I’m pretty sure it’s just a term not a Parelli-ism. Kinda like I call my tie spot “The Tree of Patience” LOL!
[QUOTE=mp;4602104]
Sounds like it’s just a sturdy place to tie a horse where he can’t get into trouble. If that’s the case, why not just build yourselves a really nice hitching post? It would have more use and if you do it right, I can guarantee you no horse will ever pull it out of the ground.
chaltagor … :lol: Horses may not be if/then reasoners, but they sure as hell understand consequences.[/QUOTE]
I think that is basically what the OP is saying. Although i do see a benefit to the pole as opposed to a hitching post, which i have seen many horses who were learning to tie pull back, freak out and then try and jump over. usually getting stuck straddling both sides…
a pole would beat out the post in a situation like that.
I have a patience tree. Actually, any tree I choose to tie to is a patience tree. I find it very useful for a horse that is in a hurry to get back home. First I do some figure 8s or lunge as opposed to the nice easy trail ride I was aiming for, then tie to a patience tree for a while. I do take the bridle off and loosen the saddle.
I do think teaching a horse to stand tied calmly is a valuable tool. Can something happen to cause a normally calm horse to panic, yes, but for the most part, a horse propely taught to stand tied, will remember that.
I agree it has to be tall - like 7’ or 8’. You don’t want to risk them hopping up and getting a leg over the rope.
We use a tree, a big strong shady tree. Works great and cheaper!! 
-How do you guys feel about metal vs a telephone pole?
-Should it spin at the top or be fixed? (as pictured on my post on pg 2).
-What are the pros and cons of a fixed tie vs one that rotates with the
horse?
What are the dangers that are associated with a patience pole? Are they any different, worse or better than a regular tying post or are they the same?
I also prefer trees. Not likely a horse is going to uproot a 200 year old oak tree.
I think posts are dangerous, so are trees. The nature of tying a horse to an unmoveable object is dangerous. I personally want my horses to tie. The most obvious reason is that when you trailer a horse who does not tie, things can get really ugly really fast. The list of reasons a horse should tie goes on and on, that’s just the big one that pops in to my head first.
IMO the risk is worth the benefit.
Sublime…I feel like a snubbing post is about the same as a tie ring. Except the person is letting out the rope instead of it feeding out through the ring. The handler takes in or lets out the rope as needed. Not used too much anymore as I see, most horses we come across are handled from birth and are easier to train to tie than unhandled ones. When my brother lost his trainer from the ranch we did have a crop of really wild young horses. That was an interesting year, but all finally got handled and turned into good horses.
I find it hard to understand that teaching a horse to tie for a long time is an inhumane thing as some posters indicate. To me it is good manners and for protection of the horse. Similar to teaching a dog to walk on a leash. In competetive trail riding the horses are tied to the trailer when not ridden. You are even judged on how he is tied and kept safely. I learned a lot during the time I was participating.
We don’t necessarily have specific “tie time” on the farm, where a horse is removed from his daily life to stand tied to a fixed object.
But, the riding horses are subjected to feeding-routine tying. The geldings living in a herd must be fed individually, yet it is impractical to separate them into stalls. Instead, each is tied (high) to a fencepost with his feed. And they all STAY tied until the slowest, oldest, weakest guy has finished (at least 45mins). Of course the greedy piggy beasts gobble up their meal in about 10 seconds, and are left standing (impatiently, or patiently).
The “unconfirmed” ty-ers get blocker tie rings. The steady-eddies get a plain rope, or baling twine and a snap. Obviously, any new horses are taught to tie normally, and then observed in group as long as necessary until you’re confident they’ll stay.
Having food helps start the tying routine off in a positive way. The best thing about group tying is that the Old Faithfuls set a good example for the young’uns. Two-year olds, OTTBs, they all learn to stand there like good little soldiers. Usually they’re left tied for about an hour, twice a day. Though sometimes that is extended to two hours or more, if unusual circumstances occur. They’ve learned to cock a hind leg, head down, relax, and eventually someone will return to set them free. It’s pretty cute, too, to watch them line up in the morning in front of their specific feed tie. Everyone knows his place, there is very little shuffling or trading spaces (though the dominant ones are always tied/fed first!!).
It’s been a great help when the youngsters start their trailer trips to shows and schooling events. I know I can trust them (reasonably!) to tie to the trailer; the daily tying at home really does pay off.
[QUOTE=katarine;4602019]
If I tie a horse to a rafter with a short rope, sure I might be wearing him out…
But I can tie the same horse to the same rafter with a long rope, and life is good.
