Equi-ping ?daft question

[Kimnthecorner]

I’ve recently purchased a couple of Equi-pings as I wanted to give them a go.

Pictures I’ve seen of them in use show the lead rope attached to the ping and then to the tether point. Is there any reason why you wouldn’t attach them between the lead rope and head collar?

My thinking being, where I’ve got a couple of little ponies (I’m talking pointlessly little ) if they break free and run off they are going to think a small colourful snake is chasing them… I know it, I’ve seen it!

So to reduce the risk of them hooning around and injuring themselves I thought having ‘tether point-rope-ping-Headcollar’ configuration might be safer…

Thoughts?

 

[TwyfordM]

I’ve recently purchased a couple of Equi-pings as I wanted to give them a go.

Pictures I’ve seen of them in use show the lead rope attached to the ping and then to the tether point. Is there any reason why you wouldn’t attach them between the lead rope and head collar?

My thinking being, where I’ve got a couple of little ponies (I’m talking pointlessly little ) if they break free and run off they are going to think a small colourful snake is chasing them… I know it, I’ve seen it!

So to reduce the risk of them hooning around and injuring themselves I thought having ‘tether point-rope-ping-Headcollar’ configuration might be safer…

Thoughts?

Lots of people use them like that, I know at the racing yard of the owner/creator of equipings they were used that way too.

I don't use them much because my mare worked out how to undo them

 

[Surbie]

My horse figured out very fast that a quick jerk meant he was free to wander purposefully towards any open hay/haylage in the barn.

eta: I tie onto thinned baler twine, a quarter of the thickness. It's spindly and will break if Archie is genuinely gets a fright, but withstands a curious 'can I go over there?'

I use the equiping for my stable guard now. He's not sussed that one quite yet, but I don't trust him not to try and stay within sight.

 

[Birker2020]

I used them with Lari but found I had to use two. With a strong horse these would still give under pressure.

I would never use bailing twine again after Lari's accident when it never broke despite me having reduced the number of strands by at least half the day before he arrived.

I think if you were to use an equiping between rope and headcollar it would ping onto the horses face which might cause pain and a lot more fear than a lead rope following them.

 

[SilverLinings]

You can do that but, as has been said above, they give under pressure and some horses quickly work out how to utilise that! Be aware that if the horse pulls away sharply and it doesn't give way quickly then you may have the metal clip on the end of the lead rope hurtling towards you when the equi-ping eventually does give way.

 

[paddy555]

the most useless thing I ever bought. Fortunately I only bought one.

 

[planete]

I use an Idolo tie with a half lunge line threaded through it. If the horse pulls back it gives me enough time to persuade him to stop being stupid. Failing that I would have plenty of time to pick up the end as it comes loose but it has never happened.

 

[Cortez]

the most useless thing I ever bought. Fortunately I only bought one.

Precisely. A first class way to teach a horse how to pull back. Beats me why people don't just train their horses to stand tied.

 

[paddy555]

Precisely. A first class way to teach a horse how to pull back. Beats me why people don't just train their horses to stand tied.

I'm afraid I totally disagree, and have done in the past, with horses tied up to rings trained or not.
I have seen horses with holes in the poll or other serious injuries as a result of finally the headcollar or rope breaking and the horse flying straight over backwards.

 

[Cortez]

I'm afraid I totally disagree, and have done in the past, with horses tied up to rings trained or not.
I have seen horses with holes in the poll or other serious injuries as a result of finally the headcollar or rope breaking and the horse flying straight over backwards.

If horses are properly trained, from foals, to tie up they will not panic and pull back. Of course there will be the horses that haven't been trained and who pull back until they hurt themselves, but even then if the person handling them is quick and on the ball enough to send them forwards that shouldn't escalate. A horse that won't stand tied is of no use to me whatsoever, so I train them.

