# Hobbles



## TrailheadSupply (Sep 6, 2012)

Never have seen this set up before. And as you know I run hobbles big fan of them. I'll see if Smoke can shed some light on them


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

The mormon hobbles were basically to keep the indians from stealing the horses. They were much like puzzle ring. In the dark of night and in a hurry the indians didn't have the time to figure out how to get them off the horse. But the owners knew how to put them on and take them off, So no big deal for them.

I'm a big fan of hobbles and use them a lot. I often keep a hobble hanging from my rear cinch. If I stop for lunch I can hobble the horses and let them graze while I eat my lunch.

I don't leave horses hobbled all night, Just while they are grazing. Maybe an hour in the morning while we eat breakfast or break camp and an hour in the evening before dark. I always bring them in and highline them at dark.

My horses can still out run me, even in hobbles, But they tire quickly allowing me to catch if I need to. Most of the time, my horses stay close, the hobble removing any ideas of a wild romp across the mountain. I like the 2" wide leather, but often use the 2" wide nylon hobbles.









Horses grazing at lunch in hobbles


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## qh trail rider (Sep 16, 2012)

Our horses on hobbles in NM a few years ago. Kind of funny story about the grey horse on your left. This was the first year that this horse had hobbles used on her. For about the first 2 days, she wouldn't hardly move a muscle. I think that she was mad and maybe had her feelings hurt a little bit, too. Then a few days later, all four of these horses decided to take off in a gallop across the meadow. They didn't go very far before we caught up with them, but it was still a chase for a little while and had us wondering how far they would go.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I use nylon hobbles when working on most places in Wyoming. Not many trees (yay!). One thirty thousand acre place had exactly 5. And they were never in the right place when I needed something to tie to.

I've also used leather hobbles and leather with sheepskin lining, but not for many years. 

I've seen hobbles like what you call Mormon hobbles, but only hanging on walls.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

I think hobble training can be very important and can even save a horse's life! It is on my "to do" list for the winter when the weather is too ick to ride.

Where in the world does someone get those mormon hobbles? They look neat.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

You can google Mormon hobbles and find lots of info
But here is a short video showing how they come apart

From The Forge: Mormon Hobbles Forged By Dennis Manning - American Farriers Journal


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## TaraBearaIsBack (Oct 12, 2012)

My aunt almost used hobbles on my mare who used to kick in the trailer but we ended up having to put her to sleep before we had to try it. I have never used hobbles before though, but they seem really useful!! I may look into them for myself!


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

What's the best way to go about introducing hobbles? Should the horse have a halter on with leadline attached?


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## Shoebox (Apr 18, 2012)

I'm unfamiliar with Hobbles... They seem dangerous. What if the horse panics and bolts? Couldn't they seriously hurt themselves?


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

Horse learn quick how to deal with hobbles.
I always introduce hobbles with the horse under control.
Usually with a lead rope attached, So I can stop them if they get too excited.

I think the best way to introduce hobble is lots of green grass underfoot, so the horses are happy to stay put as they graze and just shuffle around.

Don't put hobbles in a horse when his buddies are running to the far end of the lower 40 and he wants to join them. Put the horse in a situation where he is happy to stay put, put the hobbles on and then ask for a small step. He will stumble the first few steps, But will catch on pretty quick. After they know the hobbles are there, I leave them to graze and keep an eye on them. They figure it real quick, As long as they are not temped to really try to keep up or run away.


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## TrailheadSupply (Sep 6, 2012)

And don't be fooled, once a horse figures out hobbles they can still out run you with no problem !!!


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

I have a pair of hobbles but have yet to put hem on my horse. I am worried that he will find some way to hurt himself.. 

I am thinking about setting up a roundpen.. and soft-ish dirt and using that to work with my horses.. 

what do you recommend to use first as hobbles? which ones?

Do you think that horses should learn to be able to be lead by there front feet first like some people say?

sorry for thread jacking LOL


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## Thunderspark (Oct 17, 2012)

I trained my mare last year to tether with just one leg on a 20 foot line that I stake in the ground with a pin......find it so much easier to have our lunch on the trail while she grazes and I don't have to hold her LOL
I use a nylon small belt that buckles around her ankle with a ring to hook a lead line onto........she's never once bolted with it or taken off. A friend who rides with me also tethers his horse the same.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

When I start colts I like to use a burlap sack made into a set of hobbles you twist then tie a square knot in. They conform and usually wont burn their legs if it gets western. The hobbles I pack on my saddle are fairly wide leather and are the single ring figure eights. Not the double rings. Just a personal preference. 

Someone one mentioned about horses that learn to run with them, I agree, once they learn, it sucks. My bay horse was basically a three legged horse for all of his three year old year due to a wreck and being crippled and dragging that front left for a months. He is impossible to hobble. He can run quite fast for a three legges horse.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

I trained my horse to hobbles no problem. I made sure she was not going to panic when something restrictive was on her feet first though. I used a soft rope to manipulate all four of her feet first. Then moved to a figure 8 with the rope on her front feet, but not a fully closed loop at any time. I could drop the rope if need be. All that was for naught with her anyway. She could have cared less.

When I put the hobbles on the first time, she just stood there. She thought she couldn't move. Then her back feet could move, but not her front feet. An elephant on a pedestal with all four feet in a tiny little area! Then she learned how to move backwards in them. She got comfortable and decided she should stretch out her front foot to scratch her head. Well, that didn't go as planned and there was a minor explosion for about 3 strides. That was it. She was hobble trained. I love it!

She did run in them once because something scared her, so she's definitely figured it out, but I never seen her do it again. Maybe she would with other horses around.

