# Help! Bad boy pulling when tied and not standing still!



## kim_angel (Oct 16, 2007)

When you tie him groom him, do you tie him with a slip knot?

When my QH Cocoa was younger, she was afraid of the hitching post and would pull back. I lost a few halters and leads before I began tying her with a slip knot. Any time she would freak out, I quickly untied her and walked her around to calm her down.

I would suggest doing some ground work with him before grooming. Get his attention and respect before doing an activity you know he doesnt behave well for.

Also try and figure out what is triggering his "pull back" instances. For Cocoa, it was the sound of a car or tractor anywhere in her area. If you can figure out what is bothering him when he is tied and then work on that, you will save yourself some stress. 

I dont recommend hitting him in the rump when he pulls back. During one of Cocoa's pull back episodes a fellow boarder came over and whacked her in the butt - she ended up jumping over the hitching post and getting stuck between the barn and the post.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

NEVER beat the horse for pulling back. It can get only much worse. Mine does it too - she's spooky and feels trapped sometime. I don't tie her to post but either hold the end (and she stands) or make one loop around the post, so if she pulls it's getting loose by moving with her. I've seen equipment on Clinton Anderson's to teach the horse to tie, but it's too costly. You can look for release hook (it's not that expensive), which let horse pull back, but still tight, so it doesn't pull the whole rope through.


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## free_sprtd (Oct 18, 2007)

yes i agree with the no hitting thing if he's afraid. It's one thing to pop em if they are acting out, but being afraid is different. Especially if everything is new. when introducing my gelding to new things, he feels the need to pull pull pull and back up. i just stay calm and let him back up to the end of the lead rope and keep myself calm and just stand there. then he gets too curious and comes up to whatever it is himself. with grooming though, that's a hard one. my gelding also does the chewing and antsy thing, but doesnt pull back. he just gets bored(but he's 2). So sorry i wasnt of any help, but hopefully someone else can come up with something. 

I think if I were in your situation, I would just do little grooming sessions at a time. Catch it before he is about to freak out and be done. But it has to be when you say so, not because he is acting up. And just build the time up longer and longer. Make the time fun. while he's being good, maybe give a piece of carrot. lots of rubbing and praise. It sounds like maybe baby steps are needed. but i dont know sorry!


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

My boy can be a bit of hand full with a similar issue. When I being him in the barn aisle and tie him, if the barn is empty (as in the morning or sometimes earlier in the afternoon) he gets agitated because he is the only horse inside.

Interestingly enough when we are out in the arena working just the 2 of us, the fact there are no horses around is fine but as when we are in the barn aisle he's a punk.

He knows better. I think he just unhappy that he is by himself. Do lots and lots of handling with him. The more you handle him on the ground the better he will get. As it has been mentioned try to figure out and see if there is a different reason as to why he might be acting this way (no other horses around, something scaring him, maybe history of an accident while tied etc).

Good luck


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## AKPaintLover (May 26, 2007)

My boy went through a phase like that this winter for about a month, which irritated the crud out of me, because that is one habit that I just cannot stand in horses. I made sure that the halter and lead were strong (rope halters are good), and tied it so that it would not jam up really badly, and he would decide to pull back for various reasons fighting the rope and then stop - 2 or 3 times while tied.

Finally, one day I had not even gotten the rope around the hitching post when he tried, so I reacted quickly, I took the lead with me, and drove him backwards very assertively (I got big and loud too). I brought him back up, tied him, and he has not done it since. This worked for my boy's personality, but it is hard to say if it would with yours. If you think it would, just wrap the lead around the post once, and then if he starts to pull, begin to drive him back. It is worth a shot


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## WildFeathers (Sep 2, 2007)

If he's not standing still and didn't used to pull back all the time, it sounds a lot more like misbehaving instead of standing still.

about the worst thing you could do is what kim angel said she did with her horse cocoa:



> Any time she would freak out, I quickly untied her and walked her around to calm her down.


thats a perfect reward for misbehaving. Even if your horse is frightened, unless he's in a dangerous location, or is likely to hurt himself badly/get tangled, you can often just let them pull. 

The best thing to do is to find a good halter, one that wont break. and either a _ very _ good leadline 
(those snaps break easy) or a strong rope, and tie your horse to something that absolutely wont budge, but make sure you use an emergency knot and can release him if he gets tangled.

