What is your prefered method of tying/containing?
The one time I went camping, we used a picket line. It was OK, but I would prefer a little bit more flexibility and ability for the horses to move.
I’ve done a quick search online for portable corrals, but would love to hear some recommendations and personal experience.
I need something big enough to hold two horses and a pony, and at a minimum one horse (age 19) and pony (30) for several nights.
I’d always used a portable, electric tape corral up until I went camping last spring and tried a high line. I actually preferred the high line. My horse was very comfortable on it- moved around plenty, ate, drank, and lay down.
high line
My trail buddy and I have panels we take - regular panels - and her hubby welded a support to go on the running boards of the Featherlite trailer we use. They are easy to put together - we used zip ties the other day to keep them together! Worked like a charm. No problems at all. The place we went had two pens per camping space and we had 3 horses. We used 4 panels to make my horse a pen with one side being the exiting pen.
We are using them this weekend when we go to a Limited Distance ride.
i prefer a picket line too. my main ride is well trained to it and is very comfortable with it. she can lie down, move around, etc.
i can also use a line of plastic tape with her, i don’t need to power it either.
this year i have to train my other two to the picket line and tape, hope they are as obliging!
I’ve always used an electric paddock.
I prefer a high line with two knot eliminaters per horse, and the horse is tied to a carabiner clip which is clipped to the high line between the knot eliminators. This allows the horse to walk up and down the high line. I hang hay in the middle between the horses (if they get along well) and water buckets hung on the end posts. I tie the horses shorter than most people do, but I use a collar instead of the halter. This allows them to still reach the ground and lie down or roll, but not as much excess rope to get a leg in.
I prefer a high line as well. I don’t tie my guy up as short as some do, and use a rope halter. He can just touch his nose to the ground directly under where he is tied, but it’s not enough rope to easily get a leg over.
He can lie down, eat, drink, etc., and I feel it’s much more secure (for my guy, anyways) to be on a high line, rather than in a corral.
I’m another who prefers a highline.
I’ve tied to trailer and used high-line. I prefer the latter.
But I’ve never used the collar. Where do you find them? I think that would be a safer way to tie so they can’t duck out of the halter if they get the rope over their heads. Not that it’s happened, but they’re horses…
I’ve only ever used a high line when camping but I always thought that if something were to spook a horse through the tape paddock, they’d be through it before they ever realized they’d hit something. Of course, we camp with draft horses. 
Never had a problem with my guy laying down or moving about on a high line and he was tied just long enough to allow him enough rope to lie down if he wanted.
We have used high line and tape corral. I like the corral better - my horses can lie down, move about, have a separate eat/drink space, lay down space and poopy place. My horses are well trained to the electric tape and I have used it with a charge through it, but mostly without. I keep hay in front of them all the time too. I think it is much nicer for my old guy.
If the two horses don’t know each other very well but are well trained to the tape, it is super simple to split the corral into two or more sections as needed. We usually set up a 30x30 or so space (for our 2 med-large horses)- enough to move and mosey, but not really run. By the time they are in the pens, they are usually tired from a long road or ride and are happy to rest.
I high-line and tie the horses so their nose can reach the ground but no more. I attach large metal rings to tie the horses to instead of the knot eliminators and hang hag bags. Watering has to be by hand because a lot of times we’re using trees as end posts. If you go high-line, be sure to bring either a come-along or a ratchet strap; it makes it much easier to keep your line tight with the weight of the hay bags pulling it down.
Someone mentioned about horses going through the tape corral, I can’t think of a group camping trip where that didn’t happen meanwhile, the high-lined horses were not escaping.
[QUOTE=Mtn trails;6112591]
I high-line and tie the horses so their nose can reach the ground but no more. I attach large metal rings to tie the horses to instead of the knot eliminators and hang hag bags. Watering has to be by hand because a lot of times we’re using trees as end posts. If you go high-line, be sure to bring either a come-along or a ratchet strap; it makes it much easier to keep your line tight with the weight of the hay bags pulling it down.
Someone mentioned about horses going through the tape corral, I can’t think of a group camping trip where that didn’t happen meanwhile, the high-lined horses were not escaping.[/QUOTE]
We went to Rope Ratchets and have never looked back. :winkgrin: So much less hassle than those come-alongs, plus smaller and lighter so they take up less space. Love 'em!
I have high lined and used step-ins to make a tape corral. Both work just fine, but I like that it is easier to lie down and roll in the corral. Obviously, it’s not a good choice for fence testers!
I also prefer a high-line. The horse can still move around with the same range and freedom as if it was in a box stall, still lie down, etc.
If we’re staying in a campground that has stalls available, I’ll opt for the stalls just so my horse has a roof over his head and a dry place to lie down if we do get rained on (which seems to happen every time I camp).
I’ve picketed, high-lined, used electric and other corrals and am now VERY happy to have installed a Hi-Tie. It isn’t the cheapest option ($350+) but there’s also a real value to just swinging the rod out when you get to camp and tying up the horse, knowing he can move around and is happy and as secure as on a regular high-line. I also liked high-lining between trees but often end up places where there are no trees.
One option I personally wouldn’t recommend is the Carri-Lite collapsible corral. I know other people love it but it’s so darn light that my horse put his end under the lowest rail to get to “the better grass,” then lifted his head, which lifted the panels, which were then easy for him to maneuver around and collapse down to be easily stepped over. And yes, I did have it put together properly with rods, etc. I even tried reinforcing with assorted bungees, tent stakes and even the orange plastic highway netting until I realized I was spending longer putting the corral up and down than I was on the actual 30-mile rides. That may be why I definitely think the ease and security of the Hi-Tie is worth the money.
I currently use an electric corral, BUT I use 2-inch wide tape and use two strands of it (including across the gate area), and it is ALWAYS hot unless I’m actually in there with the horse. A lot of the failings I’ve seen (and I’ve seen many at rides) are due to the fact that people use just a single strand, often of a very narrow rope or wire, and aren’t consistent with keeping it hot - or have not properly trained their horses to it. I have had loose horses come through my camp area and I think the size of the tape provided enough of a visual barrier - one actually started to come through and got zapped and high tailed it away. However, I’ve seen loose horses simply charge through less visually challenging corrals.
That being said, both my mares are well trained to it, and one of my mares has an uncanny ability to untie ropes (I always use some method of quick release tie) so she is not a good candidate for tying.
I had a gelding that simply would not respect an electric tape fence and would have never trusted him in it - we originally used portable corral panels for him but he was such a beast he would push the panels into all sorts of configurations - the only way those would work for him would be to anchor them to the trailer. He would have been a good candidate for tying.
As for the portable corral panels, I had my older mare actually roll herself right underneath one of those portable corral panels and my younger one cut herself on those. However, they worked great for that older mare in general.
Accidents happen with every possible containment method (I’ve twice had to cut someone else’s horse off a high line because they got a leg over the rope). I don’t think there is any one best method, but rather the best possible method for one specific horse (some do not do well tied, some do not respect electric, some who know their own strength will push corral panels around). Additionally, learn how to use whichever containment method you choose correctly and train your horse to it properly.
I usually do set up a hot wire around the area where I let the horses graze. We usually bring in a 1/4 mile roll of hotwire and fence off a large meadow. But I only allow the horses in it during the day when I’m watching.
At night I highline horses. I’ve had too many deer and elk run thru my hotwire, They are not trained about hot wire and have no respect for it. Once the elk knock down the hot wire, The horses are quick to escape.
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