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Hi Val,

> My new horse is obviously having pulling back issues...and he never did 
> at his previous owner's place when he was tied up...

There is no way to know that.  If he was routinely tied for longish periods 
of time, he could have gotten in the habit of "testing" and nobody noticed. 
 OR shortly before he came to you, he could have had just one incident 
where he pulled back and got loose.  Sometimes that's all it takes [ask me 
how I know this :(  ].

> ...he actually sits back and pulls back at least once.

Tie him shorter.  Leverage and positioning are everything.  When I tie, the 
distance from the halter ring to the object tied to is a little less than 
24".  That's enough for him to bob his head, see things left and right, but 
not enough to lean back against with his body (sit back).  Pull, yes, but 
NOT with his body.

> I'm not sure if he's testing the rope or what is going thru his head 
> when he does this. 

While you will probably never know exactly what is in his mind, you can get 
a handle on whether the problem is behavioral or instinctual.  If the 
latter, there may be little you can do except be sure he never breaks loose 
(the Blocker tie ring can help here).  If behavioral, he might be able to 
be re-trained through negative and positive reinforcement.  Horses respond 
very well to gradual increases in both discomfort and pleasure.  So, is 
there fear in your horse's eyes, even briefly?  When he is pulling back is 
he panicky or just giving it a good go?  When he stops, is he relaxed or 
trembling?  A horse that has been unnerved by something will be edgy.  A 
horse that is testing his environment will exude confidence.  Think of a 
horse pressing against a fence and the mental image you have of one who is 
deliberately leaning against it and one who is trying to get away from 
something.  Two very different sets of body language.  Both horses can 
break the fence, or get in trouble with it, but one MEANS to and the other 
barely notices that it's there.

Knowing which mental frame your horse has will help, even after getting the 
Blocker tie ring.  After all, that devise was invented to give a horse some 
mental breathing room, not to deter a wannabe escape artist :)

> ... I don't  wish to use a whip to stop his pulling back as he is still
> learning to trust his humans. 

Trust is not "I know they won't hurt me".  Horses in a settled pasture 
"trust" each other, ie, they know what to expect, including getting kicked 
(hurt) when they overreach their pecking order.  If your horse's pulling 
back is deliberate, he may well be testing, not the rope, but you, 
attempting to determine which of you is higher in the chain of command.  If 
this IS the case, you may begin to notice other "little" infringements, 
bumping you when being led, pushing past you, trying to grab a snatch of 
hay from your arms, purposefully holding his head high when you try to 
bridle him, pulling a leg away when you pick his hoof, etc.  It is very 
important that your horses never learn to think of you as anything less 
than the ALPHA.  That doesn't mean you should be cruel, just exceeding 
definite about who is in charge... and never let a threat to your status go 
unchallenged.  The Alpha mare wouldn't.

> We are not doing anything right now aside from verbally scolding him for 
> this...waiting for him to get it over and done with...and then he's fine.

Following along from the Alpha issue, "then he's fine" does sound like he 
is not afraid and if so, ramp up the "scolding", just like the Alpha horse 
in pasture.  From "Knock it off" in disgust (horse swinging its head with 
ears pinned) to "Grr" accompanied by a threatening motion (horse pushing 
body toward offender and swinging rear end around) to even adding the smack 
of a whip (Alpha horse kicking lower ranked horse).  Most horses have a 
child's view of "fair" and understand very clearly the difference between 
"drawing a line in the sand" and an unprovoked attack.  The former they can 
accept, if not comply with.  It is the latter that breeds distrust.

I hope some of this is helpful.
Diane


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