Horse Doesn't Crosstie - Sorry, long

[Czar]

I bought a 4 yr old TB gelding last week that had been on the track as a 2 yr old, didn't cut it, out to pasture for a bit & than picked up by the nice lady I bought him from who put wtc on him.

She told me right off the bat that he didn't crosstie (she tacked him up in his stall) but she was a fairly timid person so I thought she was being overprotective :o

Well, she wasn't. First time I crosstied him, he was fine...there were other horses in the barn. Second time, I went down to our other barn where we were alone & he reared 3 times, hit his head on the ceiling and went down. Note he didn't back up & panic b/c of the tension...he just started rearing.

In general, this horse does not have separation anxiety; he comes away from the herd fine and is fine to ride on his own but he is definitely nervous in the aisleway for whatever reason.

Since he did that, I have been putting him in the aisleway where the crossties are and ground tying him (which he does fairly well). After I ride (he is lovely, lovely to ride) and he is more relaxed, I will clip one tie to him.

This is the thing...he MUST learn to crosstie. He is a project so eventually when he moves on to a new home, I don't want to have to say "Oh by the way, he doesn't crosstie"...not a good selling feature.

I have 2 options as I see it and since I haven't really dealt with this issue before, I need advice.

Option 1 - Stuff his face with treats until he learns to relax and anticipate being in the aisle as a good thing & slowly reintroduce the ties.

Option 2 - Buy a nylon rope & tie him to a tree :dead:

As you can see, not a huge fan of Option 2 BUT I've known many experienced (albeit not in my discipline) horsepeople that stand by this method.

These are my issues...firstly, though it appears the whole crosstie aversion is a learned behaviour, he does seem nervous to me. In other words, I don't think he is just being an idiot.

Secondly, maybe I am a bit of a breed snob but I have my doubts that the tree tie thing will work on a TB. The people that typically use this method are dealing with stock breeds like QH's that seem to have, in general, less "flight" if you will. I've heard people say a horse is a horse & what works on one breed will work on another but I don't know if I buy into that.

Basically, with option 2, I am nervous that this horse will lose his mind completely and end up killing himself. Don't know if he's that type as I've only owned him for a week but don't really want to find out either.

Thoughts?

P.S. Just an insight into his personality...every once in a while he would just stop while I was leading him (did it at the other place as well). At first I didn't really pay any attention to it but he did it to me the other day when I was trying to lead him into the barn and even took a few steps back so I backed him up about 30 feet. Freaked him out a little and he walked like a lamb into the barn after that. He does seem to respect leadership.

[BuddyRoo]

Sounds to me like he never really learned to give to pressure. I don't think tying him to a tree will result in good things just yet either.

Not til he can at least lead and move when you apply pressure.

I also don't think that it's a breed thing. (though you're not the only one to make such statements). I've handled plenty of TB's that tie to a post, cross tie and ground tie. It's training. End of story. I think a lot of PEOPLE who tend to have TB's are too "careful" and they create the problem. But that's just MHO.

If I were in your shoes, I would work in hand--almost like showmanship type stuff. He needs to give to pressure. Once he gives to pressure, THEN I would consider the blocker tie ring before just tying him fast to a post because it has a quicker release should you get in trouble. A horse who has successfully broken out of a tied situation seems to have a propensity to try it again.

Another way to practice would be to tie him (short) in his stall after your rides for a few minutes. In his stall, he's less likely to be able to move far enough back to flip over/pull away.

One last trick since you mentioned that he seems rather anxious anyway is the "head down" cue when you place pressure on the poll. This can be a good tool to have in your tool box if you ever have an injured horse, an accident, some time when you need to get the horse calm and quiet. The fact that it's a John Lyons term turns off a lot of people. But it's not a copyrighted thing...it's an old technique and a useful one that once taught, is kind of like a half halt from the ground.

[findeight]

Oh, the "tree thing" does work (on most anyway) when done PROPERLY but it is not going to do anything for the behavior in crossties. A single rope right in front of them tied to a fixed object is just not the same thing as standing with ropes on either side out of view. The single rope creates pressure the horse can learn they must give to, the two ropes don't do that and can confuse them. But I would not go tie one to a tree anyway anymore...there are better ways.