 

[SpeedyPony]

I find garden/hemp twine is cheaper and does the same job- you need to buy thickish stuff or use a couple of passes but it does the job- baler twine as mentioned above won't break easily enough.
I agree that it is helpful to teach a horse to stand tied, but I will only tie directly to a ring etc if I am going to be within reach of the horse at all times- if you are going to get a saddle/grooming brush/whatever from the other side of the yard you put them at serious risk if they are tied to something solid. Yes, ideally they will be well trained enough to stand quietly but every horse will have something that frightens them badly enough that they will panic and try to break away, so I wouldn't want to take the risk (although I appreciate escaped tigers/artillery bombardments and the like are improbable).

 

[Nasicus]

Maybe says more about the quality of stuff now a days, but I find that the clip on the leadrope tends to snap before anything else.
Tried an equip-ping yonks ago for one that liked to break free and wander off, just made it worse. Tied her directly to the ring whilst supervised, and after a few sessions and stroppy attempts to go for a wander she realized it wasn't worth it and I was fine to tie her to thinned baler twine then on.
Current pony just likes to stick the leadrope over her head and cause a flurry of panicked, well intentioned liveries whilst she stands there looking pleased with herself for her amazing attention grabbing trick.

 

[Kimnthecorner]

I find garden/hemp twine is cheaper and does the same job- you need to buy thickish stuff or use a couple of passes but it does the job- baler twine as mentioned above won't break easily enough.
I agree that it is helpful to teach a horse to stand tied, but I will only tie directly to a ring etc if I am going to be within reach of the horse at all times- if you are going to get a saddle/grooming brush/whatever from the other side of the yard you put them at serious risk if they are tied to something solid. Yes, ideally they will be well trained enough to stand quietly but every horse will have something that frightens them badly enough that they will panic and try to break away, so I wouldn't want to take the risk (although I appreciate escaped tigers/artillery bombardments and the like are improbable).

We are close to Longleat/on the edge of Salisbury Plain so the latter not entirely implausible
Thanks for your response

 

[Landcruiser]

I got one in a goody bag I won in a raffle - it went straight back in the next one. I don't see the point - if you have a horse that pulls back, surely this will just reinforce that? I never tie to anything but Idolo ties these days, they are a game changer. And regarding towing a rope should they actually break loose - all horses should be "rope broke" as an absolute first foundation of training. It's a safety issue - what if you come off and they are dragging reins - or you just fall over and drop the lead rope? The last thing you want is a horse that's scared of its own leadrope, or panics if it has something round its legs!

 

[Birker2020]

Precisely. A first class way to teach a horse how to pull back. Beats me why people don't just train their horses to stand tied.

Yes but it's not always the case that the horse hasn't been trained to stand still tied up. In Lari's case he managed to get his head under the leadrope. I'd left his tea on the floor well to the side of him exactly for that very reason but whilst I was in the stable in a split second he'd pushed it back by grabbing it with his teeth, so when he raised his head it was directly above him, he felt it on his axis and totally flipped out.

There are other occasions when a horse might pull back, for example a loose dog running towards them, a loud noise, another horse in the vicinity panicking which sets them off, a 101 reasons.

 

[Cortez]

Yes but it's not always the case that the horse hasn't been trained to stand still tied up. In Lari's case he managed to get his head under the leadrope. I'd left his tea on the floor well to the side of him exactly for that very reason but whilst I was in the stable in a split second he'd pushed it back by grabbing it with his teeth, so when he raised his head it was directly above him, he felt it on his axis and totally flipped out.

There are other occasions when a horse might pull back, for example a loose dog running towards them, a loud noise, another horse in the vicinity panicking which sets them off, a 101 reasons.

I work with film and display horses, they HAVE to tie, and be steady to whatever comes their way, so they are trained to not freak out. A rope over the head can also be trained for - and avoided altogether if the tie ring is at the right height (which they seldom are). Pet/leisure horses can also be trained, but people either don't know how or don't bother.