Crossties and panicking

[striderrider]

Right now I am riding this horse (on a semi regular basis) that likes to panic and pull back in the crossties. Some days she is totally fine, then on others something (or nothing) will just set her off and she will pull back. Can this be fixed or should I just not bother trying to crosstie her anymore? What is the best thing to do when she does have her freak outs? It has only happened a couple times but when it does, I just unclip her and finish tacking up in her stall. It just seems kind of counter productive to training her to accept them but I don't want anyone to get hurt...

[horse99]

In this situation, I would say safety comes first and foremost so until you have a clear training path, I would stick to tacking her up in her stall tied with a quick release knot, or loop the lead around the bars so if she does panic, they slip out easily. Usually once a horse has learned to pull back and does it regularly, they will do it with any slight provocation.


When it does happen, don't panic because that will panic the horse more. If you are behind the horse, try getting her to go forward by flapping a lead, whip or something that will catch her eye and get her to move away. Whatever you do, don't get too close, I have seen horses break the cross ties and flip over backward. You don't want to get landed on! If she moves forward, she will hopefully stand calm enough for you to get the snaps of her halter quickley. Do not try and get the snaps off until the horse has calmed down a bit or you could get hurt amounst her thrashing.



Retraining begins with teaching the horse to give to pressure. Your horse should yeild to pressure when being led, and when he is tied. There are various NH excersises you can do such as the Parelli YoYo game to teach yeilding to halter pressure. Next the horse should be able to stand quietly just tied regularly for extended periods of time, like say 30 minutes without pulling back, pawing, spooking etc. Once she can do that AND yeild to halter pressure, can you begin introducing cross ties. It will take you some time so be patient, practice and get help from a trainer with the ground work. Good luck!

[striderrider]

Thanks for your response. It makes sense that she needs to learn to yeild to pressure. I am not a natural horsemanship type let alone parelli, so what 'pray tell' is the "yo yo" game?? lol. I have started to tie her to the tie ring in her stall for 20 minutes or so at a time, and i will graduate her to being tied outside the stall, then outside in the stable yard. She does well in the stall but outside could be a different story so I am taking it slow.

[peppysan]

I copied this from another site- Yo Yo game:

The Backward “Yo”
First draw a circle in the dirt around your feet, about three feet in diameter. This is your own invisible corral — don’t move outside this corral!

It’s important to keep your feet still; it’ll help you learn how to move your horse without you moving. Your horse will respect you, because horses play the game of “who’s moving who” with each other, and by staying inside the circle, you’re the winner!

Your lead rope should be about 12 feet. Stand in your circle and drive your horse backward about three feet (Driving Game in the last issue). The middle of your rope should lay on the ground. There are four phases you may need to get your horse to move backward in the Yo-Yo Game.

Phase 1: Hold the end of the rope in one hand and place your other hand on your hip, so you’ll look like the boss!

Put a really stern look on your face, then wiggle your finger at your horse and think “back up!” If he takes even a half step, stop immediately and smile. He’s trying! Start again until he’s backed up about 10 feet. After he’s backed all the way, reward him by letting him stay there for a minute or so.

Remember to reward the slightest try. When your horse takes even a tiny step backward, stop immediately, smile, then begin again. He’ll try even harder for you the next time.

If he thinks your finger wiggling is silly, try this (Phase 2). Without moving your feet, hold the rope so that your fingers are closed around it and you can see your fingernails. Wiggle your wrist from side to side, which will cause the rope to move. If your horse still doesn’t back up, proceed to Phase 3.

For Phase 3, bend your arm at the elbow, stiffen your wrist and swing your lower arm from side to side in front of your body. Keep your elbow bent! Your horse should be getting the message now! This motion allows him to feel the wiggling rope all the way to the snap. When he does respond, quit. If he doesn’t respond, try Phase 4.

For Phase 4, straighten your elbow so your whole arm moves straight out from your shoulder. (Are you still inside your corral?) Send big, sweeping waves down the rope by moving your straight arm across your chest. By now your horse will really want to move backward!

Our goal is to have your horse respond at Phase 1: Point at your horse and he backs up.

[Saddlebag]

When in crossties a horse can feel trapped. These are usually in the barn aisle which doesn't offer the same security as her stall. Since her hearing is far more acute than ours she may think something is about to grab a hind leg - an unseen enemy. My horses all stand with the lead shank tossed over the back. It seems because they have the option to leave they stay and are more relaxed.

[peppysan]

My horses all stand with the lead shank tossed over the back. It seems because they have the option to leave they stay and are more relaxed.

I agree with this- I think all horses should first learn to ground tie comfortably. Also you know that if they are there because it's their own choice, they are already willing and on your side.