# Searched Forum- Need trailering help



## AQHA13 (Apr 19, 2017)

Could you possibly try a _blocker tie ring_?


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

I dont own one. And I hate to say it but all my money is currently tied up in my move. Is that my only option? Do you think this could be a dangerous move?


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

We never tie our horse in the trailer. We've never gone more than an 8 hour drive in a day but still, we don't tie. 
I leave them in a web halter and have a couple of head shields that we used when our young ones were just learning to ride in a moving stall. 
I have these face savers, and yes my husband had a fit when I bought 2 of them. 
Ken McNabb - Tack Shop


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I would tell them that he does not tie. This isn't the time to be tying him. I would haul him untied.
You should have been solving this problem before so others do not have a problem hauling him.


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

Yea I have been tieing him and letting him break the twine but he insists on continuing. I have had a friend assist in holding a lead rope connected to one side of his halter hile i held the other and simulated being tied on the wash rack and he was pretty sketchy. Im at the barn by myself 99% of the time so I dont know how to do thay myself. I wish i could.


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## Chella (May 23, 2009)

Do you regularly haul him? If so is he untied for short distances? Or is trailering a whole new experience for him?


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

No, Ive only owned him 6 months. I had him hauled in a box trailer tied for 300 miles. Now its 798 miles. And he tied a little better before. He got spooked by an electrical current from an outlet near our cross ties and hasnt tied since . At least thats what I think it is.


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## Chella (May 23, 2009)

Do you have a trailer to practice with? See how he is can he go in and eat from a hay bag and stand calmly? If he loads and trailers well than tied or untied would be easier to answer. If he is a wreck in the trailer than either way it could be a horrible situation. Will there be a lot of horses trailering with him to help keep him calm?


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## haleylvsshammy (Jun 29, 2010)

I would suggest borrowing a trailer to practice tying him in. Make sure he has food in the trailer, and go for drives in it. At first, put him in the trailer for no more that 15 minutes and don't go anywhere. Slowly start to drive around the block and eventually drive around for 30 min +. You need to get him used to the trailer.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

LetAGrlShowU said:


> Yea I have been tieing him and letting him break the twine but he insists on continuing. I have had a friend assist in holding a lead rope connected to one side of his halter hile i held the other and simulated being tied on the wash rack and he was pretty sketchy. Im at the barn by myself 99% of the time so I dont know how to do thay myself. I wish i could.


He will continue to not want to be tied as long as he can break free. He needs to be _safely_ and _securely_ tied to something REALLY strong and REALLY well anchored. Let him fight for whatever it takes and he'll learn to be tied. He must NOT be able to break free.

But, as previously posted, it may not be the time now... depends how much time you have available. 

I don't tie my horses in the trailer. Ever.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

^^^ Agree totally. Now is NOT the time, but if he can break free (twine) how is that teaching him anything-good, that is. 

Good luck, and he is not new to trailering at all-he just went 300 miles not 6 months ago-he just doesn't tie! I personally don't see a need for the whole "orient to trailer" drill.


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

The twine is connected to quick release straps for safety. Our barn manager is against rubber mats, and hes standing on concrete. I have heard too many horror stories of horses falling and getting very hurt spooking on concrete and not being able to break free. The quick release straps are quite hard to release when a horse is rearing and terrified. 
I know hes not necessarily "new" to trailering, but he tied better when I got him. He went straight into a 30 day training program and something must have gone wrong during that time. Nothing brought to my attention, but present none the less. He has broken 2 safety halters, and bent a non safety halter buckle to being unusable. I'm not looking to be judged, I feel a little negativity in the vibes here, but I'm just looking for this to be as safe an experience as possible..


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

Safety is also measured by what is around the horse. Who/what will the horse hurt besides himself when he freaks out and runs away? No quick release, no break-outs, no leather halters, no easy-free halters. Nylon halter with a neck strap. Tie him and tie him well. Tie him on a 6"x6" post that is sunk 4 feet into the ground away from the concrete. Not on a fence post, but possibly there might be part of the barn structure outside that will be strong enough. If nothing breaks, the horse won't either. He'll test it and figure it out pretty quickly. It not, he may have issues that can't be "fixed." Horses are really very good at figuring out what hurts and what doesn't, long before they get hurt. (If left to their own devices, that is.)

