String - is it really safe?

[fburton]

So...you tie a horse up to prevent it escaping

When it happens to pull against the tie inadvertently while standing quietly - yes. The horse will have been taught (one hopes!) to yield to pressure and so will stop pulling as soon as it feels restraint through the rope.

then tie it to twine so it can escape?

If it pulls back in a blind panic - yes - to minimize injury to itself and those in the vicinity who might be more seriously hurt if the horse struggles violently but can't escape and/or regain its footing. Training cannot completely eliminate the possibility of a horse panicking and reacting explosively.

Sometimes there are situations where allowing the horse to escape would be considered too dangerous. Some would argue that this should apply in public showgrounds - even those that are completely enclosed. I have some sympathy with that view, although I think it is still accepted that there will be the odd loose horse at shows. If it is really important to keep a horse in one spot for safety or other reasons, then it should be kept in a lorry or trailer, or given to competent handler to look after.

ETA: And if you're going to tie a horse using something virtually unbreakable (like twine), at least tie to a solid fixture that isn't going to budge even if the horse throws all its weight in the opposite direction - i.e. not the plank of a wooden shed or a metal gate that can come off its hinges! (I've seen both happen - not pretty.)

 

[Shantara]

When it happens to pull against the tie inadvertently while standing quietly - yes. The horse will have been trained (one hopes!) to yield to pressure and so will stop 'pulling' as soon as it feels restraint through the rope.


If it pulls back in a blind panic - yes - to minimize injury to itself and those in the vicinity who might be more seriously hurt if the horse struggles violently but can't escape and/or regain its footing. Training cannot completely eliminate the possibility of a horse panicking and reacting explosively.

Sometimes there are situations where allowing the horse to escape would be considered too dangerous. Some would argue that this should apply in public showgrounds - even those which are completely enclosed. I have some sympathy with that view, although I think it is still accepted that there will be the odd loose horse at shows. If it is really important to keep a horse in one spot for safety or other reasons, then it should be kept in a lorry or trailer, or given to competent handler to look after.

ETA: And if you're going to tie a horse using something virtually unbreakable (like twine), at least tie to a solid fixture that isn't going to move even if the horse throws all its weight in the opposite direction - i.e. not the plank of a wooden shed or a metal gate that can come off its hinges! (I've seen both happen - not pretty.)

Ned is a perfect example of this.
When tied, he will often shuffle about a bit and if he wasn't tied up, he'd wander off. So I tie him to stop him wandering.
However, he does go into 'panic mode' sometimes (once when someone was lunging and let the line drag around) he shot backwards, sat down, snapped the twine and galloped off. Had he not been able to snap the twine, he would have broken either the lead rope, headcollar or himself!