I don't like the look of those mormon hobbles. I prefer leather or nylon.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I don't think you would really use those Mormon hobbles in todays world. There are softer choice available. They had a purpose to keep the indians from stealing horses. A cotton, nylon or leather hobble at the time would have just been cut with a knife.


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## Dennis (Dec 10, 2012)

Training horses to accept hobbles was standard procedure a hundred years ago. Horses trained to accept the restraint of hobbles are less like to panic should they become entangled in a rope or wire. Iron hobbles of various types were fairly common and numerous artifact examples remain. Mormon Iron Puzzle Hobbles were as the name implies a puzzle form of the iron hobbles and were intended to discourage theft by those unfamiliar with their closure mechanism. Surprising to most people today is the fact that correctly forged metal hobbles are actually easier on a horse's legs than hobbles made of leather or nylon. The metal slides easily over the hair of the leg with minimal abrasion. 
I am in the tenth year of an extensive research project on these hobbles and would appreciate any leads to information on the history of people who used them, blacksmiths who forged them, and in inspecting for database information any known artifacts.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

I always love a good puzzle. 
Dennis, I've enjoyed what I seen of your research.
Always fascinated by the impact that mormon pioneers have had on horsemanship and the products that still are in use from designs from long ago.. 

Mormon Hobbles.
Utah Bags for sawbuck and deckers

Being two that come to mind


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## thenrie (Sep 10, 2012)

My dad and I took 22 Boy Scouts on a 100 miler - pioneer style - through the White Mountains of Arizona the year after I graduated high school (that was a while back). We had 22 Scouts, five adults (including my dad and me), and 32 horses...and one little donkey about the size of a Great Dane. Crossbuck pack saddles, diamond hitches, home made jerky and granola, the whole nine yards. The first night out my dad and I hobbled two of our horses (we had three of our own stock on the trip). The next morning the two hobbled horses were gone! By the tracks it was easy to see they had galloped off, leaving the other 30 horses, and headed for where they thought home must be. I got on the one horse we had left of our own stock and tracked them back nearly five miles. I found them standing at the fence at highway 260 somewhere near Vernal, Arizona. Both had bloody hocks, but no other injuries. They finished the trip with us and healed up fine with no lasting scars or anything.

I still train my horses for hobbles, and I use them like Painted Horse does, for grazing and lunch stops. At night I tie them to a tree. Even while they are grazing I always leave a loooong lead rope attached to the halter and let it drag on the ground. Mine is about 25 feet long or so. I have been saved more than once by being able to grab the end of a long lead while the horse thinks he's still far enough ahead of me! They tend to step on the lead rope when they start to head off, so it slows them down just enough. So far it hasn't happened often enough for them to learn to hold their head to the side to clear the lead. Also, I always make sure at least one horse is tied or I'm holding the lead rope while I snooze at lunchtime. If the others take off, the one tied will let me know about it and I'll have a mount to go get the others. On foot chasing horses in the mountains, wearing cowboy boots, is not fun.

I have used leather and nylon hobbles. I currently use the nylon ones. They're cheaper and require less care (no oiling, just water). After the night described above, I don't leave hobbles on long enough to cause any chafing anymore.


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## AnnaHalford (Mar 26, 2012)

I use chain hobbles. For training I slip them inside a piece of hosepipe but afterwards the chain does fine. They don´t chafe when wet, don´t need much care, and you can get them off when temperatures are below freezing. Hobbles are for grazing at lunchtime when we can´t be bothered to get picket pins out of the packs, or for grazing when the grass is too poor or there are too many bushes to tether. 
I have single hobbles that I double up for being hobbles or use alone to tether by one foot. I rotate feet so the pasterns don´t get sore...


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## tex007 (Sep 26, 2014)

When I first started riding and packing 47 years ago I hobbled my horses with leather cowboy hobbles. And I left my horses/mules out all night with them on. I soon discovered that the leather got wet from dew and then chaffed the horses legs and made them sore. 
One day as I was driving to a trail head I noticed a sheep herder off to the left of the road with a band of sheep, some dogs and a couple of horses. I stopped and had a little talk with him. As I was talking I noticed that he had a small chain around his horse's neck. I asked him what it was for and he said it was his hobble. 
I was captivated by those hobbles and asked all about them. He said they were easier on the horse than any other kind of hobble and with them being around the neck they were always available quickly. They were made from a piece of halter chain, 32 links with a snap on each end.
I invested in some halter chain of my own and some snaps. Cheap also. I used them for years. If a horse decides to run they will bite. But I never had a horse or mule get hurt using them.
then about 15 years ago I saw an advertisement in "Mules and More" magazine for Mormon Hobbles. I believe they were being sold out of Las Cruces, NM by Max Harsha.
They come in three sizes. Small, medium and large. I purchased a small for a mule and a medium pair for my saddle horse. They worked just as well or better than the chain hobble. I carried them with me at all times either in a horn bag or saddle bag. I like them because they don't rub the hair off the horse and they allow the area to "breathe". And you don't have to worry about someone taking them off your horse and taking the horse. )
The best way to train a horse to hobbles, in my opinion, is to start with a halter chain about 48 inches long and put a snap on each end using a quick link. Lay the chain across the front of the feet and bring the end around the fetlock and snap the chain back to itself with slack in the loop so the foot will not slip out of the loop. When the horse has learned to walk with that length of chain shorten up the chain over a period of time. This way the horse will learn to walk and not hop with the hobbles like they will do it you start them out with conventional hobbles. 
I have also learned that a horse will get all they need to eat in two hours of grazing in the morning and two hours in the evening. If you leave them hobbled out all night, you may be inviting trouble. Bring them in after two hours of grazing and put them on a high line. Most of the time they are a whole lot easier to find after two hours than after being out all night.


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