pulling back

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squirrelc17

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i have just bought a 4 yr old. who is GREAT. but occasionally a bit pushy on the ground. anyway we are getting this sorted but he has a really annoying habit of pulling back when tied up.
he doesn't panic, just pulls til he is free then walks off, and grazes.
i have tied him to 3 seperate pieces of twine with 3 ropes, he just breaks all 3.
i have once tied him to the ring when i was there. when he realised it wasn;t going to break he then stood fine and didn't try again. so thought it was sorted but kept a close eye on him. then 2 days ago he pulled back and stood there until the ring came off the wall.
so back to tying him to twine. and tonight he decided he had been tied up long enough, i'd gone to get another horse from field, he pulled back then walked up to me and the other horses. it seems to be cheekiness. how do i stop it as it is really annoying and i don't want him hurting himself.
 
Belle does this often, but less than she used to! I have a velcro break-tie so that she can't hurt herself and I tack her up in a fenced in part of the paddock so she can't go far. If she breaks free I re-tie her immediately and just keep doing it - she's kinda bored of it now so mostly just stands there. Another thing I have tried is not tying her but just putting the rope through the twine (just whilst I'm brushing her or whatever) and then she doesn't get the satisfying snap. She just moves backwards and then realises not much happens.

If you find a quick cure then please let me know. The only method I know is just having the patience to persevere. I use a break-tie because no matter what I tie her to, she's going to get free if she wants to and I'd rather she didn't get hurt or panic in the process.
 
My boy started to get into this habit, i wanted to nip it in the bud so i attached a lunge line to his headcollar in place of the leadrope and threaded it through the ring and kept hold of it not tight but did put pressure on when he pulled back., then when he pulled back he couldnt get away and so stopped doing it really quickly.
 
eatonbraynat said:
My boy started to get into this habit, i wanted to nip it in the bud so i attached a lunge line to his headcollar in place of the leadrope and threaded it through the ring and kept hold of it not tight but did put pressure on when he pulled back., then when he pulled back he couldnt get away and so stopped doing it really quickly.
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Echo this..... tried and tested :)

Also..... you could try tying him to 2 pieces of twine (1 shorter than the other), when he breaks the first, he is still tied to the second......

I wouldn't recommend this one, but I have seen it work many times..... my breeder friend ties her youngsters direct to the ring tie with a leather head-collar, a chain with a quick release one end..... (this is done in a stable with thick bedding), if they pull back, they are met with un-yielding pressure, and it doesn't go away unless they stop pulling - I can tell you that they will not put themselves in danger, and they soon stop and stand quietly - My friend IS very 'old' school in her methods, and I personally wouldn't use this method.
 
If you think he might have got used to getting his own way by pulling back, ie: by earning his freedom for a minute or two, you could try tying 3 seperate lengths of baling twine to your tie-ring, each of gradually longer length. When he pulls back the first piece will break, but he won't be able to get away as he will come up against the second piece of twine, if he then pulls again he will come up against the third piece of twine, and will hopefully give up. It worked for my friend's horse.
 
trottingon said:
If you think he might have got used to getting his own way by pulling back, ie: by earning his freedom for a minute or two, you could try tying 3 seperate lengths of baling twine to your tie-ring, each of gradually longer length. When he pulls back the first piece will break, but he won't be able to get away as he will come up against the second piece of twine, if he then pulls again he will come up against the third piece of twine, and will hopefully give up. It worked for my friend's horse.
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tried and tested i'm afraid!!! he'll just break 1, then the next, then the next!!!

he doesn't seem to do it when i'm right there and if he does and i get behind his eye and "drive" him forwards he will stop and stand and look at me.

the lunge line idea is great........... BUT it is normally when i go in to get my saddle/hat/bridle.brush from tack room he will decide to disappear. if he is tied outside my stable where my other horse is on box rest, and allowed to play with him he will stand fine. i often have to shut the top stable door tho as it isn't safe to leave them playing and , then he will sometimes pull back. but not always.

thank you to everyone replied so far, any more suggestions?????

anyone used bungees????
 
i've used the elastic things - they are great because you don't ahve to replace the baler twine.. the do however "break" more easily.
i double tied mine using the elastic things but they were positioned so that he had to pull sideways not back unless he turned to face one "side" on and then could go back - kept him tied for longer....
another method i've heard, is to again, use the lunge line, but thread through the ring, then when they pull there is nothing to pull on at all - will he keep stepping back to pull?
 
My girl does this occasionally and not only tied up. What I tend to do is keep her moving backwards until she doesn't want to go any further and then push her a bit more so that the original pulling away becomes my idea and therefore a useless way of getting what she wants. She's tried this at mounting blocks, tied up and going through gates and so far the method's worked quite well and not only with her, but with a gelding at my old yard who decided that he didn't want to work so tried buggering off home in reverse.
 
