Be Careful How You Tie Your Horse

  You don't have to fall off a horse to get hurt. A girl on the University of South Carolina Equestrian Team (pictured jumping grey horse) is in critical condition after the horse she was grooming spooked, pulling loose the rail he was tied to. The rail hit Victoria Middleton in the face and knocked her to the ground, where she hit her head on concrete. You can read the story here. She is now able to track visitors with her eyes and they may take her breathing tube out tomorrow. So sad and scary!

This could have been my daughter, Lily. I can't remember to tell her everything and I certainly don't know everything to tell her. A couple of years ago she tied her horse to a fence board, not a fence post. He spooked, the board came flying and hit Lily in the face. It hurt, her lips bled and she received some cuts. But she was okay. And did learn not to do that again.

There are so many ways to look at how to tie your horse. Generally, make sure if they spook that they can get loose -- we use breakaway halters in general and little loops of hay twine that will break when we tie them to the trailer. I wish we had cross ties at home but we don't -- so we tie the horse to a fence post, not a rail, so that if they decide to "leave" unexpectedly, they will not take the fence with them. I keep a supply of halter headstalls. If somebody makes this a habit, well, they get the unbreakable halter and the unbendable tree. But I haven't had to do that with any recent horses.

And then there's the magnificent Tree of Shame. It's not ours. It's a giant oak where a friend ties her horses when they need some thinking time. And no horse is pulling it down. I don't know what they're thinking about but I've seen them there, standing quietly, I assume repenting their current transgressions. But I think the Tree of Shame is a training tool, not a tying issue. Just couldn't resist mentioning it.

Then there are the knots you use to tie your horse. Use a quick release knot, though no knot is quick enough for an event like what happened to Victoria Middleton. Lily uses a quick release she learned in 4-H and Pony Club. I use the one my father taught me -- a bowline that's modified on the last step so that you loop the rope back into the hole, leaving the end loose for a quick pull. I like it because I can remember "the rabbit comes out of the hole, goes around the tree, and back into the hole again." Instructions are here, though you need to modify the last step to make it a quick release.

Keep Victoria Middleton in your prayers. She could be any of us -- or our kids. There's a CaringBridge site you can access from the newspaper story.

Stay safe!

Comments

[greyhorsematters]

That's a terrible story and something many of us don't think could happen. I mean how many times have we worked around horses who are tied. Anyway, I wish her full recovery.
Great article that gets people thinking and good knots. We always use a quick release and twine too.

[Horseypants]

Geez, I was just reading another blog post on Equine Mine about a trailer accident in the same vein. The "breakaway" trailer tie didn't break. This was news to me--I thought they were supposed to release with pressure from the horse. Not the case. And well-trained horses can panic too.

[Molly]

Thanks for the reminder. Even steady old bomb-proof horses can have panic moments. A boss-mare can throw her ears back and send a good horse into bad behavior, like pulling back to get away from her.
I'm so sorry for Victoria.

[KacyK]

Boy what a timely post..thanks so much.
I am getting new ropes for my blocker tie rings because, I have proven that the ones with the "lashes" at the ends..will NOT come out!My friend over from Equinemine also found out..quick releases have to be released!She was more fortunate than poor Victoria.
Prayers are for Victoria!
Kacy w/Wa mare~

[White Horse Pilgrim]

A sad accident. It's a pity that a bit of common sense - what is, and what isn't, safe to tie to - would have prevented it. Basic stuff, but do riding schools, the Pony Club, etc teach it?

I just heard some kids in the barn here being told to "wear helmets and body protectors at all times" (i.e. not just when riding) "in case something happens to them." Well, it's easier than bringing them up to be sensible, or providing proper tie-up rings.

I like tie points that are solidly mounted to something immovable such as a wall or a stout tree. People in Britain use loops of baler twine all the time - hence loose horses are all too common, and are a hazard of their own. One ran out into the road just the other day after breaking free. Lucky really that there was no traffic coming. Yet I get criticised all the time for tying up without a loop of baler twine. Yes, I use a quick release knot, they're easy to do. They can jam under pressure, so it's a good idea to have a knife somewhere handy (oops, that's illegal!) But actually the big fellow (a draught stallion) has never tried to break free when tied up - a steady disposition helps, for sure, but some training as a foal using a tree and a chain has played its part.

Another stupidity is to tie a horse to a stable door. Just lately a horse snatched his head up, lifted the door off its hinges, panicked, and bolted with stable door attached. Luckily he ran into an enclosed space and stopped before suffering serious injury.

[julie kennedy]

Actually that tree of shame serves a dual purpose... it is a great place to teach a horse to tie, mostly because the pull is from above their heads. When a horse doesn't understand how to step forward to relieve pressure from being tied at eye level, they will generally pull back...which everyone knows can be ugly. When a horse is tied from above, they can move in a circle to relieve the pressure from the halter, so they never really learn to pull back (and break things). If a horse learns to move his feet and finds relief from whatever he is tied to, he will generally never become a puller.
That tree is also awesome for exposing some of our youngsters to the activities of the great outdoors before we actually ride them outside. They get to see horses galloping around and being jumped, and since they are tied, they don't get the idea that they need to be running around with the others! It's a great patience teacher too, for those who get antsy and like to paw or dig...they can dig to China if they want...but they won't get untied until they are standing quietly. Perfect training for being tied to a trailer at the horse shows!