Containment at a ride

[normandy_shores]

I have a… troublemaker type horse. I’m looking at trying some endurance rides this year, but am uncomfortable with tying to my trailer or high lining. Not all events will have enough spaces to high line, though I know it’s a pretty simple system (horse is also very smart about undoing knots). I’m debating panels (take up space, only have a 2 horse trailer) as I feel they’re pretty idiot proof and my horse should respect them, vs electric which doesn’t take up as much space to store/travel but I hear horror stories of horses galloping camp dragging the set up behind them. If looking at highlining, are there really idiot proof set ups/directions? The concept is quite straightforward, but since it’s new, it makes me nervous. It seems the most cost effective option while also being pretty safe.

Any wisdom for a cautious first timer? I come from eventer land where they have small paddocks and you just add a stall guard or whatever to close it up. Even then, I need to keep “putting hay in the meter” constantly or the little bugger decides it’s time to go!

[GotMyPony]

A lot of people use Carri-Lite Corrals but that didn’t work for my horse at all - in my initial trial (at home in the pasture) he put his head down to graze under the bottom rail and then raised his head, which distorted the corral shape - those things are so light! Within one hour of being enclosed in he was able to move the corral around, push down a couple of sections and walk right out. Fortunately he didn’t break anything so I was able to sell the thing to someone who liked them and recoup (most of) my investment.

I also tried electric corral but didn’t trust them to keep my horse in or someone else’s loose horse out. But the vast majority of people at ride camp use them with no problem.

We did fine with picketing between trees when that was an option. The line is high enough overhead, and you knot your leadrope up there, then only have to use the clip end on the horse’s halter, so there’s not really a question of the horse undoing the knot. However, as you say, picket lines aren’t always an option.

What really works well for him, and is a whole lot easier for me, is a High Tie set-up - the arm that’s permanently affixed to your trailer that swings out about 4’ when you get to camp. And boy is it easy to set up – takes less than a minute and it gives your horse the equivalent of a 13’ circumference to move around and lay down in. Again, your lead rope knot is at the high point and it’s connected to your horse with the clip end so not much chance of the horse untying the knot. The “disadvantage” is that they cost about $300 - but if you know your horse will do well on it, it’s well worth that investment.

In a perfect world you could try picketing to a high-line (minimal cost for rope) and see if that works for your horse. If it does, then you could feel comfortable that a High Tie would also work for you and, if you’re going to continue endurance or anything that involves camping, the High Tie investment would be well worth it.

As for best ways to tie to a picket line I’d go to youtube and search for how-tos. Good luck!

[chicamux]

What to do with your horse when camping is a major decision to make.

Check out the Hillview Farms web site for all their horse camping and high tie info. Tons of good information.

http://hillviewfarms.com/Horse%20Camping.htm

chicamuxen

[normandy_shores]

GotMyPony – I’ve seen the hi-tie systems and think they’re super smart, my concern is being so close to the trailer overnight. I’m concerned about the risks involved with him laying so close to the trailer. That, and he’s a pesky get into everything type – he’s likely to have a field day keeping himself entertained with ways to damage the rig. (Same horse that went around and chewed every last insulator when doing electric fence, and went around behind me as I strung up wire plucking at it)…

Chicamux – thanks for the resource! Definitely have some perusing to do!

[normandy_shores]

Oh GotMyPony – when your horse is on the hi tie overnight, do you feel any movement in trailer?

[tabula_rashah]

temporary electric fencing can work great if you put the time and effort in it. For my temporary electric- I use 5’ tall sturdy step in posts with 3 strands of electric and I make sure they are trained to it before I leave home. I also bought a slightly stronger battery powered charger than what normally comes with the temporary corral kits and I always make sure that I have extra batteries with me. Also, never more than 1 horse in temp for fencing- if you have more than one horse make separate spaces for them.

