cross tying

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zacharyfarms

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I have never crosstied any of my horses and wonder (from a previous post) how you all train them to cross ties and at what age....
 
Generally I do it slowly over a years time. I begin with one tie and groom and rub and do feet. I slip the second one on during this time but it is a panic snap and can be released instantly. Some get really good at it quickly. My Halley is over a year and it still frightens her so I put her on the panic side and clip a lead line under her chin. The farrier worked her feet yesterday and says she's just a deep thinker and being confined like that causes her fear. So if she stands on one well, we figure no problem. Babies don't even get one tie until about 5 mos.

I am positive others do it differently but this is me.
 
[SIZE=14pt]I would love to hear other's opinions on this subject also! We are in the process of adding a grooming room, complete with shower stalls, grooming tables, clippers w/ a vaccumn system with heating and air conditioning! So we would love to know if it's easier to cross tie the horses or just train them to stand on one tie![/SIZE]

Bill
 
Mine took to it naturally but I'd worked with them to not panick on any type of confinement and to stand tied without pulling back since they were tiny. If they already have good manners it will not be much of transition. If not, I would start from scratch teaching them to be good while confined before putting them in the ties.

I do suggest that the wall connections be placed high enough so you can duck under them without excessive bending. I had mine too low at first but after I raised them to about 5 feet it was much easier to go under.
 
Mine are all taught very early to tie on one tie for clipping, farrier etc..but was interested in crosstying..It would have to be easier to clip, etc..if they were crosstied however I have always been afraid to try...anymore ideas?
 
After years of crosstying big horses I can say I am not a fan of using crossties with the mini's....they are just to dang small I find a hitching post or plain single wall tie to work best for me.......
 
To be honest, we've never "taught" or "trained" our horses about cross-tying.

We've taught them about being tied by just doing it for short periods when we are standing there, and the cross tying is just an added lead to them. They really don't know much different...... Either way, we never tie unless we're going to be right there with them.

Our main reason for cross tying would be for bathing, grooming and/or clipping, so we'd be right there anyway......

MA
 
All my horses are always taught to cross tie. It's so much easier to work with them tied that way. I must first say that they are only taught to cross tie when they are very confident in standing tied single and are comfortable with that. I do not cross tie babies at all. You must realize that when you cross tie a horse, you have taken thier "face away" completely and that causes panic. So, you proceed slowly and never, and I mean never leave a cross tied horse alone unattended and even the most broke horse can flip and break their necks.

The way I do it is to have a assistant pretend that "they are the other post" and assume that position. So, the horse is already tied on one side, but the assistant is the other post on the opposite side and stays put and doesn't move; just holds the rope in place as if the horse were cross tied already and that teaches the horse that he is now been "snatched" for better use of another word, from both sides. I let him be comfortable just in that position and I go about and do whatever I need to do while the assistant stands there being the post. Eventually, I will attach the horse to both posts but I do a single free knot where all I have to do is give that rope one jerk to free the horse if she begins to freak and is in danger. But if the horse is just being goofy, I'll calm him/her down and possibly loosen the rope a bit just enough for them to "get a grip" but not untie the horse because that is their ultimate goal, chooseing not to participate, and also not act like I am rewarding the horse for freaking out/ There's a happy medium in there where you need to know when your horse is actually scared and in harm's way and when your horse is just not being patient.

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EDITED to add: Hi Bill I just saw your post and read about your soon to be snazzy grooming room and boy that sounds like pure heaven to me. I'd love one of those and would live in it.
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However I would loose the heat and air-condition. That's because eventually the horses do have to come back out of there at some point, even sheeted or not and when they do, they are going to have to acclumate all over again to the elements be it heat or cold and you are really risking some health issues doing that. Learned that one in Florida a long time ago from some over-zealous people that kept their horses sick constantly doing that. Actually, one of my barns was screened to the hilt due to mosquitoes and we ended up having to remove the screening because the oxygen level was compromised too. Just a thought for you to ponder.
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