Fidgeting whilst tied

[{123756}]

Impatient 2yo Welsh who is fine tying and isn't fighting it but is so annoying! My new filly is so impatient and is so obviously a baby wanting attention but has to be tied while I muck out in the evenings.

My question is would you A) leave her to figure life out or B) try a distraction? Side note, she's never tied without access to a large holed net.

Waiting for farrier today and had to be tied whilst waiting for others to have her feet done and it was a full half hour to 45 minutes before she settled and started to eat her hay quietly so she does get there. But I appreciate she's a very young baby and things are boring so wonder if I should try getting her one of those tasty blocks in the small nets to keep her occupied? Or do I leave her to learn to settle and eat what she has?

 

[Nasicus]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, unless she was putting herself/others in danger. She's young and has the attention span of a flea, if she's just fidgeting around but is otherwise tied nicely, then let her get on with it, don't pander to it. She'll figure out eventually that it's easier to just stand and relax.
It's a good idea to teach them to be tied without a haynet too, otherwise you could end up with a horse that can't tie nicely without one.

 

[Nudibranch]

I'll be totally honest and say I'd move to somewhere with more turnout if possible.

 

[Nasicus]

I'll be totally honest and say I'd move to somewhere with more turnout if possible.

That too, if it's an option! But appreciate it might not be possible

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I ignore mine, he has developed a habit of breaking twine/tie ups of any sort so he is now tied to the ring to learn the error of his ways. There is no panic it is a conscious effort to pull back as far as he can and sit down/half rear knowing the twine will eventually go. Now he’s realised there is no twine he pulls a couple of times then sulks. People kept telling me to give him a haynet, I wasn’t for rewarding his bad behaviour. So now once he has stood quietly for ten mins he gets his Haynet but if he doesn’t stand nicely he gets nothing until he does. My old boy was the same, he did this before I got him, it was his party piece when tacked up at the lorry or trailer or outside waiting to go for a hack, to break away and sod off wasting the time I had to ride or the daylight in winter ??

 

[{123756}]

We're incredibly lucky with turnout, she's out all day everyday during the winter and 24/7 during the summer but my other mare won't stand for being out late so they have to tie up whilst mucking out in the evenings.

Wonderful, I did think just to leave her be and let her figure it out. I know it's nothing but impatience. It's been several years since I've had one this young and I completely forget what I did with my other mare when she was this age!

 

[saalsk]

I'm a fan of distraction, but linking it with short periods of time where I expect them to stand still - but only if I can give attention if needed, and praise for when they do stand still. I have a haynet, a large rope knot that he can chew/pull/bash at, and a lickable molasses tub ( the little one, hand held sized ) that I keep to one side, and offer for good behaviour. I also have a young Welsh lad, with the attention span of a tea spoon, who is very fidgety, but also very mouthy and luckily treat orientated. He has hay, but is (slowly) learning that standing still and trying to look *pretty* eventually gets him a few licks of the tub, or a small treat. Never when he is moving, and he did have to go through the pawing, pulling back, being a PITA etc, but he is coming out the other end, happily being tied up, with and without treats/hay/toys, for short ( but increasing ) periods of time. I agree totally with what Nasicus says about being important for them to learn to tie with nothing - but I try to make sure they learn to do so without ending up with bad habits. Having seen a horse tied up to a solid post in a Chifney, and needing the vet and dentist after the horse reared and went over backwards, I know I am likely to take a much more careful approach, and that many horses will learn to simply stand still without any further input, but I am the worry type !