However, for safety in the trailer, ESPECIALLY with this horse, just don't tie him. Simple. Make sure the transporter is well aware of the issue.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

NorthernMama said:


> Safety is also measured by what is around the horse. Who/what will the horse hurt besides himself when he freaks out and runs away? No quick release, no break-outs, no leather halters, no easy-free halters. Nylon halter with a neck strap. Tie him and tie him well. Tie him on a 6"x6" post that is sunk 4 feet into the ground away from the concrete. Not on a fence post, but possibly there might be part of the barn structure outside that will be strong enough. If nothing breaks, the horse won't either. He'll test it and figure it out pretty quickly. It not, he may have issues that can't be "fixed." Horses are really very good at figuring out what hurts and what doesn't, long before they get hurt. (If left to their own devices, that is.)
> 
> However, for safety in the trailer, ESPECIALLY with this horse, just don't tie him. Simple. Make sure the transporter is well aware of the issue.


 
Exactly.....I would put a double halter on him and just let him figure it out on his own.....May not be a pretty sight but he will learn quickly that he can't break loose.... And yes make the shipper aware.Or you may end up paying for more than trailering fees.....


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

I spoke with the shipper twice and both times she insists that she always ties horses, she uses a bungee lead so they dont freak out. She has been so adamant that his haul will go smoothly. I'm considering buying a blocker tie ring for the trailer. Thanks for all the advice. I will see if I can move some horses out of the main pasture where there is a huge cylinder wood stump with a clip on it for tying horses out.


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## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

I have to admit that a horse not tying is one of my biggest pet peeves. There are too many times that an animal is in trouble, injured, a fence is down, someone else is hurt, needs to be moved, etc. Horses NEED to tie it's just not an option. 

I agree with the rest of them. Double halter her or neck rope her with a halter, tie her to something sturdy, grab a chair and sit out of firing range. Unless she is in a position where she may die or become SERIOUSLY injured just let her fight it. If she falls on the ground, bounces around, leans on the rope, rears, whatever just ignore her. Don't speak to her, don't touch her, just let her figure it out.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

LetAGrlShowU said:


> I spoke with the shipper twice and both times she insists that she always ties horses, she uses a bungee lead so they dont freak out. She has been so adamant that his haul will go smoothly. I'm considering buying a blocker tie ring for the trailer. Thanks for all the advice. I will see if I can move some horses out of the main pasture where there is a huge cylinder wood stump with a clip on it for tying horses out.


 Bungee leads break and take an eye out, not good


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

^^ Bungee lead? I agree, not safe at all.

Edited to add:
Maybe you should find a different "professional" shipper. If you can. They may have insurance that will pay, but $ doesn't make up for an injured animal in my mind.


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

Its a shipper off uship who has extremely good reviews. I didnt go with the cheapest bid, I went with a company who had a nice slant load trailer, who had excellent reviews, and I can track their movement. Ive looked several times and this driver is all over the east coast, weekly runs from FL to NY and everywhere in between. There was no negative results on her feedback. She has had excellent communication. Plus, me being the organizational freak that I am, I booked this weeks ago, for a haul in 4 weeks. I will work with Cooper on tying. BTW, I just bought a tie blocker from SmartPak so it will be available for her when hes picked up.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

LetAGrlShowU said:


> Its a shipper off uship who has extremely good reviews. I didnt go with the cheapest bid, I went with a company who had a nice slant load trailer, who had excellent reviews, and I can track their movement. Ive looked several times and this driver is all over the east coast, weekly runs from FL to NY and everywhere in between. There was no negative results on her feedback. She has had excellent communication. Plus, me being the organizational freak that I am, I booked this weeks ago, for a haul in 4 weeks. I will work with Cooper on tying. BTW, I just bought a tie blocker from SmartPak so it will be available for her when hes picked up.


