Why do we not cross-tie our horses in this country?

FinkleyAlex

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Just wondering - in America and a lot of Europe pretty much all horses are cross-tied between two posts/walls. They never seem to tie a horse to a single tie on a wall. I was just wondering why cross-tying has never really taken off here?
 

Kallibear

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Prob cos very few people have the indoor barns (therefore the corridors) to set up cross tying. Most people I know have a flat wall or similar to tie to.
 

appylass

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I often do, the space between the stables in our American barn is just the right width. Most are cross tied for farrier, vet, clipping etc., especially if they are fidgety types :)
 

Littlelegs

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Don't know about anyone else but I expect a horse to stand while i'm doing anything with it through manners not restriction. I always tie up as loose as possible without the rope being a danger, tie up only for unforseen events & safety not to keep them still. Only exception is if I'm teaching them & rope might be shorter. Tying up in stables for me is the exception rather than the rule.
I suppose history wise it could be because of the differences in initial starting & handling process between English & western traditional methods, but only guessing & haven't a clue how the continent fit into that.
 

HashRouge

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Well I don't know about anyone else but I don't have anything to cross tie my horse to. I also don't really see it as necessary - she stands with one rope (actually, she'll usually stand without one!), we certainly don't need two.
 

Enfys

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Cross tying in barn aisles is a royal PITA :mad:

You can't get other horses past, and ducking under ropes is inconvenient. my barn aisle is 15' wide, cross tying would be completely impractical, although there are still cross tie ropes in there, fixed to rings in the ceiling! Never used them myself.

I do have one set of cross tie posts, (railway sleepers sunk 3' in the ground and concreted in) they are outside for washing down, it is convenient to keep a horse still for things like that I guess.
 

Alyth

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It's simply the way people were taught to do things......without any thought going into it!! IMO cross tying is actually dangerous.....most horses are claustrophobic and being tied both sides of the head can create panic....
 

Spyda

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It's simply the way people were taught to do things......without any thought going into it!! IMO cross tying is actually dangerous.....most horses are claustrophobic and being tied both sides of the head can create panic...

Hmmmm.... not sure about that. *scratches head*

It depends alot on what the horse has been trained to do as a youngster. An untrained, confused youngster will struggle just as hard against a single tie as a cross-tie until it is taught how to stand and tolerate the constriction with patience. I don't see UK competition horses, nor horses in USA and all over Europe, struggling to their death or injury just because they are cross tied as supposed to a single tie. I expect more horses over here come to grief by tangling themselves up in their single tie rope (ie: panicing by getting their end under the rope) or by pulling/fiddling themselves loose.
 

BigRed

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I have been in a busy sales barn in Germany and horses who are cross tied are used to other horses being led past them, they just duck under the ropes. The horses don't care, not do the grooms. I had a difficult horse last year, when I cross tied her on my yard, she behaved a lot better.
 

fidleyspromise

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Don't know about anyone else but I expect a horse to stand while i'm doing anything with it through manners not restriction. I always tie up as loose as possible without the rope being a danger, tie up only for unforseen events & safety not to keep them still. Only exception is if I'm teaching them & rope might be shorter. Tying up in stables for me is the exception rather than the rule.

Well I don't know about anyone else but I don't have anything to cross tie my horse to. I also don't really see it as necessary - she stands with one rope , we certainly don't need two.
These. My 2 stand well with one rope, if they're in a stable then I leave them loose. If in the yard then tied up with one rope, plus each yard I've been on - competition yard or not - horses were dealt with in their stables rather than it the corridor.

I have been in a busy sales barn in Germany and horses who are cross tied are used to other horses being led past them, they just duck under the ropes. The horses don't care, not do the grooms. I had a difficult horse last year, when I cross tied her on my yard, she behaved a lot better.

That sounds much better than once a horse is tied up, waiting for it to move or for one cross-tie to be untied so another horse can get past.
It obviously works well for some, and in circumstances such your mare, it was worth it.

If I had a situation (and appropriate walls) it may be something I would consider, but at the moment, it's not something I deem necessary. :)
 

Mithras

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I'd only do it with a difficult horse or one I wasn't sure of, and while I can see the point of it for horses on competition yards, with many different people working around them, and new and possibly difficult horses coming in all the time, I prefer my own horses to be accustomed to tieing up to wherever I want them, or simply standing next to me until I ask them to move while I do stuff with them.

My showjumper is from Germany and was cross-tied at his last yard. When I moved him to a DIY yard, someone suggested I cross-tie him. He immediately seemed reluctant, broke free before we could secure him and ran away and hid in his stable. He obviously hated it and felt trapped. He ties up perfectly otherwise and never breaks free, so if he doesn't want to be cross-tied any more, he isn't going to be!

He does however cross-tie perfectly for the farrier, but he can see the point in that...
 

CanadianGirl

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My mare freaked out once when she was in cross-ties. To get out of her way, we moved to a couple of feet in front of her and let her have her tantrum. She reared up, the safety clips released and she ended up dog-sitting in the aisle with a look on her face like, "How did I end up like this?". She hasn't misbehaved in cross-ties since. ;)
 

dafthoss

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Never had the need to, my horse ties up well and generally isnt a fidget as he has been taught to tie up politely. Some times I can see how usefull they would be for washing or similar but its not some thing I would go out of my way to have avalible.
 

Shantara

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I know I couldn't cross-tie Ned without a whole bunch of hassle.
It's one of these things where I feel - if it works for you, do it. If it doesn't, don't.
 
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I have worked at competition yards where horses are cross-tied for bathing, plaiting up, etc. At the yard I currently work at, I sometimes cross tie the horses for washing them but not many people seem to bother at this yard. I think it depends on personal preference and the type of yard (and how many walls/tie rings are available!!)
 

Mariposa

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We cross tie when travelling if using a trailer without a partition, and I know a yard where they cross tie them in the washing area/stall - keeps them still!
 
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