On the Rail

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Answer:

Dear Sarah,

You and your friends are certainly not alone in having questions about the use of tie-downs. A tie-down is a strap or rope that attaches from the center of the cinch to a nose band on the bridle or halter. Many people, me included, feel that there are very few times when a tie-down is necessary or desirable.

Roping is certainly a time when a horse needs to balance against one, and many people feel as though they also help balance barrel racers. Often, however, people use a tie-down to keep a horse from throwing his head up--a problem that is usually better solved by changing the bit (or the rider’s hands).

So many of the horses I see are over-bitted and are just trying to get away from pain when they toss their heads. Many times the problem can be solved by going to a lighter bit or better educated/supervised riders. If you are using a tie down on lesson horses (with the exception of gaming and roping) you may need to make some changes.

Many people trail ride with tie-downs on their horses, and I have actually seen some tragic results from this. I once witnessed a rider on a large organized trail ride jump his horse off a small bank into a river and the horse was unable to raise his nostrils above the water level. As a result the horse panicked, plunging so violently that the rider was thrown off into the river. The rider was able to get away from the horse, which then washed down the river and got caught up against a log jam with his nose still held under water by his tie-down. Fortunately, a group of riders passing by were able to figure out what the problem was and one of them (bravely or foolishly) got in and cut the tie-down with his knife, saving the horse’s life.

Horses also use their heads to balance themselves and restricting their ability to move their head can inhibit their ability to recover from a stumble. For this reason, I would not use a tie-down when trail riding.

Some people even believe that a tie down can be used to prevent a horse from rearing. This is not always true and if you have a rearing horse you need to understand that it is a very dangerous horse and artificial aids or equipment will not resolve the issue; only more and better training will. Such a horse should be immediately removed from any lesson program for evaluation by a professional trainer.

If a tie-down is to be used it is important that it be adjusted correctly—when attached at both ends, the strap should pull all the way up into a horse’s throatlatch. Too long a tie-down can hang down dangerously and may get tangled with his feet; too short can impede the horse’s balance and put unnecessary pressure at the horse’s poll. Ideally it should be threaded through a breast collar. The nose band and crown piece should be padded to prevent injury or soreness to the horse’s nose and poll area.

Thank you for your question, Sarah. I hope you and your friends will be better able to make decisions about the use of a tie-down.

Polly Haselton Barger, Master Clinic Instructor
CHA Program Director