Mare breaking halter pulling back

[sidney411]

I've about had it. My mare has started pulling back and jerking the lead out of my hands. I tied her to a post and she sat back and snapped her halter. I tied the lead around her poll and nose and she sat back on that and broke that. I can't get the lead on her long enough to tie her. Any ideas before I just haul her sorry butt to the sale barn?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

I've about had it. My mare has started pulling back and jerking the lead out of my hands. I tied her to a post and she sat back and snapped her halter. I tied the lead around her poll and nose and she sat back on that and broke that. I can't get the lead on her long enough to tie her. Any ideas before I just haul her sorry butt to the sale barn?

get you a good stout shipping halter and a inner tube. take the inner tube and put around the post. what i do is just wrap it around one time and run the lead through both ends when she set back the tube gives and takes works great

 

[milkmaid]

There's something called a "Be Nice" halter (and no, that's not the auto substitute for a bad word :lol that I have seen used and it DOES work to break them of pulling back -- but it's generally a last resort as they can break their neck if they do not give in.

 

[randiliana]

Get ahold of one of those "natural horsemanship" rope halters. They are really strong and I have never had one break. Use the inner tube method, as it will lessen the chance of her injuring herself, but you will just have to let her fight it out. You will have to make sure you have a good strong leadshank too. The best would be one that attatches directly to the halter, with NO snap, but if you want to use a snap on one pick a good cotton with a bull snap, they are much better than bolt snaps. If all else fails, I have used a rope cow halter. That was a last resort, and you want to have a knife on hand just in case.

 

[Cowboy15]

Just the other day there was a Ad on tv and it was a clip were you tie your lead rope to it and when the horse pulls it will give.
Here is the web page http://www.theclip.com
Sam

 

[sidney411]

Thanks for the reply's!

How long do you leave them tied to break the habit? How do I get her tied in the 1st place, she's jerking the lead out of my hand before I can get a wrap around anything.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

also make sure the lead is long enough if she goes down fighting and she very well might. there will be enough slack for her. and if she does go down dont feel sorry for her and release her too quick. unless theres trouble nothing hurts their feelings more and makes em humble than being down. thats were they feel the battle is lost.

 

[J]

How old is she? Did she just start this or has she always set back? I assume she is halter broke?? How about to ride?

What is causing her to set back? (fear of ??)

Horses are a fight or flight animal, which you probably already knew, but when a horse feels threatened they either stay and fight the monster or turn and run. She has to learn that she is not "trapped" when she is tied, even though she kind of really is, unless the lead rope breaks. Fist off try and figure out what is causing this behavior. I've used the old inner tube trick and it can work but......


Clinton Anderson has a product that(http://downunderhorsemanship.com/catalo ... ucts_id=58) I've seen him use with problem horses like yours. It seems to really work but you need to listen to his explaination of how to use it.

There is no magic cure all solution to your problem, except for patience. You have to teach her to stand tied.

 

[randiliana]

Thanks for the reply's!

How long do you leave them tied to break the habit? How do I get her tied in the 1st place, she's jerking the lead out of my hand before I can get a wrap around anything.

Is she just jerking the lead out of your hand, or is she running off on you??

Once you get her tied, to an inner tube with enough rope that if she goes down she has enough slack to get back up on her own. Let her fight it out, and don't interfere unless she is going to get hurt (i.e. rope tangled around the leg). Whatever you do, unless she is going to be injured don't let her go until she has quit pulling, and is standing calmly. Which will enforce the idea that the only way she gets released is if she is behaving.

Remember, that if you do get in the way when she is fighting, you could be seriously injured if she suddenly jumps ahead or rears.

You will probably have to repeat the lesson more than once, especially if she realized what happened when she broke the halter (she got free). The lesson could take a few minutes, or a long time.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

Thanks for the reply's!

How long do you leave them tied to break the habit? How do I get her tied in the 1st place, she's jerking the lead out of my hand before I can get a wrap around anything.

well it takes time too learn a habit and time too fix it i forgot the days ive left them tied for hours .if you don't have help i would have the lead tied too the tube first and then snap it on the halter then slowly if possible step back. i will alway hang around out side of danger so she associate it with me dont walk too far out of distance

 

[Beefy]

we used to have one like that at work that figured out if he jerked the lead rope out of the girls' hands (equestrian team) he could run away. he did it with me one day and i held on. i got drug the gravel a little ways before i let go and then i cornered him in the catch pen and beat the living daylights out of him with his still attached rope and backed him up about half mile. none of us ever had anymore troubles with ol' Maxie Pad after that.

