ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: To Tie Or Not To Tie

Re: To Tie Or Not To Tie

gerhardt (gerhardt@theriver.com)
Fri, 2 May 1997 03:14:22 -0700

I often trailer mares with foals at the side, or weanlings being delivered
to buyers. I tie the mare, but not the foal. The foals tend to lay down
under the mare when traveling and its my theory that if the mare is loose
she might be more apt to step on the foal. Normally mares are very good
about not stepping on foals, but when traveling she could more easily be
thrown off balance by movements of the trailer. I also do not tie weanlings
or yearlings I transport. I have a stock trailer, which does not have a
partition in the back, and I also do not tie the horses in the back. I have
found that when left to their own devices horses will turn around and face
backwards when traveling. Apparently they are more comfortable that way.
The only downside I have found of not tieing is that if there is more than
one horse in the trailer and they shift the weight around, they can throw
off the balance of the trailer and cause the rear end to sway. However, if
I use my anti sway bar system, that problem is solved too. I always use
head bumpers on the babies, because "Babies rear" as one experienced
trainer once told me. It's true, and before I went to head bumpers, I had
one rear and crack her noggin open to the tune of 12 stitches.

Annette and 10 Mountain Horses, one still on the way (The mare says Is that
foal ever going to come?!)

----------
> From: Lauren Horn <fourhorn@mail.fia.net>
> To: Joe Long <jlong@mti.net>
> Cc: Trishmare@aol.com; ridecamp@endurance.net
> Subject: To Tie Or Not To Tie
> Date: Thursday, May 01, 1997 11:15 PM
>
> Joe Long wrote:
>
> > Question: why didn't you just trailer him home without any headstall?
I never
> > tie Kahlil when he's in the trailer -- a method that may have saved his
life
> > when we had the wreck with the trailer rolling over (he flipped
completely over
> > inside the trailer, but emerged with only superficial injuries).
>
>
> What is the consensus on tying the horse in the trailer? I always
> thought that you should tie your horse in a trailer, but Joe brought up
> a good point. RideCampers????
>

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