Re: Tying to trailer

[Ruth Bourgeois <ruthb@tdsi.net>]

Bierstedt wrote:
> 
> For those of you who tie your horses to the trailer at night, do you tie them
> long enough so they can eat from the ground and lie down, or do you tie them
> short? Is it safe to tie them so the length of the lead shank just touches the
> ground? (I understand this is the approved NATRC method.)

Years ago, that's what the recommendation was (so the snap just barely
touched the ground). Now most judges prefer to see the snap about an
inch or two above the ground. That length is long enough so that the
horse can move around some and lie down comfortably, but not so long
that they can get tangled up in it. I've tied like this for years and
never had a horse get a foot over the lead rope. 

I had a problem a few years ago with my mare when she put her nose in
the haybag hanging on the trailer, and got stung by a bee that had
burrowed in the hay. She pulled back, hit the end of the rope, and kept
pulling till she broke the snap. After that, she got kind of goofy about
being nervous tied to the trailer and if she'd pull back and hit the end
of the rope, she'd keep pulling till she broke the snap or slid her
halter off and got loose. That was definitely a problem, as she had to
be tied to the trailer for NATRC rides. So, I got one of the "Leader"
tie ropes, which is a stretchy tie, and that solved that in no time. The
first time she pulled back and the rope gave a bit, she relaxed and came
forward again. Now I use this to tie at the trailer all the time. It's
shorter than a regular lead rope, so I sometimes have to point this out
to the horsemanship judge that it does stretch a lot and she can lie
down easily with this rope. It seems to be much safer than a solid rope.

I used to tie my first CTR horse out on a long rope, attached to a
cement block, to graze out in my yard. She was used to having this big
long rope attached to her halter, and would occasionally wrap her feet
up in it, but would stand and wait patiently till I'd untangle her, or
she'd back up and shake the rope loose till she untangled herself (very
smart horse!). My first CTR I tied her very long, not knowing I'd lose
horsemanship points for that. I knew it was safe with my horse, knowing
my horse like I did, and I was very embarrassed when at briefing on
Friday night the judge commented on the "novice horse tied to the
trailer with enough rope to hang herself". I just figured the judge was
kinda dumb - he didn't know my horse like I did! That first ride was a
very interesting experience. Out of 100 horsemanship points to start
with, I ended up with a score of about 69. And I was proud of that!!! I
also lost points on the hay net dragging on the ground (again, I was
lucky to own a horse that didn't freak out when she got her feet tangled
in things!). But, despite my poor horsemanship score, I had a very well
mannered, athletic horse and her final score was quite respectable. I
had fun, realized that we had lots to learn, and and been hooked on the
sport ever since. 

Ruth