She may have had good results shipping because she has had horses who tie. You really need to use the ring before hand and train your horse how to tie not expect theshipper to train it. Do a search and I think you can find a video on how to use it.
I would have her sign something that she will not tie the horse or at least will not use a bungee tie and hold her responsible for an injury if she does something you do not want her to.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Poco1220 said:


> I have to admit that a horse not tying is one of my biggest pet peeves. There are too many times that an animal is in trouble, injured, a fence is down, someone else is hurt, needs to be moved, etc. Horses NEED to tie it's just not an option.
> 
> I agree with the rest of them. Double halter her or neck rope her with a halter, tie her to something sturdy, grab a chair and sit out of firing range. Unless she is in a position where she may die or become SERIOUSLY injured just let her fight it. If she falls on the ground, bounces around, leans on the rope, rears, whatever just ignore her. Don't speak to her, don't touch her, just let her figure it out.


I agree completely. After they realize that you 'won't come to their aid', they usually come around and accept being tied.


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## Bandera (Jul 31, 2010)

Vidaloco said:


> We never tie our horse in the trailer. We've never gone more than an 8 hour drive in a day but still, we don't tie.
> I leave them in a web halter and have a couple of head shields that we used when our young ones were just learning to ride in a moving stall.
> I have these face savers, and yes my husband had a fit when I bought 2 of them.
> Ken McNabb - Tack Shop


I have the same ones! Love them!!!!!! Got it at the western states horse expo!!!!


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

Ok, so I went out to the barn, tied Cooper to the post in the pasture and stood back to ensure the two mares didnt mess with him. He stood 
PERFECT for at least 20 minutes. So I praised him and then moved him to the cross ties. I gave him every opportunity to freak. Brushed him, picked feet, moved him over.
Again today he cross tied perfectly. Maybe its the heat, so he doesnt want to be bad? I'm not complaining either way I will continue to tie him whenever I'm out there.


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## soileddove (Jul 27, 2010)

Horses must be able to tie. Personally, I prefer to tie my horses from above when training to tie. Here's a link with some information about it if you're interested. Training ~ Tying From Above Otherwise, going with some good halters and strong pole generally works too. Or, working with something like the blocker tie ring can help, but I just do a wrap to allow that same give when a horse pulls, if that's the only problem I'm dealing with. No need to spend the money when wrapping the rope, as opposed to tying works. Just practice ways to wrap and see what works for you.

I usually tie when trailering, but I know a lot of people who don't and have not had any problems. If the horse is being hauled alone, I wouldn't worry so much about him being loose, but with other horses in there, I can just see something going wrong. But your driver insists on tying, so it doesn't really matter because he needs to tie, so practice with it every day until that time. 

Like the tying from above article talks about, you can work up to leaving your horse tied for quite a long time. It won't hurt him to be tied for 10 hours, even though that sounds like a long time.


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## NorthernMama (Mar 12, 2008)

LetAGrlShowU said:


> Ok, so I went out to the barn, tied Cooper to the post in the pasture and stood back to ensure the two mares didnt mess with him. He stood
> PERFECT for at least 20 minutes. So I praised him and then moved him to the cross ties. I gave him every opportunity to freak. Brushed him, picked feet, moved him over.
> Again today he cross tied perfectly. Maybe its the heat, so he doesnt want to be bad? I'm not complaining either way I will continue to tie him whenever I'm out there.


That's great! You had better be sure to always have him well tied and nothing close that he can get hurt on. Always be on your guard. If he did have that bad experience you talked about, you never know what might remind him of it and cause him to freak. I can and have left my horses tied for 2 hours. Hey -- look at them in the field sometime -- they will stand in one spot forever! I even had one guy who had 2" of snow on him because he stood still so long. 

Good luck with the shipping. I hope it all goes well. I agree with the previous poster that suggested you have the shipper either not tie him or tie him with a solid tie-strap.


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## LetAGrlShowU (Mar 25, 2009)

All is well so far. I have tied him everyday for all grooming, which was unheard of before. I can even take a few steps away from him without him getting uncomfortable. I'm very proud of this. By the way, I did purchase a Tie blocker II ring in case we have a fall back, or if I end up ever needing to tie him to the outside of a trailer, or unfamiliar place (like the new barn). Thanks for all the help.


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## spence (Nov 8, 2009)

all of my horses tie well, and trailer well. the TB doesn't like to load so well, but another story. however, i have taken to NOT tying them while traveling. not all horses like to travel facing the direction they are tied, so i let them have the choice.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I just passed a trailer with 2 horses in a slant not tied and no halters riding peacefully


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