Do you really think she wouldn’t have noticed the horse was literally hanging? Or by God near to it?[/QUOTE]
Thanks, we use their cotton lead ropes and leave them long enough for the horses to eat from a hay bag, drink out of their bucket, and move around enough to relieve themselves. Tie rings are attached to the wall, not the rafters. No heads hanging from the rafters, I don’t believe in nor support that, seen it done too many times growing up.
“Head hanging” and “patience tying” are TOTALLY different :eek:
Head hanging is cruel. Patience tying ought to be a solid part of every young horse’s training.
We use a tree. Also, have a wall. Will also tie in stalls. If you paw, buck, fuss- you just bought yourself an extended stay. Most young horses learn very quickly to “self-soothe” as an earlier poster said and quickly view it as a pleasant nap time.
It makes hauling easier, tying at the show grounds, to the outside or to the inside of a trailer.
Best side effect…it will make your horse ride better No joke.
Rules associated with the post?
How much time is appropriate and fair when teaching a horse who is impatient and paws? Do you think it’s better to have a fixed tie or one that rotates from the top with the horse as the horse goes around the post?
A 2 hour limit has been suggested, however I know that my mare will still be throwing a fit after 2 hours. She doesn’t pull back, but will only stand so long before having a melt down. We then get the miniature rears, bucking in place and pawing with knees to the chin.
Do you think rules need to be associated with the patience pole for everybody’s safety or should owners be allowed to use this at their discretion?— this is tricky because while I feel that it should be left up to the owner since it is their horse, I also know of the dangers of tying a horse period.
Horses are hi-lined all the time on the trail - all night long. It is also nice to be able to tie up a horse and have a picnic. To me a horse is not trained unless it does the basics, including tying. You start with short periods of time and gradually make it longer.
The pole allows you to tie the horse at a level over its head so that it can’t get leverage to pull against and hurt its neck and spine.
[QUOTE=MoonPie730;4604200]
How much time is appropriate and fair when teaching a horse who is impatient and paws? Do you think it’s better to have a fixed tie or one that rotates from the top with the horse as the horse goes around the post?
A 2 hour limit has been suggested, however I know that my mare will still be throwing a fit after 2 hours. She doesn’t pull back, but will only stand so long before having a melt down. We then get the miniature rears, bucking in place and pawing with knees to the chin.
Do you think rules need to be associated with the patience pole for everybody’s safety or should owners be allowed to use this at their discretion?[/QUOTE]
I think you should install a parking meter. Boarders would put in a quarter for every 15 minutes, up to 2 hours, for how long they plan to leave their horses tied. Owners get a ticket for any horses left tied on an expired meter. And if you leave your horse there for more than 2 hours, he’d be towed away.
Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. :lol:
Seriously, if you believe your fellow boarders will need a set of rules for this thing, you’d probably be better off not doing it.
Tying to trees is not good … for the trees.
The horses will be trampling around the delicate rood zone of the trees, compacting it and water won’t percolate properly, unless they dig themselves a hole there that holds water.
That will still damage important roots.
We used a chain between two trees, with two leadropes hanging from it, that kept the horses away from the root zone, that is about the size of the canopie’s diameter.
That was to let the horses dry out after baths.
We used to saddle and leave the young ones tied to the fence, inside of the pens and someone watching as they did chores.
We rode one after the other, while they learned to wait their turn.
They became very good about waiting.
I say that the best way to tie a horse is thru a ring or something that will keep the rope from wandering around and tied to a far off place, where the horse can’t reach the knot and you can, even if the horse were to trash around.
[QUOTE=MoonPie730;4604200]
How much time is appropriate and fair when teaching a horse who is impatient and paws? Do you think it’s better to have a fixed tie or one that rotates from the top with the horse as the horse goes around the post?
A 2 hour limit has been suggested, however I know that my mare will still be throwing a fit after 2 hours. She doesn’t pull back, but will only stand so long before having a melt down. We then get the miniature rears, bucking in place and pawing with knees to the chin.
Do you think rules need to be associated with the patience pole for everybody’s safety or should owners be allowed to use this at their discretion?— this is tricky because while I feel that it should be left up to the owner since it is their horse, I also know of the dangers of tying a horse period.[/QUOTE]
Honestly with a hrose like this, they stay tied until they chill out, however long that may be, and repeat the next day. It is VERY good for a horse to learn to be restrained, you never know when you might need it in a pinch. If a horse is really bad, they stand in the stall, tied to a ring in the wall. Otherwise they can stand tied outside. When I show I ahve to know I can leave a horse tied to the trailer and he will behave. of course, they usually ahve hay at a show, but still I do not want pawing etc, tears up the trailer! If a horse is terribly bad about pawing, I see no problem with hobbling them, but usually I will tie somepleace where they can paw until they tire themselves out and stand
"[B]Patience tying ought to be a solid part of every young horse’s training.