Paddy used to do this alot. And mini rear and yank back when he was getting impatient/fidgety/or was just in a foul mood!
Someone said to me that i had to stop it as it was dangerous if he slipped he could break his neck. So what they suggested doing was looping the lead rein through a bit of string/elastic tie but not tie it. So when he yanked back the rope came with him and didnt get any satisfaction from it. That and coupled with totally ignoring him when he did it rather than saying "no" etc etc worked really well.
I was a bit worried about doingit at first in case he fell over and only ever do it when you are with them....but it worked a treat. Once he found the rope came with him and he couldnt "yank" or get a reaction he stopped for good!
 
Have your tie rings put up really high, so there being tied up from a higher point, they can't pull back as easy on them when they are like that.

Also leave a rope hanging from his head coller in the stable, yes they will stand on it and yes there is an element of risk if your safety uptight but that's the purpose, they need to learn that pulling back once stood on the leadrope in does not get them anywhere, they can't pull back on themselves, they learn to relax and submiss to presure, rather than pulling away.
 
I recommend the elastic lead ropes.

Keep him under supervision because they're not ideal to use on a regular basis, but my pony became much calmer when, after pulling back and getting some stretch, he discovered he was still tied up.

The other thing with 4 year olds is it can take some time for an idea to sink in. If your current methods have worked before they'll work again, you just need to increase the ratio of success ie tied - to failure ie getting away until he thinks tied is the norm.
 
My mare does exactly the same! She is very calculated and calm with it. Will pull back until something breaks and then just stand there. She has broken numerous leadropes and headcollars this way. If she can't break whatever she is tied to she just stops. I normally make sure she is tied to 2 pieces of bailing twine and I try not to leave her alone when she is tied up. She does pull her back doing it so I am careful. At competitions I have a special attachment that I use on the trailer that is like a velcro strap so that when she pulls back hard it comes undone...I would rather she came away because she doesnt go anywhere. I have seen thick pieces of elastic specifically for tying up because I think that would work. Only thing is I can't find them any more now I want to buy one!
 
premier equine sell the elastic lead ropes i think. - I havent tried them yet!

My mare has done this for the last 12 years and I have never been able to 'cure' it. Might try some of these ideas though. I just tie her to the hedge now at home, so she pulls twigs out of it, but its a pain at shows as I have to hold her the whole time as she prances round me showing everyone how beautiful she is and neighing loudly! (yes, she is a TB!)
 
i had a mare that done this, she used to rear aswell. in the end, we had the old monarch type stables, I used the normal bit of string and attached it to the top of the bars,then tied her up she couldnt get any pressure from shooting back and soon stopped... her other habit was to stick her head down and bring it back up under hte rope.. the sheeky mare did suss out how to get rope that was attached to top of bars o ver her head... she would get it on her nose and flick it over her head....
 
For those that pull back to get a reaction the lead rope through ring thing is great. Also if they are scared. But tbh it sounds as though yours is just bored. You/a child probs would be too if asked to stare at a wall, especially when Exciting Things are happening with the others. Perhaps you could try altering your routine slightly so that the youngster is only tied for a short time to start with (less than it takes for him to get bored and pull free) and gradually increase it? A flexible bucket thing (safer than a net) full of hay should provide amusement for longer periods ;-) Or try tying him where he is more 'in the middle' of things so feels less bored/isolated.
 
My mare used to do this all the time, and although sometimes it was triggered by something making her jump, mostly it was just when she was fed up of being tied up. Lost count of the number of leadropes, headcollars and stable fronts we got through over the years... interestingly she has never pulled back when tied to a trailer.
The only thing that has worked for her, and it really has worked, is the idea already mentioned above of threading a lunge line through the ring and keeping hold of it. I have a pressure halter which has been very useful with her, so clip the lunge onto that, then retreat and hide in the stable, just out of sight but obviously close enough for it to be effective and safe. Then when she pulls back there is pressure on her nose which is an unpleasant consequence. The only way she can relieve the pressure is if she stops pulling, but it is her choice. It works.
The problem is that it's not very practical to be lurking in the stable when you are trying to tack up, pick out her feet etc... If you can do it a few times in a row though it can be enough to break the cycle. Occasionally I have to remind her, but she rarely does it these days. Only if she is particularly peeved. She also is a tb. What is your 4 year old?
 
squirrelc17 said:
so back to tying him to twine. and tonight he decided he had been tied up long enough, i'd gone to get another horse from field, he pulled back then walked up to me and the other horses. it seems to be cheekiness. how do i stop it as it is really annoying and i don't want him hurting himself.
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Shut him in a stable.
What is this fad for tying horses up and leaving them? A serious accident waiting to happen IMO.
 
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