Go about doing things as normal and if he starts to pull yell no/buzzer sound, whatever you do. If he stops then, great, if he doesn't, let him pull, untying him would be a reward for pulling. And don't worry, if he just pulls, even for a while, the worst thing he can do is make his head a little sore. He'll soon figure out that pulling gets him nowhere.[/i]


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## Abby (Nov 26, 2007)

i'd suggest tying him i a quick release and let him pull. if he starts thrashing and risking both himself and you untie him and make him back a good sixteen steps if you can or run him and then tie him again. work makes bad boys real good real fast. :]


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## Dave (Nov 4, 2007)

*pulling back*

Sounds like he has learned a very bad and dangerous habit . to help with this type habits in the past i have used a chest rope on a horse as well as a halter rope. with the chest rope it will not let him pull back and breck the rope and the halter rope enforces this with him. ive had to do this on a few horses that have been spoiled before i gotten them and it is nessary to stop this or you will never be able to tie him up for any reason even hauling to a show or a trail ride will cause a very dangerous issue for you and your daughter as well as any others horse or person around him . Im sure there are a lot of pro trainers that can cure this in different ways but the chest rope is what has worked good for me over the years hope it might help you in some little way Dave


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

Years ago I owned a horse who went thru the same issue. The owners before I had the horse kept her tied while she would pull back which turned into a huge accident as the lead rope nor the halter ever gave way. She ended up panicking and hurting herself.

No one was ever to tie her after that. 

Make sure you rule out all possible (changeable) reasons as to why he/she might be acting this. It could be caused by something very simple.

Stay Safe


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## AKPaintLover (May 26, 2007)

My2Geldings said:


> Years ago I owned a horse who went thru the same issue. The owners before I had the horse kept her tied while she would pull back which turned into a huge accident as the lead rope nor the halter ever gave way. She ended up panicking and hurting herself.
> e


That can be a risk, so be sure to tie in a post or area clear of all debris and objects, and use a sturdy tie post, halter and lead. The best is the halter and lead made of rope with no buckles, like this:









I would suggest wrapping the lead 2 or 3 times before tying it in a quick release, because when a horse pulls back, even the quick release gets wrenched into place. An alternative to tying a knot is to get a blocker tie ring like this:









Secure it with a quick release knot to the hitching post, and then when you go to tie, run the horse's lead through the blocker. You be gently holding the end of the horses lead on the other end of the blocker while your daughter goes about her business. If he starts to flip out, have your daughter clear out, and you hold firm to the end of the lead at an angle (you stay clear too). If he gets in a bind, all you have to do is let go of the lead, and it will pull through. I would try to keep hold if possible though, because you don't want to reward his pulling with release! 

Again, if he does pull to the point where he gets loose, react immediately. back him, circle him, scold him...anything to make him not wish to do it again. Whether it is out of fright or spoiled behavior, it is a nasty habit that really needs to be stopped!!


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

AK I love those blocker ties. I have cured every horse that had a pull back problem with them and I teach all the babys to stand tied with one. I use a long lunge line and a rope halter to train. Its the best. We use them instead of a hitching rail now and attach them to the horse trailer for tying when we travel.
Heres one on the tree. sorry Fras was shaking :lol:


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Heres the Clinton Anderson site for them they are also sold through Blocker tie but he has a video that helps explain them. I know they are expensive but when you concider what you will save in broken lead ropes they aren't too bad. 
http://downunderhorsemanship.com/ca...id=58&osCsid=df71b5c94d1ad150f8cf42e3967b96f9


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Vidaloco said:


> I know they are expensive but when you concider what you will save in broken lead ropes they aren't too bad.


Ha-ha-ha! That's SO true. One of the reasons I keep Kiara kinda loose is I'm tied of buying lead ropes.  But seriously, she does it from fear and I'm not sure will be ever fixed. When she pulls it looks so terrible that I just release. (she was tied on rope for WHOLE MONTH in stall before I got her and moved to my other horse!  ).


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## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

it's hard especially for a 13 year old girl to control a horse that just doesn't want to stand still. 

First I'd suggest just working on standing still. Have you (or your daugther) just put a lead rope on him and walk him around the arena. At random points...ask for him to stop. When he stops count to 10...each time he fidgets or moves, stop him again, and start counting again until he stands there perfectly for the WHOLE 10 seconds. Once he does, reward him, give him a treat (optional) and let him walk around. Keep doing that every day for as long as it takes to where you can stop for a long time without him moving. It took a horse that I was helping training a whole month to be able to do that (but that was on his back, not with me on the ground). It may take time, but usually the results are great.

Then you hold him on a lead rope, while your daughter grooms him, walks around him, and does everything she would do while getting ready to ride. Have her tack the horse up, untack, regroom...mix it up. Each time the horse moves, have your daughter tell him no firmly, and give him a tap with the dressage whip. With you holding on to him, you'll be able to control him a little better and have a less likely chance of getting the halter or lead rope broken. Then continue with that until it does it the way you want it.

Then tie him to the post or whatever you'd tie him to but also keep your hands on the lead rope. Just repeat the above step.