The few I have seen with crosstie problems have had bad experiences plus a lack of, lets say, "happy time" in the cross ties. The only time they get in them is for farrier and vet, they get scared, maybe somebody yells at them and busts them one, they don't realize they are tied and scare themselves or they sit back and slip/go up and crack their heads on the light fixture. It's a mess.

One example where conditioned response to them is fear and that can be changed. This is one case where clicker training may prove the best way to go. Need to be careful you do not get them dependent on human presence and treats though...you can create a monster worse then one that won't tolerate the cross ties if you create one that will not stay still unless treats are produced. That will drive anybody nuts in a boarding situation.

Good luck...and you are right that when selling one that will probably go to a boarding barn environment, it's a PITA if they won't cross tie.

[Anyplace Farm]

As corny as the average hunter person thinks John Lyons/natural horsemanship type stuff is, that's what you really need to look into.

There are perfectly sane horses that have broken their necks from being tied to trees and other unmoveable objects. I wouldn't do it.

I had one that wouldn't crosstie (also off the track) and it turned out that he just needed a wall behind him. Can't explain it but like yours, he wouldn't even take steps back and freak out on the ties. He'd literally just toss his head up and break them - almost like 'just for the hell of it'. I spent months single tying him with a bungee (these tend to scare people too) tie system in his stall that I made myself. Then, moved to the crossties with a wall behind.

[horselesswonder]

It has always been my understanding that racehorses do not learn to crosstie. Assuming this is correct, it seems you would be dealing with a horse that simply has no clue about standing on crossties. I have never had to teach an OTTB to crosstie, so I can't really help you there. I just wanted to note that he was probably never crosstied until he started his new career.

[mjrtango93]

Does he single tie? If he's off the track they all get tied both in their stall as well as being tied to the hot walker. We do alot of OTTB guys that come straight from the track. It does take a bit of time but they have all gotten comfortable in the cross ties. All our cross ties though are in a barn with a large building with around a 18-20 foot ceiling so no way heads are getting wacked! Also all our cross ties have walls behind them so they don't learn to sit back. We are not into pampering though so they all just go straight in and get done up. They are in leather halters so if need be something breaks with the quick release and they will generally hit them once or twice and freak out and then be cool as cucumbers in there. One thing is though they aren't used to you walking in front of them out of the ties. We have had a few that you could approach from the front but if you were leaving them had to duck out the side of the cross tied so they don't try to follow you. I would suggest getting him in an area where he can't hit his head and let him work it out a bit. The rearing sounds like he was anxious even if he wasn't displaying outward signs.

[Riley0522]

It has always been my understanding that racehorses do not learn to crosstie. Assuming this is correct, it seems you would be dealing with a horse that simply has no clue about standing on crossties. I have never had to teach an OTTB to crosstie, so I can't really help you there. I just wanted to note that he was probably never crosstied until he started his new career.

This is definitely true, racehorses are not taught to cross tie. There are a couple older still racing TBs that I exercise when they winter at my barn and they cross tie like old pros, but this is not always the case. My BO just brought a horse home from the track this past winter, and the filly definitely had no idea what cross ties were. She uses a blocker tie (I think that's what it is) on one side and then just a lead rope slip knotted to the stall on the other side. Basically, if the horse freaks you've got the slip knot you can pull to release the pressure and the blocker tie will allow some release of the pressure so the horse learns not to panic when the back up and hit pressure. Seems to have worked really well. I do think most racehorses are used to being tied in stalls w/lead ropes at times.

That being said, when you transition to regular cross ties, I always like to have the top of the cross tie attached to the wall or wherever with bailing twine. Working with polo ponies for a couple years who broke cross ties on a daily basis, this is what worked best and broke the quickest and easiest! I know of a beautiful horse that basically can no longer be ridden due to completely separating all the muscles in his neck when he freaked out on cross ties that didn't have a quick release and he was wearing a plain nylon halter that didn't break, such a shame.

