Cross-tying with Safety
If you have ever seen a horse set back or freak out on cross-ties, you know firsthand the dangers that they can cause. I personally have seen horses panic and fall down with them, flip over backward, or get injured in a wreck and it is definitely a scary experience.
While many horse trainers and owners use cross ties on a daily basis without apprehension, others dislike using them or feel that they are unsafe. I often have clients ask me about my opinion regarding this subject: Are they safe? Will my horse pull back? How can I teach him to cross-tie without any issues?
For me, the answer comes down to this: If you approach cross-tying with a training mindset and set the horse up for success with the foundational preparation he needs beforehand, you will rarely have a problem. More often than not, horses are slapped on the cross-ties without ever being taught the tools they need to think their way through the pressure that they feel. The “oh, he can deal with it.” or “he’ll figure it out after he sets back a few times.” mentality is what causes accidents, which can sometimes turn into habitual behavior, such as pulling back.
Here are some key steps for safely cross-tying your horse:
1. Make sure your horse has a clear foundation on the ground about how to give and yield to halter pressure (leading, groundwork, etc).
If your horse is fearful or resistant to halter pressure, he is not ready for cross ties, or for tying in general – he will pull back, panic, and possibly hurt himself because he doesn’t understand the basics of giving to pressure.
2. Get your horse very confident with basic tying before trying to cross-tie him.
The pressure is simpler for him to relate to because it isn’t applied from both sides of his face. Tie him in a safe environment where he can learn to quietly stand tied and build confidence. Blocker tie rings are an excellent tool to use when beginning this process. I only progress to tying the horse hard and fast when he has learned to come forward off of the halter pressure when he feels it.
3. If the floor of your crosstie area is a cement surface, MAKE SURE that you have mats put down, especially for horses with shoes.
Horses can easily slip and if their head is secured on the crossties they can severely hurt themselves flailing around, sparks flying, repeatedly crashing their body weight on the concrete trying to get up.
4. When you first start cross-tying your horse, always make sure you are around to keep an eye on him or help him if he has trouble figuring out the different tying configurations.
In other words, don’t just leave him to his own devices and let him stand there unattended for long periods of time. Sometimes simply stepping in at the right moment and seeing a possible problem before it happens can make the world of a difference in your horse’s initial experiences.
5. Do not try to introduce something new to your horse when he is tied or cross-tied that you think will scare him or cause him to pull back and struggle.
This seems like common sense, but I cannot tell you how often I have seen people cross-tie a horse with limited handling, and then try to give it its first bath ever in a washrack. Obviously, that’s asking for a disaster! Or they will attempt to clip its face or handle its feet for the first time while it is tied/cross-tied. You are always better off untying the horse when introducing something new that you think they will react to.
6. Setting up your cross ties so they have some sort of “give” if a horse were to pull back or try to run forward is an extra precaution that you can take to avoid an accident.
Some people use bailing-twine to attach their crossties to the post/beam/barn etc., so it will break loose if a horse struggles. Blocker tie rings are another attachment option that allows the rope to pull through slightly. There are also newer cross-tie designs where the ties themselves will stretch slightly in a bungee-like fashion if the horse struggles.
7. If you have a horse cross-tied in a barn aisle, and another horse needs to pass by, always UNCLIP the cross-tie on that side instead of walking the horse underneath, especially if either horse is green/inexperienced.
I remember one instance where I had a horse cross-tied at a horse show and a random person mindlessly led their saddled horse under the crosstie. The horn of their saddle caught on the crosstie as their horse walked under and it led to a fiasco where both horses could have gotten hurt. Unhooking the cross-tie to pass is just a good, safe habit to practice.
8. If you have a horse that has a history of pulling back when tied, is very inexperienced/green, or is ultra-sensitive/reactive, then don’t cross-tie him.
It’s that simple! For some of those “special case” horses, it is not a safe situation to put them in because they are predictably unpredictable. It is not a question of if they will get in trouble; it is just a matter of when.
9. As your horse builds confidence and experience, you can start to leave him cross-tied for longer periods of time or with less supervision. Each horse is an individual and can take varying amounts of time to reach this point.
Just like any aspect of training, it all depends on application and preparation! If you give your horse the foundational concepts that he needs before you ask him to do a certain task, you will rarely have a problem and almost always have success.