Once he bahaves that way, don't hold him, just let him be tied up. And work with him that way.

It will take time, but it depends on how fast of learner your horse is.

Don't forget to reward your horse each time he does good. That will let them know for sure that they are doing what you want them to do, and you are happy with it.


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## Bucky's Buddy (Jan 27, 2008)

*Re: pulling back*



Dave said:


> Sounds like he has learned a very bad and dangerous habit . to help with this type habits in the past i have used a chest rope on a horse as well as a halter rope. with the chest rope it will not let him pull back and breck the rope and the halter rope enforces this with him. ive had to do this on a few horses that have been spoiled before i gotten them and it is nessary to stop this or you will never be able to tie him up for any reason even hauling to a show or a trail ride will cause a very dangerous issue for you and your daughter as well as any others horse or person around him . Im sure there are a lot of pro trainers that can cure this in different ways but the chest rope is what has worked good for me over the years hope it might help you in some little way Dave


Sorry, this might sound dumb of me, but can you describe what a chest rope is? And is a halter rope a rope run through the bottom ring of the halter up and over his poll and back down through the bottom ring and tied with that? If so, that is the exact idea I had in lew of buying a rope halter to see if that helped cure it. Because I know the wide nylon halters just distribute the pressure and it doesn't hurt so much to pull back in them. Also, to answer some of those who suggested fear as his reason for pulling, I'm pretty sure it has nothing to do with fear and is purely behavioral. When he broke the lead she was actually tightening the girth and was going to ride and that was the point at which I said, "Not today, honey, go lunge him instead!" :?


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## Bucky's Buddy (Jan 27, 2008)

Just a quick update for those who responded..........we have settled into a routine and he has been much better! We used a rope about the width of a rope halter and ran it up throught the ring under the chin on the nylon halter, up and over his poll and back down through the ring under the chin (my friend called it a "nerve line") he started to pull and stopped quick and hasn't tried again! I also have had my daughter not dilly dally while tacking him up and be down to buisiness so he doesn't have to stand so long and that has also made a difference! She actually rode him both yesterday and today and he was a good boy. Thanks to those who offered advice! We will continue to work with him, but I think the biggest issue that day was that things were different and it made him anxious. He's one of the ADHD types anyway so we're always on him for stuff, but that day was the worst I'd ever seen him and hopefully those will be few and far between!


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## hackin'around (Feb 24, 2008)

My TB mare had a lot of trouble with pulling back when I first got her. We tried the whole let her pull thing, and it helped some but not for very long. I then went to the Clinton anderson Aussie Tie Ring and she did much better. When she pulled back, she realized she was not constricted because she was able to move some. Horses are clostraphobic by nature, so you can see how this thing would work. I now use crossties, just because she is fidgety when I am grooming her (she is an ex-race horse, so standing still is not in her nature) I was told when I bought her that I would never be able to use crossties, she now crossties fine. She stands perfectly still and is extremely relaxed. The crossties I use stretch when the horse pulls or moves their head so they don't feel so trapped. They also have quick release snaps incase they do pull. I think it is just a matter of finding what will work for him. There are many different things you can try. Good luck, and I hope you find something that is safe for both your daughter and her horse.


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## majorNjarrett (Mar 15, 2008)

could not agree more with the girl who said to back it up. my horse did the same thing. backed him up. didnt pull off again. if you cant get your horse to back smack him with the lead rope or kick its shins.


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## DressageOrBust (Apr 15, 2007)

I have alot of experience with pullers. I've had two. My last one was a mare who never did learn not to do it. What you need is a "Be Nice Halter" it's got nubs on the underneath where it lay across the poll, kind of like that nerve line you described. It's all rope but when the horse pulls, the nubs tighten down on the poll nerve and the horse goes OW! THAT HURTS! and stops, usually. It doesn't work w' the most violent pullers (but that's another story). You could also try the rope around the barrell, but I only suggest that for VERY experienced people as if it's done wrong it could really hurt them. Esentially what it does is when they pull the rope SQUEEZES them hard in the barrell cinching them forward. Could make them cinchy later on so I don't really recomend it but for the most violent of pullers.

What worked w' my mare was the combination of the Be Nice Halter and small rocks. Every time she'd pull I'd let her hit those nubs and then throw a small sized pebble at her behind and YELL loud "GET UP AND QUIT!!" I NEVER untie them either when they are pulling because that's VERY dangerous for you! You stay away! I have 11 stitches scar in my lip from her where she knocked me out cold one time when I untied her while she was pulling, she came down and smacked me in the face. The force of it knocked me 20 ft from her and I was out for about 2 minutes and she was only a 14.1 hand Arab X. So, please don't put yourself in that position.

Is this your horse, as in do you own it or are you leasing it?


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