[indygirl2560]

I trained an OTTB with the same problem last year. I broke her of it in a week. My horse single tied so I tied her up but clipped the tying rope to one side of the halter and another rope, that I would hold, to the other. I got her used to having pressure on both sides of her face, by gently tugging on one rope then the other. One she was comfortable with that, I put her in a loose cross-tie, did the tug thing again, and gradually took up the slack on each side. When she stood fine with the regular length ties attached, I walked around the barn corner and acted like I left, but still watched her. At first, she was very impatient and I could only leave her for a minute, but I kept working with her and by the end of the week, she tied perfectly and I could leave her there as long as I wanted. Your horse might take longer than a week, but give it a try! Good luck!

[Anyplace Farm]

It has always been my understanding that racehorses do not learn to crosstie. Assuming this is correct, it seems you would be dealing with a horse that simply has no clue about standing on crossties. I have never had to teach an OTTB to crosstie, so I can't really help you there. I just wanted to note that he was probably never crosstied until he started his new career.

Gotta say, I just got an OTTB six days ago and he crossties and single ties. The person I bought him from made a specific point of telling me he did so, although I realize this is not the norm.

[Gwendolyn]

I've taught dozens of horses (weanlings through 7 year olds) to cross tie.

You need tie rings (http://www.jeffersequine.com/ssc/product.asp?CID=1&mscssid=L6DCDK6HBL0A9H35SAQUU9G67FK660A1 search for "tie ring", it's on page 2. Link won't work :() high up where you want to attach the crossties. Plain screw eyes aren't big enough. You need NON SLIP FOOTING. If they slip, they will panic even more. Be careful about mats, I've seen horses' feet slip UNDER the mats when they pull back. You need a place where the horse can't rear and hit his head, and a back wall behind him is helpful, but not necessary. If the horse single ties, skip to step #2.

1) Snap 2 long leads to both sides of the halter where the crossties attach, run the leads through the tie rings, and hold the ends. If he freaks, simply pull and release on the leads, you can let go if necessary. Continue grooming, etc. as usual.

2) Snap one long lead to the halter where the crosstie would attach, run it through the tie ring, and hold the end. Snap the regular crosstie to the other side. If he freaks, you can pull and release the lead so he doesn't feel "trapped", and you can let go if he gets really bad. Most importantly, do NOT worry about him freaking out. The more tense and nervous you are, the more he will wonder why you are tense and nervous. A long lead is helpful so that you can groom while you hold the lead.

Eventually you will be able to slip knot the lead around the tie ring and walk away. Only walk away short (within 2-3 steps) distances at first, so he gets used to standing alone.

BAILING TWINE DOES NOT BREAK. I had a horse pull a board off of the wall when I attached bailing twine to the crosstie. Bailing twine was still intact, board was hanging from crosstie attached to horse's face. Scary. IMHO I'd rather them learn that they CAN'T break the crossties (as long as they are well supervised in case something really bad happens). I knew horses that would break them because they could. No freaking out, just pulling back till they broke, then out the barn to eat grass on the lawn. :lol: If you DO want the crossties to break, use zip ties (http://www.curbly.com/uploads/photos/0000/0001/5388/zip_ties_large.jpg), they will break every time.

Wow that was long, haha. It may take a while to get to the point where you can attach both crossties, but be patient and calm, and they will figure it out. :)

[Czar]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

Just to clarify...this horse has been off the track for 2 years now and was definitely crosstied at some point as he knew, without feeling the tension, that he was in them. It would be much better if it were simply an inexperience thing but I bet dollars to donuts he had a bad experience somewhere along the line.

Anyway, I got some good ideas about what to try so thanks again!

[donkeyman]

My first instinct is typical of the trainer NOT to listen to the prior owner who tells you UP front the horse does NOT cross tie. Clearly the lady who owned him "got it" and you choose to ignore what she said. Reason one why I don't send horses out because no one freaken listens! But hey, since you own it if it rears up and kills itself in the barn its your loss.

Next, a horse does NOT need to crosstie. At horse shows they almost never tie a horse at the washrack of getting tacked up anyway. A horse should learn how to ground tie because in my mind that horse is more valuable then one that does not.

