Horse cannot or will not stand still when tied up. Long ramble :(

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Law

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Has anyone got an ideas of if there is any way to help this. Mr D is quite an anxious person sometimes and when he is tied in the barn on the yard, or out on the outside yard, he just cannot stand still. Unless he has a full haynet, empty belly and is in a sleepy mood there is nothing I can do to make him stop dancing around on the yard. If it is all quiet on the yard and maybe some other horses are in then he'll stand nice and quiet but if not there is little hope.
He's a sharp boy and can spin around and dart round as quick as anything back and forth which doesn't cause a major problem other than it is blinking rude and ill mannered.
He's ok when being groomed but as soon as I stop paying him attention he's off. Even if I just walk 20 feet away and sit down with a mag/cuppa he'll look at me and pace back and forth. I don't pander to him and don't go back to him- i just carry on as normal.
If it's really bad and i'm trying to groom him and he sets of dancing then I will get after him for it and he gets a bit of a shock at being told what to do and will stand still as long as I keep on at him or until he gets the message but again this isn't ideal.
He does it when the farrier is there too - whenever the farrier goes off to work on the shoes he starts pacing. He hasn't got a very good attention span and has probs when physio comes or the dentist. He copes for about half an hour and then he gets impatient and rude
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Any ideas of a way to cure this problem? Is it just his anxious personality (he did it on the yard we were on previously) and there is nothing I can do about it? He's settled at the yard, has a best friend and likes it there.

Anyone else got one like this?
Any ideas welcome.
 
You and most probably won't agree with what i do but it works a treat and everytime.

I was taught by an old guy who has traditional ways. Anyway one of my horses just would not stand still so he told me to cross tie her in the corner of a stable and leave her there for 4 or 5 hours and repeat that the next day, and the next if needed. And do you know it works a treat. All of my ponies now stand still when tied and I can also leave them in the middle of the yard and they will not move.

I did it with my youngster and it taught him so much. When i had people come to view him they couldn't believe how good he was at just standing in the middle of the yard while i put the harness on him and put him to the cart. And he was exactly like your horse when I got him.

Now this is just my opinion and it works for me and others, take it or leave it.
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Can quite believe it, the idea being that being tied up is boring but necessary so they might just as well accept it - and they do!
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It might take some longer than others but it does get through eventually. The nice thing about this is it only uses a headcollar and two ropes, not even a "NH" thing in sight!
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Thanks for your replies. I should have said he doesn't do it to get loose, he doesn't pull on anything he just paces back and forth Grr!

I'm not sure I get the idea of how to cross tie- is there a pic or diagram anywhere?

Thanks again
 
Someone I know who takes in horses for backing, training etc uses a contravershall method that does get results. She has several ropes fitted to a central strong beam in her stable and they hang down from it. She puts several headcollars on the horse and ties it from the ropes that hang down...and leaves it there for a few hours to get on with it! It sounds down right awful but it has always worked because the horse can only ever fight itself and yet cannot injure itself or get free...so they give up and accept being stood still when tied.
Some of you will condem this and I have my own concerns but it certainly seems to work when done in a controlled environment.
 
Spike normally ties up quite well for up to about 20 minutes but if he even sees the farrier he starts pacing! I think it is because he knows if he is getting shod then he will have to stand still for a while. He is can be very impatient - he hates having to stand at gates while I open them, or stand still waiting to cross a road. I guess the fact that you can tie him up despite this personality means that he has been taught well!
 
Can't really see why anyone would have a problem with either of your methods, at it is just tying up the horse after all - just with one or two more ropes.

Worked with every horse I have tried it on, except my own - typical! He will still paw at the ground for attention. But then I am on a busy yard and I know people pay him the attention when I'm not there (even tho asked not to), so what can I expect.

I girl I used to know hobbles hers to teach them to stand still - now that's not on IMO!
 
Why does he have to be tied on the yard?

Sometimes it is just an anxiety thing, for instance he may know he is about to be ridden. In this case I would just leave him in and do everything in the box.

I find it alot easier to focus on him, we get things done quicker and he is easier to control in a confined space.

TBH on the past 3 yards I have been on there has been a "no tying on yard" policy so I have got used to doing everything in the stable and even though I can tie up on this yard I dont.

If you have to tie him on the yard maybe do it for a short amount of time then put him back in, maybe he is bored?
 
He gets tied on the yard for bath time when I need both hands and sometimes just because I find it easier than working in the stable. tacking up etc You might be right though maybe I'll try him in the stable. Would I be better to tie him in the stable or leave him loose? When he is loose in the box his pacing is worse he box walks and walks backwards for three strides and then forwards again this is only when he is anxious, rest of the time he'll eat his hay and then dance or he'll just eat quietly. As soon as he's tacked up and I get on he's like a little lamb and doesn't fuss at all, he's nice and settled.
He's normally really good about being in the stable and I can leave the door open to get a brush and he won't come out and I sometimes leave him with a stall guard rubber covered chain thing and again he's good and doesn't barge or anything.
Maybe I should try tying him up in the stable.

Thanks
 
I would try and tie him in the stable. If he barges in there it is easier to sort out as you are in a confined space - and dont forget you have got a wall to help you - if he is bargy, push him against it and work on one side. He cant go very far if he has got you on one side and brick on the other.

Once you have got him standing in the stable then try outside. I if you need to bath him etc ask for some help and get someone to hold him for you.
 
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I would try and tie him in the stable. If he barges in there it is easier to sort out as you are in a confined space - and dont forget you have got a wall to help you - if he is bargy, push him against it and work on one side. He cant go very far if he has got you on one side and brick on the other.


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Lol he wouldn't get far would he! But he's not bargey and is very spatially aware- makes sure he doesn't dance on or near me- just waits 'til I walk off before switching the twinkle toes button!

Thanks for the reply- I'll try him in the stable. It's when I go off to get my tack that he's the biggest pain in the bum, or when I go off to get something out of the tack room- basically when I go out of sight. I've tried literally walking out one barn door and round the barn back to him to kind of reiterate the point that i can disappear for 2 minutes and come back to him without the world ending but he doesn't seem to appreciate logic! Another positive of leaving him in the stable is that there is rubber matting down so i won't hear him pacing which means my blood won't boil if he does do his dancing routine!
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how do you physically go about cross tying? I have a big stable, would I do it in there and if so how?

thanks
 
cross tying is just a phrase to use two lead ropes and tie up from rings on the cheeks of the headcollar,
usually about 4 feet either side of the horse, so they have a little but limited movement.
 
Tie him up and leave him. Once he stands still, lots of praise and untie him. It might take a while, but you'll get there in the end.
 
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