We use a tree. Also, have a wall. Will also tie in stalls. If you paw, buck, fuss- you just bought yourself an extended stay. Most young horses learn very quickly to “self-soothe” as an earlier poster said and quickly view it as a pleasant nap time.
It makes hauling easier, tying at the show grounds, to the outside or to the inside of a trailer.
Best side effect…it will make your horse ride better No joke.[/B]"
An interesting observation, but I’m not sure why it would make hauling easier, or make your horse ride better.
All my horses can stand without being tied. I have taught all differently, but basically, they stay and they stand. I don’t use cross ties. I’ve seen too many horrid accidents. My horses load/walk on a trailer with the lead over their necks, and the ones that ride by themselves, they walk in and stand, I hook up and close the gate. There has been no drama.
When I was competing Beanie at Prelim and Sally at Novice, they both ground tied. Sally would stand on the trailer eating her hay, Beanie would stand and lift his feet while I put in the studs. They knew they were safe IN the trailer or outside with me tacking them up or grooming them. Too many things can happen that we do not or cannot anticipate provided by outside horses/riders/mini-bikes…and tying to a trailer to me is not what I would consider safe.
Having said that, if I were to suddenly decide that I had to start herd trail riding or ride across the country with a wagon train, I’m sure I would find alternatives to some of the plans, I don’t know, but then again, that’s not my thing.
My whip horse was blind in one eye, on the track for 3 seasons and would stand and stay when I had to get off and take care of business. It was a trust thing, but I also didn’t push it. (herds of cattle or pigs plowing through a corn field was not the time to decide to dismount…). Although one of my fondest memories was the time we were hunting near a major interstate. The ladies decided to have a potty break, and we all got off, backed up to the hedges while holding on to a loose line of twine attached to the noseband…all of the horses stood quietly, but we could hear the traffic, what we didn’t know was that all the honking and airhorns were going off because we THOUGHT we couldn’t be seen…
My Harry had an unfortunate experience being cross tied, so I made the decision not to ‘TEACH HIM’ to cross tie, it was too traumatic for him. He stands quietly to be tacked up, wrapped, worked on, clipped, braided, mane pulled, etc., without ever having any drugs or incidents. I can take him anywhere and he has very good manners. It took me about 8 months but it was worth it. I don’t have any help and am alone most of the time except at shows. It’s a trust thing between us-----------BUT he is STILL A HORSE. I can put him in a stall with his saddle (unbridled) and know he will not do anything stupid if I have to go to the house to retrieve something. He just stands and waits for me, looking out the window. I can take a cotton lead and throw it over a railing and he’ll stand quietly, the method was just different getting to that place.
I realise that everyone has their own way of doing things, time constraints, methods; and for a plethora of reasons, only they can understand, they chose the patience post or tying to a tree or trailer or whatever is handy. I chose to teach my horses differently and it works for me.
“Horses are hi-lined all the time on the trail - all night long. It is also nice to be able to tie up a horse and have a picnic. To me a horse is not trained unless it does the basics, including tying. You start with short periods of time and gradually make it longer.”
When I lived in MD there were some fantastic county parks where the trails were great for galloping and trot sets for Beanie. When I got Sally we’d pony her as well. Many times friends would go along and we’d stop at one of the many picnic tables set up in the park and have lunch. We wore halters across our chests, and have our lunch box/drink in a pack, take off the bridles, put on the halters and they all stayed right by us chomping grass or taking a break. Granted most of the horses were endurance/competitive trail horses, or hunting horses and it was just something they were taught. None of us felt the need to keep them tied up for extended periods of time-most of the parks had standing stalls if you were going to be there overnight.
Each to his own…Interesting method, just not one I’d subscribe to.
MP-you are priceless another way for BO’s to ‘make money boarding’.
Posted by appaloosalady:
The pole allows you to tie the horse at a level over its head so that it can’t get leverage to pull against and hurt its neck and spine.
About how high to you like to tie for the horse that most likely is going to fight with it before they step forward and stand?
I like ear level or above, but anything above the level of their withers is considered high enough to avoid injury to the neck. If they are tied at a level over their head they can get pretty much zero leverage to fight with.
I thought tying a horse to a poll was done with a rope halter.
My horse went through a stage where she wouldn’t cross tie, but she has always stood tied. Anytime she has spooked once she feels the pressure she will step forward and stand.