If you are hell bent on selling the horse with a confirmed crosstie the logical thing to do is to use yarn on the halter as it breaks if he leans back or goes up and to be sure something is directly behind him to when he does back up he senses what is behind him, much like a horse that ties to trailer.

Yes, the tree thing works at times but you are right, with a TB you will certainly loose his cookies and what's the point? Just to win the crosstie war? Now you will have a freak on your hands that hates you for the tree war.

Horses sell fine if you tell people he does not like crossties. It is better than him hurting himself and becoming useless

[EqTrainer]

Some horses don't tie or cross tie. If someone told me their horse didn't cross tie I would not cross tie it, period. I really am not sure why you did it and thought something else would happen?

Personally, I'd not worry about it.. I'd teach the horse to ground tie and sell it with it written in the contract that the horse does not cross tie.

[Seven-up]

Option 1 (stuff with treats) worked well for me. But my horse didn't have an aversion to cross ties, she just hadn't been cross tied before. Took about a week. Now she cross ties like a champ.

I'd probably approach it like you said you're doing, stand with one side attached and then work up to the other side. I did that with my mare, and stood off to the side and held up the lead rope on the side she wasn't attached to, just to get her used to it without being restricted.

[tb_owner]

My horse won't cross tie unless there is a wall behind him. He gets paranoid and freaks out if something comes up behind him in a long barn aisle. He thinks stuff is going to sneak up on him. On the wash stall, he will stand for hours without a problem.

My old lease would not stand on cross ties either, but I think she just broke them for fun. She would stand find and then she would slowly back up and if you reached to unhook her before she broke the cross ties, she would accelerate faster and break them.


They are both OTTB

[Gwendolyn]

Next, a horse does NOT need to crosstie. At horse shows they almost never tie a horse at the washrack of getting tacked up anyway. A horse should learn how to ground tie because in my mind that horse is more valuable then one that does not.



I'm not trying to be snarky, but that is ABSOLUTELY NOT true.

EVERY barn I've groomed or ridden at (including my own clients' horses) has used crossties at the horseshows. Also, the horses stand for an hour or more in the crossties to dry after they are bathed.

Now, I'm not saying that a horse HAS to crosstie, but, if it is a sale horse (as stated in the OP), it is a MAJOR pain if it doesn't. I'm glad that the OP is at least trying to teach the horse to crosstie rather than sending it on down the road for someone else to deal with. Too many horses are bought and sold with stupid little quirks because no one takes the time to address them.

JMHO :)

[dghunter]

My OTTB learned that he could break out of the crossties :rolleyes: So now we don't ever really crosstie him because he usually tries to get away. Especially since our wash racks are very intimidating (low ceiling and he is very big and already is claustrophobic lol). It can be a PITA and I love my other guy who will stand in crossties for hours after riding if I needed him too (though the longest he's ever had to stand is about an hour). It makes dealing with his various boo-boos and such so much easier :yes: I might consider passing on a horse that does not crosstie but if it was a nice horse who could ground tie or just tie the lead rope in a quick release knot I would consider it.

[Chall]

I'd be using leather halters and head bumpers (shipping hat).
P.S. Someone here has a website with very specific information on OTTBs, what they are and arent trained to do, and what to expect. You might find it useful. Someone else post the site please?

[Equine Adhesive]

I've worked with dozens of ottb's and never had one that wouldn't tie. I have had, however, a quiet kids horse who would freak in the ties every so often, though, so he ground-tied.

[LetsChat]

As corny as the average hunter person thinks John Lyons/natural horsemanship type stuff is, that's what you really need to look into.

There are perfectly sane horses that have broken their necks from being tied to trees and other unmoveable objects. I wouldn't do it.

I had one that wouldn't crosstie (also off the track) and it turned out that he just needed a wall behind him. Can't explain it but like yours, he wouldn't even take steps back and freak out on the ties. He'd literally just toss his head up and break them - almost like 'just for the hell of it'. I spent months single tying him with a bungee (these tend to scare people too) tie system in his stall that I made myself. Then, moved to the crossties with a wall behind.