 

[{123756}]

I'm a fan of distraction, but linking it with short periods of time where I expect them to stand still - but only if I can give attention if needed, and praise for when they do stand still. I have a haynet, a large rope knot that he can chew/pull/bash at, and a lickable molasses tub ( the little one, hand held sized ) that I keep to one side, and offer for good behaviour. I also have a young Welsh lad, with the attention span of a tea spoon, who is very fidgety, but also very mouthy and luckily treat orientated. He has hay, but is (slowly) learning that standing still and trying to look *pretty* eventually gets him a few licks of the tub, or a small treat. Never when he is moving, and he did have to go through the pawing, pulling back, being a PITA etc, but he is coming out the other end, happily being tied up, with and without treats/hay/toys, for short ( but increasing ) periods of time. I agree totally with what Nasicus says about being important for them to learn to tie with nothing - but I try to make sure they learn to do so without ending up with bad habits. Having seen a horse tied up to a solid post in a Chifney, and needing the vet and dentist after the horse reared and went over backwards, I know I am likely to take a much more careful approach, and that many horses will learn to simply stand still without any further input, but I am the worry type !

Im pretty certain my Arab didn't get this easily distracted, and I was expecting to get a Welsh knowing all about the Welsh personalities but my god she really is such a huge baby! Glad to know others have had the same teething issues!

 

[LEC]

You need them to learn to stand still. Its a skill you need to teach them. I had a 3yo which I spent quite a bit of time teaching to stand still. I would walk to different areas of the farm and we would just stand still. He would normally go through the same pattern - move, try to bite you/chew something and then stamp his feet. It was a cycle. His brain just needed to learn to switch off and they needed to be comfortable with doing nothing. You start with only needing maybe 1 minute and keep doing more so that the time will happily be extended. They are prey animals so are always going to be uncomfortable standing still especially by themselves. It gets interesting as there will be areas they are more comfortable with than others. Likewise if a lot is going on, then achieving standing will take longer. But you need to be disciplined. If they move you correct them, if they crowd you then make them step back.

I use an Idolo tie for safety with all young horses which also works well.

This kind of work absolutely pays dividends when you go to your first lesson/show away from home and your horse can just regulate itself because you have gone through all the pain when they are 2 years old.

 

[saalsk]

Bizarrely my other chap is also an arab, and no, he wasn't mouthy as a baby either - this little Welsh thing has been a very steep learning curve. Brave, funny, nosy, quick learner in general, but prone to minor temper tantrums ( never nasty ) and either has to move his feet, or his face, and if it is face, then hay doesn't cut it, and with a typical welsh waistline, food has to be carefully given as well ! They are so worth it though. His latest *thing* is to twang the stretchy back leg straps on the rug on the arab, when the poor old arab is having a nap. Then he bravely runs away....

 

[exracehorse]

I have problems with my 3 year old. Had her a year. I have to cross tie as she tries to hang herself. She won’t stand still. Pushes against the stable door. Paws the ground. Pure rudeness and wanting to be back in the field. She’s better if they are all tied up. But she’s a pain when solo. Despite the other horses literally being feet away in the field. I was so fed up with being pushed about last week, I must admit that I gave her a swish with the schooling whip on her bum. She didn’t even flinch. Just glared at me. But didn’t move after that. So.. I’m struggling to.

 

[LEC]

I have problems with my 3 year old. Had her a year. I have to cross tie as she tries to hang herself. She won’t stand still. Pushes against the stable door. Paws the ground. Pure rudeness and wanting to be back in the field. She’s better if they are all tied up. But she’s a pain when solo. Despite the other horses literally being feet away in the field. I was so fed up with being pushed about last week, I must admit that I gave her a swish with the schooling whip on her bum. She didn’t even flinch. Just glared at me. But didn’t move after that. So.. I’m struggling to.

Its actually anxiety causing this behaviour.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I use an Idolo tie for safety with all young horses which also works well.

I looked at these and thought in theory they look good if the principle is that as it threads out and gives some release the horse will stop tugging away and stand still. But it occurred to me if you have one that just keeps going backwards, then surely at some point the end of the rope you are using is just going to pull right through the actual plastic Idolo and away they go - freedom! All the videos I have looked at don't actually show the length of lead being used - but they all look considerably longer than a standard lead rope. Or am I being particularly dense and missing something?

