Tying with baling string is DANGEROUS

[FairyLights]

http://www.arabianlines.com/forum1/topic_new.asp?TOPIC_ID=49791
We are fortunate to make our own hay and buy sisal twine [the old type of baling string].Sisal is the only type of baler twine safe to use for tying a horse .

 

[mutley75]

so true, people dont realize some of the twines have a 5 tonne breaking strain!

 

[RobinHood]

Tying to full thickness baling string is certainly dangerous. It's fine if you thin it or tie it on to the ring full thickness and then pull away a few strands to tie too.

 

[monkeybum13]

I've always had small bale twine that does break, its the big bale stuff that's lethal.

 

[HashRouge]

Small bale stuff doesn't always break, be warned.
I thin baling twin now before I use it to tie up, although generally I prefer to have my mare in her stable and not bother tying up. She pulled the wooden slats off her stable a few years ago after pulling back while tied up (to small bale twine!).

 

[noblesteed]

Yep my horse managed to pull some stones out of a barn wall on one length of baler twine! The ring came out so he was unhurt. Now I always split the twine to a few threads before I use it. Even if you don't tie your leadrope through it still catches.

 

[mightymammoth]

Didn't know this will now thin mine down, thanks for sharing

 

[faith123]

Will never tie to bailing twine again after my mare panicked then slipped over on the cocrete and the twine didnt snap (she got her front leg tangled in the rope)

I now use the rubber tie up things

 

[Maesfen]

I tie up straight to the wall, no faffing and horses learning they can just lean and break away. Never had one break a neck yet as they soon learn it's a pointless exercise to pull back.

 

[bushbaby28]

wow never realised it could be so strong so thanks for sharing.

Out of interest, what do people use instead? I know there are a range of things on the market- whats the best type? Or is thinning bailing twine ok?

 

[moana]

Baling twine these days is so very very strong, it is utterly stupid to tie a horse to it without thinning it considerably. There are plenty of cheap alternatives you can get, even if you use parcel string or gardeners twine (Check it's strength though)

 

[CBFan]

I think in the exaple given was not so much the fact that the bailer twine didn't snap, more that the item the bailer wine was attached to to secure the horse was not substantial enough to withstand the force of a horse pulling back on it....

Bailer twine IS strong and I'd highly recomend thinning it HOWEVER tying to a post and rail fence is far from ideal too... I always tie to something solid... in my case the reinforced concrete upright on the barn... via a piece of balertwine, which my horse has mastered the art of snapping without any trouble! I NEVER leave him unattended or feed him tied up, which is how I most commonly hear of 'baler twine' induced accidents happening!

 

[foxy1]

Teach the horse to tie up and you won't have any problems.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I always thin my twine (the small bale stuff)

 

[Kamakazegirl]

I use an equi ping, in case the baling string doesnt snap, especially as my horse tends to panic when tied up and this way if he does panic then it just unclips. heres the link for it if anyone is interested: http://www.robinsonsequestrian.co.uk/equine-product-details.asp?ID=5064

 

[mainpower]

I don't tie to baler twine because of it not breaking and I found that if they pull back the twine cuts into the rope which then becomes nigh on impossible to untie. When I was on a DIY yard the yard owner was doiing some maintenance on the stables. So he decided to take my horse out of her stable and tie her to the string attached to a tie ring which was screwed into the door frame of the next stable. Unfortunately he knocked my horse with his ladder as he went past, she jerked back and took the door frame out and careered round the car park hitting cars with the beam.
My youngster chews ropes so I rack him with a chain, which I clip directly to the ring, and have a very thin piece of sting on his headcollar to attach it to so if he pulls back that is the "weak link", and he's not then running about with a chain swinging from his head!

 

[AdorableAlice]

In the ideal world all babies are halter broken properly and never have a clue that they are very strong and able to break away from anything they might wish to break away from.

Maesfen is right, teach them at home tied to the wall. I stood behind one of mine, (yearling but huge and strong), that was trying to run back with a bristle broom and he only touched it once, always used a leather headcollar.

Horses that don't tie up reliably are a pain in the backside, especially at the side of a wagon. I do use a rubber snap ring when tied at a show at side of truck though and wouldn't leave horse unattended in that situation. There was an incident, think it was Staffs County, where a pony pulled back and took the alloy sheet off the truck and then bolted.

Had a Haflinger livery recently that had been through the parelli routine, 3yr old didn't tie up at all. Realising it could not break away it was so clever it set about biting through the rope and then rubbing headcollar off on the wall.

I put a chain on it and it reared up planted both fronts on the wall and just sat there balanced, I thought it would kill itself so untied it, that was a mistake, it did the same the next day. This time I left it for a couple of hours, during which time it climbed up and down, no panic to it, all very measured in what it was doing. It did give up in the end and became easy to tie up, but I had never seen a performance like it before or after, but someone did say the breed is clever and stubborn at times.