Another fruitcake named Good (misnomer)wouldnt tie and we hung a long rope from the rafter of the barn with a clip on it and that was his tie area. we had ties on each side too to snap to the side of the halter and when he would pull back those would snap off but the rafter rope was still on. it worked pretty good for him. snapping a clip on is a lot easier and faster than tying a rope when the horse isnt cooperative.

also, if you have problems with them breaking the ties (talking bout crossties), tie some baling twine to the pole or whatever to attach your ties too. that way they break the twine and not the tie.

 

[Bez?]

Yup - stout rope halter or better - heavy nylon tow strap.

The boy we have outside tried me for a week straight.

I tied him for 48 hours - fed and watered him there. Made a lot of fuss around him. He did not like the inability to not pull back. When he settled down in a couple of days I used him for a bit - then he started his old tricks - another 48 hours at the hitching rail.

Did it 4 maybe 5 times - he learned.

Bez?

 

[msscamp]

Any ideas before I just haul her sorry butt to the sale barn?

We have a mare that wouldn't be tied, too. Got this tip from a friend of the family who AI's horses (along with raising champion barrel racers) and got tired of chasing them down when they broke loose and ran. Get a lariat (sp?) and put the noose around the horses abdomen just behind her front legs. Run the end of the rope between her front legs, through the round gizmo that the lead rope would usually snap onto, and tie her. When she pulls back the rope tightens and she quits. We did it a few times with our horse, and it works like a charm! A word of caution, try not to use a stiff rope because the snicking sound of the rope going through the hondo tends to scare the horse - at least it did Legs (our horse).

 

[Hippie Rancher]

stout leads/ropes and even stouter things to tie to.

hobbles can do wonders too.


When I was a kid I had a spoiled barrel horse (not from me!) that would pull all kinds of nonsense, but this story is about tying him. First he broke the snap on the lead, so I tied it in a knot to the halter, then he broke the lead itself so I used a heavy chain, then he broke the halter so I put the chain around his neck. Then he pulled the top rail off the hitching post my dad had made for him. So we chained him to one of the uprights and he pulled 300 pounds of concrete out of the ground. He never really ran off - he would wander away if you didn find him, but he just did not want to be tied! After that I just left him in the pen when I wasn't with him.

If I had another like that I would try the rope around the chest or maybe I would just let the SOB choke himself, not sure.

 

[J]

I think this problem is being made out to be harder to fix than it really is. Getting into a "who's stronger" contest is in my opinion the wrong approach. The more you try and restrain a 1000 .lb animal, with enormous power, you can get yourself into trouble. Yeah sometimes it just comes down to force but you have to take small steps and patient ones at that to teach the horse it's ok.


I didn't just sound like dr phil did I? I'm just saying, using the "I can be stronger and harder headed than you" method, should be a last resort.

 

[TR]

Sidney, Sidney, Sidney........SELL HER and get you something that isn't such a pain in the neck! :lol: :lol:

Sorry, I know this mare and just had to slide that one in!

 

[Beefy]

my fourwheeler only sets back when going up steep inclines or trying to pull up trees that are too big. ive never had a problem with it running off. now the golf cart, thats a different story...

 

[ALACOWMAN]

if this mare aint a complete idoit. i can have her standing tied in a weeks time. im not bragging either just fact. you can too heck this is childplay compared too some bad habits ive seen and dealt with. try one that flips over backward not talking about coming up on two legs and falling back this is up and over with no hesitation trying too kill you

 

[sidney411]

TR - I know your right and we've had this talk before, can you find me a replacement for what I can sell her for- PLEASE!!!! :lol: :lol:

B- my turn to LMWAO!

 

[flaboy-]

I think this problem is being made out to be harder to fix than it really is. Getting into a "who's stronger" contest is in my opinion the wrong approach. The more you try and restrain a 1000 .lb animal, with enormous power, you can get yourself into trouble. Yeah sometimes it just comes down to force but you have to take small steps and patient ones at that to teach the horse it's ok.


I didn't just sound like dr phil did I? I'm just saying, using the "I can be stronger and harder headed than you" method, should be a last resort.

J, I am not sure which method if either you are advocating here but I agree with the tugging contest statement. While trying to get the filly to load I could see each time she was able to pull me back, she got more stuborn and she was quicker each time to try it. She sure got a surprise when I tied her to a support in the front of my trailer and she pulled back. You could see the surprise in her eyes and she willingly jumped in the back to get some relief.