Question about tie downs?

Question

How many of you use tie downs, and for what reason?

Answer 1

Tie downs etc have never entered by tack room in 35 years, not that I haven't had my share of mixed up ex race horses etc. Preferably I drive them forward and use all sorts of little tricks to keep them concentration on me if they are excitable. And I think most head tossing comes from nerves.

Not that I don't agree with the above rider - that sounds very sensible to me!

Answer 2

i use them, my mom, my trainer & family & boarders , their trainer, that trainer's boarder, basically everyone i know of. we use them because we game, and it keeps our horses from sticking their noses up which keeps us from control and keeps them from running as fast as they can. the tie- downs let us stay in control and makes the horse keep his nose down so that he can run his fastest.

Answer 3

When I first bought my mare, she was a terrible head bobber. At times when she would spook, her head you go straight up into the air, she would bolt, and there would be no stopping her.

I tried tie downs, martingales, new bits, and anything anyone suggested.

Then I took one dressage lesson with no tie downs or martingales, and focused on keeping her energy towards a good workout by bending her towards the inside and getting her to lower her head, naturally.

I was so shocked after the first lesson, she hasn't bolted since. After a few lessons, she stopped bobbing her head.

In my opinion, most people who use tie downs don't want to take the time to properly train their horse. Of course, they're are exceptions, like the OTTB, where safety is an issue.

If you use an artificial aid, you are going to get an artificially trained horse, that has no idea what it is doing.

And when you take the tie down off, what do you have? You have a horse that goes right back to bobbing its head.

Answer 4

well, i don't use a tie-down but i use a running martingale which is similar (i ride English, not western)

i use mine because my horse is an OTTB that went through lots of bad homes before me.  He learned that he can put his head WAYYY up in the air  and run and nothing can stop him (since the bit doesn't do anything with his head up)

At this point, i could do probably 90% of my riding without it (cant ride out in the field, or jump-or cross country) , but hes a horse and i know that at any moment he could bolt, so i like the safety... and since it only comes into action when his head it to far up in the air, its a win win for the two of us.

EDIT: but, like cece said, if its a head bobbing thing then a tie down just masks the problem, without fixing it.  With head bobbing i prefer to drive them foreward in to slight contact held by relaxed hands, i'd never use a tie down for that.

Answer 5

Just an opinion but I would never put a tie down on my horse.  Most people seen using tie downs use them to mask a lack of training in their horse.  Horses very much use their head and neck for balance and position.  Using a tie down greatly inhibits their ability to balance naturally.  They can actually give the horse something to lean on as they struggle to move against it but it is not good for the horse.  Tie downs and other mechanical devices are crutches for people who are not accomplished riders.  They want to achieve a certain goal with artificial means instead of putting in the time and training to be effective and have good communication with their horse.

Answer 6

I use tie downs rarely to keep a horse's head down. What I like to use a tie down for is when I go on long rides or on camping trips, as picket rope. I don't attach them to my saddle. I like them for picketing a horse when camping.

Edit- Used right tie downs help out a lot. I have had to use them on only a few horses that we got in for corrective training. Nothing realy wrong with them. They are just a small bosal.