your horse needs to learn to yield to pressure on his poll. using your rope halter and lead rope, take a light pull forward and see what he does. if he braces or pulls back just stay or go with him maintaining the same pressure. don't fight him or pull harder, just go with him and let him search and find where he can get relief from that pressure which would be when he moves forward. at the slightest give in the right direction, release the pressure and rub him on the neck. repeat, repeat, repeat until he yields forward before all the slack is taken out of the rope. take your time, stay calm and relaxed and don't make a big deal about it and it shouldn't take too long for him to figure it out, but let it take the time it takes. next, take him to where you want to tie him and take a wrap around the post but don't tie him. you might want to use a longer rope here just in case. stand off to the side and if he wants to pull back, let him, just slip him more rope to maintain the pressure. it shouldn't take long for him to realize that it's the same deal as before. do this as many times as it takes for him to learn that the best deal for him is to just stand there without putting pressure on himself, then he should be good to tie.
At the stable where I worked, there was a horse with the same problem. He was perfectly behaved and trusting in every other situation, we just could not tie him. Our solution was to just lay his lead rope over the hitching post. He would stand there like a perfect gentleman as though he was really tied up. This worked well for us, because the horses were never left unattended while tied. He could seriously injure his neck and/or back if he is left to continue pulling. If this method doesn't work, I would consult a professional before you rack up hundreds in vet/chiropractor bills.
Kelly, what you need to do is tie him as high above his head. Like on a tree or something. (he will not hang himself) He will try to pull back but with the tie so high he won't be able to get any leverage. Just do this whenever you can and leave him tied for a while and you'll start to see a difference.
Scroll down to where MY answer is, and read what I have to say about using the correct knots.
Many people disagree with my method, either because they believe it's wrong to tie a horse so he cannot break free, or who do not think it's necessary to take the trouble to learn to tie the Single Best Knot Ever Invented.
stop with the rope halter and use a heavy duty nylon he can't break and won't slip off like the rope halters do on occasion. Use two or three ropes, and tie him up to tree and walk off. Watch him from a window. Do not untie him until he will stay for two hours calmly. Make this part of his routine for a while. He needs it.