Using a Tie-Down on a Horse??

Question

Everytime I run my horse it is like he get going and he doesn't want to stop. So when I make him walk he always starts running again and lifts his head up to where I have like no control of him and tries to run home. I would like to use a tie down so that I could have some control of him to do what ever I need to do ( poles ,barrels etc.) But he won't listen to me for very long afret we start running. It seems as if the whole time we are runnign he is building up speed to run home so he will be done. I don't know how to put it on him like how to hook it up to his girth and do I put it on before or after the bridle? Please Help

Thanks = )

Answer 1

i think a tie down would be a good investment. or you could us a martingale. i like both. but i think the tie down would be more affective. good luck Sabrina

Answer 2

slow down girl it sounds like you have a serious problem here. It's my personal belief that if a horse is so wildly out of control that you have to tie his head to anything to get control of him, you have a problem. Take some time away from the competitions and work with your horse on getting control and mellowing out. It is not even close to healthy for a horse to get that hyped up and mentally unstable. I have seen it time and time again kids go into the arena with there horses rearing  and hoppin all the way through the gate then they take off and when they come home the rider has so little control that the horse either throws them off or crashes into a wall and. I have even seen an over hyped horse gut themselves on a pole coming home from their run and sadly that horse died becouse he was still so crazy hyper that they couldn't get close enough to help him the poor horse kept trying to finish his run. Get some help from a trainer to work on your horse and maybe you'll find you don't need a tie down. I know that in gaming events alot of people use them but they ain't needed if you train the right way. Trust me it's possible to have complete control and pull off a winning run. I ride my mare in a snaffle bit and hardly use my reins and we do just fine.

Answer 3

i think using a tie- down will help some. and at home practice the patterns at a WALK ONLY. do the training classes also; don't let him go until he has calmed down, and make him walk (trot at the fastest) the pattern. to put on a tie- down, you put it on just like a halter, before the birdle. attach it to the cinch by bringing it beneath the breastcollar (use a breastcollor if you already don't), between his front legs and to the cinch.  real easy to do.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/27632847@N0... if you look closely you might be able to tell.

Answer 4

I tie down will help a little. More importantly, you must teach your horse the basics of stopping. :) I have ran barrels for years and have many championships under my belt. I see this all the time. I have found that when I am working at home, I use a german martingale and a snaffle to teach my horse to ride collected and on the bit. When I stop my horse, I always ask them to take a couple steps backwards and then stand quietly. This will help teach them to stop on their rear end. Once you have the basic stop down, you can start running the pattern a little faster. If your horse gets to hyped up, asks him to break back to a trot and settle down. It will take some time but it is worth it. The fastest horse doesn't always win. Most of the time it is the most consistent horse that does the best. My horse is far from the fastest horse out there, but she is CONSISTENT. If you have a horse that can only gets through the pattern clean 50% of the time, you need to take the time to teach your horse control and patience. I would hate to see you or your horse get hurt or killed. I like a hot horse as much as anyone else but control is a must. You wouldn't drive a car with poor brakes would you?

Answer 5

you put it on b4 the bridle and one answer to that running thruogh the bit is he was taght to run run run so you teach him to walk walk walk evrywhere !!!!!

then for say if your going home after barrles insted of picking speed jus stay the same pace.

you really dont want to hav to put a tie down on your horse if hes that bad you need to teach him how to go slower or put on a diif bit

Answer 6

Most styles of tie downs goes under the bridle and then snaps to the front ring on the girth.  If you are having control issues, I doubt the tie down will help.  Trydoing some stopping drills.  Get him in the arena and do slow work.  He's got to learn that just because you're on him doesn't mean run as fast as you can.  You might need a stronger bit or one with an attached noseband like the one below.

http://www.statelinetack.com/itemdy00.as...

This can help you get more control of his face without being more harsh on the mouth.

Answer 7

I personally don't like tie-downs, so my solution is to cater to his need to run out a little...doing ground work. Lunge him out starting with walking. If he wants to move faster, put the lunge whip in front of him where he can see it so that he is discouraged from moving toward it at a faster pace. Gradually increase the gaits until you are cantering him. DO NOT LET UP. Keep the lunge whip behind him (ONLY as an extension of your arm - do not use it unless you have NO other choice), but not too close - he might try to kick at it. Watch his head intently; he will give you signs that he is tiring. His ears will swivel around and he will lower his head and start chomping. This means that he is ASKING you to stop. When this happens, put the whip behind you or on the ground so that it is no longer a threat and turn away from him so that he knows it is safe to walk again. Once he does so, let HIM come to YOU and praise him to let him know that was what you wanted. Keep this up for a few times a week and you should notice a change in his attitude toward you and his willingness to follow what you tell him to do. Good luck!

Answer 8

yes yes i use one when i run barrel my horse is kinda like yours he likes to run run and not stop no controll nothing i use a tie down with him it is also very good in barrels gives them a since of balance

Answer 9

You could use a tie down but this is what i would do.   Put a snaffle in his mouth.  Ditch the barrel/poles/whatever for now.  Flex him right and left so he is soft and supple. Then do the same at the walk(one rein stop) Walk some more and do it in the other direction.  When your horse tries to go faster..one rein stop him.  Keep doing this at the walk untill he consistantly goes at the speed you want.  Then  repeat at the trot.  I did this for my barrel horse.  When I would start at a jog she would hurry to a fast trot and eventually lope till she could gallop.  Every time she would go from a jog into a fast trot I would one rein stop her.  This took a few weeks but now I can walk jog lope and gallop the pattern.  She listens and does the speed I want her to do.  It also keeps your horse very supple and helps their turning.  Because my horse responds to very light pressure from all the one rein stopping i dont even  have to use my hands when I barrel race.  I can do it with no bridle because she learned to respond to my body language..not my hands.  I promise this will work for your horse!  He will eventually do what ever speed you ask and not speed up!  Contact me if you need any more help.

Answer 10

Personally I don't like tie-downs. But that is a personal opinion that they do no move enough with the horse. However, that being said, I have seen them used frequently in gaming events.

The tie down should have a loop on the end that can go around the girth, or have a clip that you hook onto the little D ring that you girth most likely has in the middle.

On the head, you will need a cavason of some sort. They have ones that are to be used with tie downs specifically. That should go on under the bridle. The tie down should be fitted so that the horse has room to move its head around, ie it should not be pulling on the horse at rest.

I would say long term, working on arena work and better control will go a long way to helping with this problem. Don't forget to do regular rail work riding and practicing walk trot canter along with your gaming.

Have fun!

Answer 11

do not let him do this! he needs to learn that YOU decide when its time to run.  you should try a tie down but some horses do not take well to it.  if this does not work for you then consider a martingale or a more aggressive bit.  his head should NOT go straight up. he also could just feel really good and energetic.  try breezing him for a warm up before doing barrels or poles. this is when you let him run around the arena until he gets tired. let him get all that loose energy out!

Answer 12

You put it on before, it kinda sits on him like a halter would, and you attatch it to the ring on the cinch between the legs. I use a martingale on my mare instead of a tie down, it doesn't hold pressure to keep their head down, it just puts pressure when they pull their head up. You need to get on your horse and do ALOT of walking. Don't run at all, and if he tries to run make him do something to get his mind off of running, circles are a great way to make him think of something besides running. We do all of our work in walk trot and lope, and when our horses want to take off we make them do a circle or stop them and back them. Anything but run.