[GotMyPony]

[QUOTE=normandy_shores;7970887]
Oh GotMyPony – when your horse is on the hi tie overnight, do you feel any movement in trailer?[/QUOTE]

No actual movement because the HiTie has a bit of flex in it that absorbs the movement. I can hear him moving around sometimes - mostly if he pulls his small-hole haynet away from the trailer and it swings back. I personally am OK with hearing things because that will signal me if there’s anything I need to check out. To protect my trailer from scratches from the haynet I ordered some flexible magnetic sheets online that I place where the net is hooked and it works great. (The sheets are white and match my trailer so I accidentally drove about 4 hours home once with them attached - never budged.)

I also like the Hillview Farms catalog and one thing they have that I’d recommend for picketing of any kind - to trailer or line between trees - is the small loop they sell that actually goes between your leadrope and either the HiTie or the picket rope (you attach a 2" metal ring to it). I’ve never seen anyone else sell those. It’s made of a smaller circumference rope so would be a lot easier to cut through in an emergency than a leadrope would be.

As for whether your horse would chew on your trailer, I’m lucky that mine doesn’t and I hope you are, too!

[Heart_s_Journey]

I have the Tie-Rite arm on my trailer and love it. Both systems work equally well. I also installed aluminum bucket hangers on each side of my trailer for water buckets. I got them from Jeffers. I mostly only feel the hay bag swing if he gets a hold of it and swings it around.

I have several methods of containment as I never want to have to cancel a trip due to not being able to hold my horse. I use the electric fence first choice as it allows your horse to graze, you can make it big, my horse likes to lay flat down on the ground to sleep, and they stay cleaner as they don’t sleep in manure. The Tie Rite is my 2nd choice as it’s so quick & easy to set up. A regular tie out between posts or trees is my third choice.

[normandy_shores]

[QUOTE=GotMyPony;7971515]
No actual movement because the HiTie has a bit of flex in it that absorbs the movement. I can hear him moving around sometimes - mostly if he pulls his small-hole haynet away from the trailer and it swings back. I personally am OK with hearing things because that will signal me if there’s anything I need to check out. To protect my trailer from scratches from the haynet I ordered some flexible magnetic sheets online that I place where the net is hooked and it works great. (The sheets are white and match my trailer so I accidentally drove about 4 hours home once with them attached - never budged.)

I also like the Hillview Farms catalog and one thing they have that I’d recommend for picketing of any kind - to trailer or line between trees - is the small loop they sell that actually goes between your leadrope and either the HiTie or the picket rope (you attach a 2" metal ring to it). I’ve never seen anyone else sell those. It’s made of a smaller circumference rope so would be a lot easier to cut through in an emergency than a leadrope would be.

As for whether your horse would chew on your trailer, I’m lucky that mine doesn’t and I hope you are, too![/QUOTE]

Oh the magnetic sheet is a brilliant idea! My trailer is only a year old, brand new from the dealership. Aluminum over steel, so hopefully enough to have the magnetic sheets stick to.

I really appreciate the actual real world experiences and ideas, thanks!

[normandy_shores]

So on a 2h  side… think I’d be better to do the hi-tie on the driver’s side, away from the door? I have bucket hangers, just need to install them. I usually tie just outside the dressing room door to tack up, but to set up his water/feed and give him space I think it would make more sense on the driver’s side… I could still look out the window when I’m in bed to check on him…

OR, do I mount it near the rear of the trailer and then he can maneuver a little bit around the side and rear (more space), or is that asking for trouble? For my camp set up, I normally just do a 10x10 popup canopy with table, but usually place it more forward next to the truck.

[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/allymrtn/trailergn2_zpsdcdc666d.jpg)

[IMG]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y48/allymrtn/trailergn_zps89f7573d.jpg)

[irish_horse]

I have a 2-horse straight load with a dressing room, about the same length as the body of your trailer. I did mount my Hi-Tie on the dressing room side (on your trailer that would be between the windows), for convenience. I didn’t want it on the back corner, I imaged all sorts of ways my horse could get his rope caught on the back door handle, etc. I like it for tacking up, and also for keeping an eye on him. At a busy, full ride camp I also think it is best to keep activities to one side of the trailer, sometimes we’re pretty packed in! My pop-up (if needed) goes on the same side next to the passenger side of the truck.