 

[Paint Me Proud]

i never use baler twine to tie up outside the stable (or in it for that matter). I have a trailer tie attached to my ring outside. I lead Chico up to it and clip it on his headcollar and unclip his leadrope. The trailer ties have a quick release clasp on (that i attach to the ring) so i now if he panics it will break loose from the tie ring but stay attached to his headcollar so i have something to grab and lead him with if needed.

 

[kerilli]

Tying to full thickness baling string is certainly dangerous. It's fine if you thin it or tie it on to the ring full thickness and then pull away a few strands to tie too.

I thin it slightly if it's the really strong stuff, but the stuff on my small bales is thinner anyway and breaks fairly easily tbh, my horses have no problem breaking it when they have a daft moment now and then. I would NEVER tie a youngster to it, or tie it to something less strong than the twine (which is what I suspect happened with the injured Arabian unfortunately.) you always need a weak link with horses. if not the twine then the headcollar.
i'd NEVER ever tie without twine, as i know of horses who have panicked and broken their necks. leadropes are STRONG, and you know horses - once they're fighting something you can't get through to them to stop...

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I tie up straight to the wall, no faffing and horses learning they can just lean and break away. Never had one break a neck yet as they soon learn it's a pointless exercise to pull back.

This ^ ^

Teach the horse to tie up and you won't have any problems.

and this ^ ^

Have spent times in the past getting irate with liveries who have attached to nylon twine & had animals nearly taking down stables etc. Always kept a very sharp knife in the yard just in case......
Now said knife is just in haybarn jammed into the wall as its only used to cut bales open

 

[tonitot]

I never use it either. I have an equiping for Ethel, I know a lot of people think theyre useless but I think theyre quite good. I've never had it just ping off for no reason with Ethel, whereas with bailing twine when I was teaching her to tie up when I first got her she broke 3 leadropes and a headcollar in a week because the bailing twine wouldn't snap. It didn't matter how thin I made it, it would never snap! Luckily she stopped pulling back and now we have the equiping if she does start it again at least I wont have to buy a new leadrope everyday

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Why do people insist on tying up? I teach mine to stand still.

 

[Chestnuttymare]

some years ago I had my mare tied with baler twine, she got a fright at something and went backwards. the twine held so well, it was the metal clip on her lead rope that broke. I have since taught her to stand so that i now just pass the rope thro the twine so it would just slip thro, or put the rope over her back. Even though they are taught to tie, you can't guarantee that they will never get a fright with something and panic.

 

[BSJAlove]

Ive never had a problem with twine. Maybe the problem was because the horse was tied to a fence.

My horses are tied to a wall. On small bale twine, and stand they politely and calmly. On the rare occason when any horse has pulled back, it's always broken.

 

[RobinHood]

"Why do people insist on tying up? I teach mine to stand still."

Because it's not always appropriate! My horse is trained to stand untied on the yard at home but it wouldn't be safe at a competition! Maybe i should try teaching the stallion to stand untied outside his box whilst he's being bathed, people riding mares past might like a free foal!

 

[SusieT]

So who has actually met the horse that 'broke its neck fighting when tied up'? Curious?

 

[Foxhunter49]

Sorry but sisal twine is no safer than any other!
Some years ago, a horse tied with sisal twine to a concreted in post, pulled back and took two railings and two posts with him.
Then another horse tied with sisal to a ring in a stall for the farrier, pulled back and ended up on the ground where he struggled hitting his head. The farrier cut the rope (which was an old one and terribly frayed so that, or the leather headcollar should have snapped.
The horse was brain damaged and put down.

I swear they can damage themselves if they are tied with a piece of red hot cotton!

 

[Jesstickle]

What you all need is what I have. Tie rings screwed to brick so ancient and crumbling that any pressure at all just pulls the ring out of the wall! Which is annoying when you've deliberately tied straight to the ring as your horse is a knobber and is meant to be having a lesson in tying up

ETS: my filly, who've had all her formative years, ties up perfectly. This is why you don't buy anything that has been handled by anyone else! How difficult is it to halter train a horse FGS!

 

[JessPickle]

My horse breaks bailer twine ties on pretty much a weekly basis. Yes he's big but he isn't 5 tonnes. so think some figures are exagerated!

 

[emmab13]

I tie up to a bull pen, meant for keeping 3/4 of a ton of angry beef in!

If by some miracle the string/headcollar/clip/rope doesn't snap, as happens sometimes, they then realise that pulling back is actually daft, and give up being morons.

I have had one get its two front legs over the top of the bullpen and stand there and look at me like 'so, now what're you going to do b***h'', but then that is what your quick release knot is for.