 

[Cortez]

I ignore mine, he has developed a habit of breaking twine/tie ups of any sort so he is now tied to the ring to learn the error of his ways. There is no panic it is a conscious effort to pull back as far as he can and sit down/half rear knowing the twine will eventually go. Now he’s realised there is no twine he pulls a couple of times then sulks. People kept telling me to give him a haynet, I wasn’t for rewarding his bad behaviour. So now once he has stood quietly for ten mins he gets his Haynet but if he doesn’t stand nicely he gets nothing until he does. My old boy was the same, he did this before I got him, it was his party piece when tacked up at the lorry or trailer or outside waiting to go for a hack, to break away and sod off wasting the time I had to ride or the daylight in winter ??

It constantly bemuses me why people insist on tying to a breakaway rather than training their horses to just bl**dy well tie up like a civilised horse. So many horses just learn to pull until the string breaks, it's a rather good method of training them to pull back.

 

[LEC]

I looked at these and thought in theory they look good if the principle is that as it threads out and gives some release the horse will stop tugging away and stand still. But it occurred to me if you have one that just keeps going backwards, then surely at some point the end of the rope you are using is just going to pull right through the actual plastic Idolo and away they go - freedom! All the videos I have looked at don't actually show the length of lead being used - but they all look considerably longer than a standard lead rope. Or am I being particularly dense and missing something?

It releases the immediate pressure which causes horses to continue to pull back. With anything that is young I will use a 10ft rope. They normally stop before you hit the end. With the older horses an ordinary lead rope. At a show for instance with a 5yo it will be something like a bang or something which triggers the reaction. With 10ft I have enough time to save the situation if they really think about trying to go but usually they hit some tension and calm and stop. I have a 5yo who absolutely panics if they hit pressure and will not stop until its released so this is wonderful as stops serious accidents.

 

[stormox]

Leave her to figure it out and realise its something she must learn to accept. The older she gets the harder it will be to teach.

 

[gallopingby]

I'll be totally honest and say I'd move to somewhere with more turnout if possible.

The question was about tying up and not standing not about turnout!!
Tying up is a requirement best learnt when they are young. Some learn quickly others never do - its not fun to have to listen/cope with one that won't stay tied up. The best way is to tie for short periods of time on a regular basis rewarding at the end of the time and gradually increase the time limit. Sometimes it may be appropriate to start the learning by using a hay net as a distraction but ultimately they should stand tied without. The earlier this is sorted the easier it will become. Turnout is essential but not at the expense of basic good manners.

 

[ihatework]

I’ve got a bit of a ‘thing’ about tying up. It has the potential to cause such long term issue/injury if it goes wrong, especially if trying to teach the to tie at such a young age on developing necks and spines.

Ive never tied up a young horse <3. They get held by a human if they need something doing and they live in a situation where that is possible.

Then they are introduced to being tied up carefully and trained to accept it. Those idolos are perfect for it.

I can understand the argument for tying to a solid point if you have a horse that is being naughty and calculating about pulling back, but I thank my lucky stars that none of mine do - coincidence?? Anything that had a strong panic button would never be tied to a solid point I’m afraid.

As for a 2yo fidgety whilst tied up while owner otherwise occupied. I can’t comment as explained above it’s actually not a situation I would want my horse put in.

 

[Nudibranch]

The question was about tying up and not standing not about turnout!!
Tying up is a requirement best learnt when they are young. Some learn quickly others never do - its not fun to have to listen/cope with one that won't stay tied up. The best way is to tie for short periods of time on a regular basis rewarding at the end of the time and gradually increase the time limit. Sometimes it may be appropriate to start the learning by using a hay net as a distraction but ultimately they should stand tied without. The earlier this is sorted the easier it will become. Turnout is essential but not at the expense of basic good manners.

It's a 2 year old. Not necessarily ideally suited to a standard yard.
Basic manners are easily instilled if everything else is in place. Fidgeting is normal in youngsters. I would not expect any of mine to stand for long periods tied. Short sessions yes.

In 40 years I have never owned one that won't learn to stand but then I dont have the same expectations for my 2 year olds as I do for my adult horses.