Tie Up logs - from way back!

Tnavas

Tnavas

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Recently we've been discussing tie up logs - the sort we used around 30 - 40 years ago to tie horses up in stalls. I had one made to use to tie my horses up at shows so that they could graze without risk of getting legs over the rope.

Mine cost me around $80 NZ - £40! I had it specially made. I asked the local wood turners club to make it - fortunately one of the old guys knew exactly what I wanted.

Rope goes through the log and is tied at the bottom with a quick release knot - adjust the length so that the log can't snag on anything when the horse and rope is close to the tie ring.

Rope from the head collar MUST go through a ring so that the rope is free moving - it does not go onto baling string!

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Height 5" - 13cms
Dia 5½ - 14cms
Hole Dia ¾" widenning to 1¼" 2 - 3cm - this needs to be at least the width of the rope used but not too wide otherwise the knot can be pulled through
Weight 1.6kg
 
I went to a couple of PC camps where ponies were accommodated in cow byres. If we didn't have the posh logs we simply took a log with a hole drilled through it. DC specified size and weight. Useful things.

They would save a lot of leg over rope incidents nowadays if they were used. Mind, so would tying up on higher rings ;)
 
Sorry for being thick... could you post a photo or diagram of one in use? Struggling to visualise where to tie things :confused::o
 
Haven't seen one for years. Never thought of using one for tying to the trailer either, good idea, thanks.
(waits patiently for oh to come back so he can get working on one)
 
Put the lead rope through a tie ring and button hangs at the bottom, can go up or down as how the horse should move when attached.
 
Brings backs memories. Excellent piece of kit, ponies got used to it very quickly and never seemed to have a problem. Great idea to use on a trailer - you have probably started a craze now!
 
God it's been years since I've seen one of these - over a decade in fact! :eek:
I'd forgotten they existed! Clever things! :D
 
Imagine the block on the floor. It has a rope threaded through one end and tied with a safety knot so it won't fall off. The other end of the rope goes through the tie ring and clips onto the horses headcollar so when the horse lifts his head or pulls back the block lifts off the floor and when the horse lower's his head or walks forward the block lowers to the floor.:)
 
Thanks for that - I was pondering having one made from a chunk of firewood, and was wondering about the weight. Heavy enough to act as a counterweight but not so heavy they struggle to lift it - 1.6kg is the figure to bear in mind, thanks .
 
Here you go, hooked up to a cob sized headcollar, outside Tiny Fuzzies stable, with the rope going from headcollar, through tie-ring (which is much too high for TF :D) and then down to the log :)

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The headcollar is only lightly hooked over the outer stable door

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My horse still managed to get in a twist with one years ago...I assume it was too long:(. Someoone tied him up and left him and he managed to get his back leg over it and got a massive rope burn which left a huge scar...
 
I used to have a couple of these, they're very useful, I wish I still had them.

I haven't got any pictures but you pass the horse's lead rope through a tying up ring, then thread it though the hole in the block, you then tie a big knot in the bottom of the rope to keep the block on the end of it.

The weight keeps the rope quite tort so keeps the rope short enough to stop the horse from getting tangled up but it's light enough to allow the horse to move a bit.
 
Ahh, thank you, I think I get it! Might have to get family friend who is good with wood to make me one! Are they safe, what with not having a break point like baler twine? Or would a smooth lead rope threaded through baler twine be smooth enough? Oh, and does it matter how high the tie ring is? Standard tie rings on trailers are rather high for small ponies so presume the rope would just need to be longer?
 
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texas said:
Are they safe, what with not having a break point like baler twine? Or would a smooth lead rope threaded through baler twine be smooth enough? Oh, and does it matter how high the tie ring is?
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I think it would be best to have a breakpoint where the rope attaches to the headcollar, just in case of emergency - either a snazzy purpose-made gadget or a piece of string between the headcollar ring and the leadrope clip.
 
Horses which are tied to things which break can learn that pulling breaks things. I have never, in 40+ years with horses, ever tied a horse to a breakable point (or baler twine); hate the stuff. If you properly start horses tying up, they will tie. The weighted logs are brilliant and have worked for hundreds of years.
 
Thinking about it, when I used them ALL head collars were made of leather. (Am I showing my age or what?). These will break eventually whereas I believe synthetic ones won't. On the other hand, I never saw any horse get themselves in trouble when using the log.
 
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