My horse is also super naughty. When tied to the trailer he will try to chew on the window casings and anything else. At a ride he is kept busy with a always-full hay net, and with all the commotion it must keep his mind occupied, as he hasn’t done any damage! I have bucket hangers but end up preferring just one big muck-type bucket for water, and he eats from his pan on the ground. When he doesn’t I do have to wash a lot of mash off the side of the trailer!

For safety I did put rubber fender trim to keep that edge from being sharp, and use a Hi-Tie rope with a quick release pin. I doubt I could be fast enough with a knife, though it is always right on the inside dressing room door for safety.

It really depends on your region too, as many camps in this area don’t allow for corrals, unless maybe you get there early and find a weird tucked-away spot. Last ride I watched a horse drag a full-metal pipe corral down the trail after his buddy left for the ride. Every containment has its issues!

[normandy_shores]

[QUOTE=irish_horse;7973549]
I have a 2-horse straight load with a dressing room, about the same length as the body of your trailer. I did mount my Hi-Tie on the dressing room side (on your trailer that would be between the windows), for convenience. I didn’t want it on the back corner, I imaged all sorts of ways my horse could get his rope caught on the back door handle, etc. I like it for tacking up, and also for keeping an eye on him. At a busy, full ride camp I also think it is best to keep activities to one side of the trailer, sometimes we’re pretty packed in! My pop-up (if needed) goes on the same side next to the passenger side of the truck.

My horse is also super naughty. When tied to the trailer he will try to chew on the window casings and anything else. At a ride he is kept busy with a always-full hay net, and with all the commotion it must keep his mind occupied, as he hasn’t done any damage! I have bucket hangers but end up preferring just one big muck-type bucket for water, and he eats from his pan on the ground. When he doesn’t I do have to wash a lot of mash off the side of the trailer!

For safety I did put rubber fender trim to keep that edge from being sharp, and use a Hi-Tie rope with a quick release pin. I doubt I could be fast enough with a knife, though it is always right on the inside dressing room door for safety.

It really depends on your region too, as many camps in this area don’t allow for corrals, unless maybe you get there early and find a weird tucked-away spot. Last ride I watched a horse drag a full-metal pipe corral down the trail after his buddy left for the ride. Every containment has its issues![/QUOTE]

My concern is that there just isn’t much space on my dressing room side. I also usually have a stool to help me in an out. I like tying shorter for tacking but could still tack on the off side (slightly less convenient, but doable).

I don’t think I want the hi tie mounted far enough back that they can go around the corner at all, more middle of the trailer. My floor space/deck is only 15 ft total.

[GotMyPony]

My Hi-Tie is on the non-DR door side. I’m sleeping up in the gooseneck, which has windows on both sides, so I can look out at him if I hear anything weird. Where you mount the hi-tie on your trailer has a lot to do with where you get clearance over windows, etc., so it might not be as far to the back as you think. I agree it’s better to keep the horse from being able to actually walk around the back corner of the trailer. If you go to the easycare website (easycare.com) they have a video for set-up and use of the Hi-Tie. It’s probably similar to other brands that are out there.

Once you consider where where your horse will be, check out any potential safety issues like where the tires come together, etc. - could a horse get foot in, for example - so you can think about ways to prevent that before you actually go somewhere.

And for anyone interested in the flexible magnet sheets, or anything magnetic, the website I used was http://mcmaster.comCool stuff.

[Frog_Pond]

[QUOTE=irish_horse;7973549]
Last ride I watched a horse drag a full-metal pipe corral down the trail after his buddy left for the ride. Every containment has its issues![/QUOTE] Yup! When I first got my guy he had an epic snit while turned out in a round pen – a cold, sharp rain started and he hates rain (now I know how much!) He roared around, did a few sliding stops, reared, bucked, farted and for his finale, picked up the metal corral panel and shook it his in teeth like a terrier. He smashed it on the ground repeatedly and the pins snapped and he trotted over it and did laps in the barnyard before ducking into his stall. Not long after he stood on the bottom rail of a pipe gate and after it snapped off the center bar, he moved his feet up and repeated it. He’s a pipe panel hater, big time. I’d never seen anything like this, so I thought it was worth mentioning! He’ll sleep tied, though. Horsey preferences, so hard to fathom.