Cross-tying

[Kyrabee]

Sounds like you are following the correct steps. I would not “tie” ( straight or cross tied) a horse without Blocker tie rings…the Clip is similar but I think the Blockers are easier to use. The Blocker tie ring can defuse a lot of potential wrecks and or loose horses.

I think cross ties hold the horses head differently and I had one claustrophobic little mare that hated being “grabbed” by both side of her head. My bad…I assumed that since she straight tied, she would cross tie. She pulled back, broke the halter and left. After that, we went back to straight tying until I got a couple Blocker’s.
After that and some retraining, I was able to cross tie her more safely.

My current mare is a sensitive reactive thing. She would pull back in some circumstances. I started schooling her with the Blocker ties and now, I can now solid tie her (straight or cross) without issue.

Anyway…I am totally sold on these ties rings as a safe training tool. I know there some horses that will pull out the rope but for most horses, they are great. I put them at the tie wall at my boarding barn and I have them in the trailer so they go everywhere with us.

Susan

[heronponie]

I’ve seen just as many wrecks with straight tied horses as I have with crosstied. It’s true that the risk of flipping over backwards is somewhat less when straight tied, but if the horse is pulling back, they tend to scramble and fall, and then you’ve got a downed, panicking horse hung by the face.

I really hate grooming in the stall. Nothing like getting pinned against a wall by a rude horse or trapped inside by a panicking one. No thanks. I do breakaway crossties or straight tie (w/ Blocker) for all of my horses. They’ll all ground tie also- it’s just basic good manners.

I love the Blocker tie rings. Really excellent product, worth every penny.

One of the most idiotic inventions I have EVER seen are the crossties made of bungee rope. I cannot fathom how this seemed like a good idea, or why anyone would actually buy these things. They do nothing to enforce the “stand here” pressure that a regular ties offer, so I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen horses just walk straight out of the crosstie area/turn around/hang themselves up without even having a freakout… they just wander away and don’t realize they’re tied until a giant elastic with a heavy metal snap is ricocheting towards them, or wrapped around their neck. Bad, bad, TERRIBLE idea. (Fun story, they’re difficult to break too- I have seen a horse freak out, flip over, get back up, and keep freaking out all while still tied by these stupid bungees. I cannot say enough bad things about this product.)

[uphill]

LOVE BLOCKER TIE RINGS! HATE BUNGEE - know of a horse that lost an eye, not to mention other lesser but certainly avoidable issues.

[Montanas_Girl]

I am not a fan of the “blocker” or “clip” rings. In my experience, all they teach the horse is that pulling back will eventually result in freedom. I find horses who have been tied in these systems to be extremely unpredictable and dangerous. If the horse doesn’t tie, don’t tie it. Once the horse has learned to pull back, no gadget will ever break the habit. I prefer that my horses never learn that incredibly dangerous habit.

[Pocket_Pony]

I have the Blocker tie ring and actually used it for Mac when I first got him and he’d pull back every now and then. Now he doesn’t ever pull or freak out and will stand quietly hard tied or cross tied (or ground tied). I’ve used one for the pony when tying to a post or trailer so I’ll try it with the cross ties, too.

[clint]

I hate cross ties. Long ago and far away my first job with horses was in a barn where cross ties were a way of life. There is nothing like trying to help a horse down on concrete with chain cross ties for an adrenaline rush, and a quick check to see if your health insurance is up to date. I just shake my head at people cross tying horses in barn aisles. When I got my own horse place, it was so refreshing that my farriers never ever used them, and really didn’t like hard tying much. My horses all became very good at standing with lead line looped around my tie tree. That was about three decades ago. I infrequently use them, but never as a way of life. My horses learn to tie, learn to stand, and have a break away if I need to cross tie for some reason. But cross tying as a standard of care? Never.

[LadyBug]

I also use the Clip for my cross ties (fantastic customer service from the company, too!). I haven’t tried the Blocker, although I know it’s similar. The Clip holds strong enough that the horse meets resistance and can’t easily get out of it, but the rope would pull through in an emergency situation. Mine also haven’t figured out that they can pull through it to free themselves. In general, I prefer to cross tie only in a wash/grooming stall area with 3 sides.

[cbv]

Is this a regional or discipline related thing. Here in the east I have never been in a hunter jumper or dressage barn where cross tying in the aisle and/or wash stall wasn’t the norm.

And the vast majority have no problem at all. But it is taken enough for granted that I have one now that has an issue with cross tying and basically consider it enough of a vice that selling him or even leasing him here would be difficult. And I understand the reluctance of folks to want to deal with it.

[Cindyg]

[QUOTE=Pocket Pony;8134054]
I have the Blocker tie ring and actually used it for Mac when I first got him and he’d pull back every now and then. Now he doesn’t ever pull or freak out and will stand quietly hard tied or cross tied (or ground tied). I’ve used one for the pony when tying to a post or trailer so I’ll try it with the cross ties, too.[/QUOTE]

Be sure you use two – one on each side. And let us know if it helps!

[quietann]

I absolutely think this is a regional thing… West Coast seems to use hard tying to a solid object more; East coast … yeah, I cannot think of a barn around here where cross ties were NOT the norm. BOs have been pretty amenable to folks using just one tie if their horse really has an issue with cross ties, but it’s expected as part of basic manners that a horse will cross tie. (Also might be an English vs. Western riding thing.)

I switched over to using a Blocker ring on my trailer after my mare broke a halter and a lead rope (in 2 separate incidents) while hard tied with a safety knot to the trailer. The sudden pressure on her poll when she sat back and the snap of a breaking halter or lead rope really scared her. Blocker rings just give her a little tug as she starts to pull back, which means she never gets into panic mode, and remembers her “yield to pressure” training. She might pull the lead rope through the Blocker very gradually, just from moving around and looking at stuff, but I use a 10+ foot lead rope so it would take a long time for her to work it loose, and it’s easy enough to shorten it back up. Old barn used Blocker rings on some of the cross ties for the same reason … Horses in the ones with baling twine were much more likely to pull back and get loose than those on the ones with blocker rings.

[NancyM]

It sounds to me that your horse is not comfortable in your cross tie area. This would be a prerequisite to cross tying.

No horse is ever tied. They always have the option to pull, to break away. They must give to pressure to remain tied. If they do not give to pressure, they will pull until something breaks… the halter, the rope, the structure they are tied to, or their neck. If you tie a horse in a situation that they are not comfortable with, where they feel unsafe, they will often pull back to get free. Tying with “structure” around them, usually a three sided grooming stall, is a good way for the horse to feel safe, and if they do feel unsafe, and want to pull back to get free, they will find the solid wall all around them, so few options in the desired direction, backwards.

Many green horses can be a bit surprised by cross ties for the first time, seeing the lines going off BOTH sides of their head. These lines need not be “tight”, in fact, they should be quite loose. Their function is only to “remind” the horse to stay where you have put him, in a spot that he already feels comfortable and safe in.

Some horses simply do not tie, at all, anywhere. These are claustrophobic horses, who do not feel safe with their option to run away removed from them. They can not be reasoned with, it’s a phobia, which, by definition, is an irrational fear. Try talking to a person who has a spider phobia, try locking them in a small room with a spider to make them “better”.

Horses who pull back just because they have found that this is a way to get loose and go and eat grass are horses who do not respect their human. If the relationship with the human is truly the most important thing in their life, they stay where the human puts them, and tells them to stay there. Doesn’t matter which method of tying is used. The rope is only a reminder to stay where put.