I have to agree the tree thing sounds bad in general. I have had all types of horses and in my experience the TB reacts to things the most violently, in a dangerous sense (not knocking the TB just saying you need to handle them differently than a WB or stock horse). Breaking a neck would of course be terrible, but so would rope burns, a broken wither and a host of other things you don't want on a resale project. How long were you planning on keeping him? A horse that ground ties perfectly sounds like he could be trained to stand on cross ties eventually with treats and positive reinforcement. I have a young TB now and the wall behind the cross ties or even close the barn door behind them makes a world of difference. Good luck!

[Czar]

My first instinct is typical of the trainer NOT to listen to the prior owner who tells you UP front the horse does NOT cross tie. Clearly the lady who owned him "got it" and you choose to ignore what she said. Reason one why I don't send horses out because no one freaken listens! But hey, since you own it if it rears up and kills itself in the barn its your loss.

Next, a horse does NOT need to crosstie. At horse shows they almost never tie a horse at the washrack of getting tacked up anyway. A horse should learn how to ground tie because in my mind that horse is more valuable then one that does not.



Well, she also said you couldn't put the chain over his nose but after he got away from her while we were trying to load him, I put the chain over his nose & voila, problem solved.

She also admitted that she had had a bad experience with a young horse & was nervous so you can understand why I might have believed that she was creating issues with the horse that might not be there if handled confidently.

I find it somewhat amusing that people are intimating that they believe everything a prior owner says about a horse. Either you don't buy many horses or you don't go off the beaten track b/c let me tell you, there are some CRAZIES out there (even ON the beaten track). I've had people tell me all sorts of whacky things about their horses, only to take them home and discover that with a small amount of proper handling, some imagined issue is not there at all.

Anyway, in what hunter/jumper stable do you NOT see horses crosstied? I am in a discipline that crossties and the market I want this horse to appeal to are people that are going to want to crosstie & not have to worry about issues. This horse is quiet enough under saddle to go to an amateur so his ground manners need to match that.

Lastly, tying yarn to the crossties would completely defeat the purpose of what I am trying to do. He'd just discover it's really easy to bust out of the crossties.

[Right on Target]

I just wanted to comment on the tree tying idea. If you go that route, you may want to consider how you will tie the horse to the tree.

I had an OTTB mare who crosstied fine, but she was a pain about tying to trees for more than a few minutes. She's tie fine for a while and then get sick of it and pull back to either break the tree (done it), or break the halter (done it), or break the lead shank (done that too). We used to trail ride and stop for lunch and it was a pain to have to hold Her Majesty while everyone else tied.

The solution to the tree tying was given to me by our cowboy horseshoer. He had me tie a knot in the lead, run the lead through the bottom of the halter, then up around her neck to clip to the knot. The knot was there to keep her from choking herself. Well, it worked. She pulled back and it put pressure on her poll/neck and nothing broke and so she stopped trying. Of course, whe wasn't really panicking- just knew she could break it if she tried.

There are also some threads on tying in the trail riding/endurance forum which might be helpful. Good luck!

[iluvponies]

If he does not pull back and only rears, why not make it so the crossties are mounted the the wall a little higher, so when he rears they don't get taught and snap...if you have a spot with a high ceiling cross tie him there. This way he can rear all he wants, but won't break anything or hit his head. Make sure the footing is decent so he doesn't slip. Start with only a minute or two and work everyday, making sure he it is a positive experience....if he freaks outs, start all over again.

[Movin Artfully]

Every horse I've ever had spends time tied to "the tree". Sometimes hours until they get it right. They get tied early am and untied when they stand still. Longest run...8 hours and counting.

When we "tie to a tree" it is not tie AROUND a tree...it is tie to a tie line on a branch about 15 feet high on a 100 year old oak tree. The horse has to be in a rope halter because if something breaks on a bad halter...well...you end up with what you've got.

There is nothing worse than a horse that rears or rips backward dangerously. Even worse, getting loose and running around the show grounds after breaking loose from your trailer, the wash rack, you name it. Even more annoying, a horse that stands there and paws to China/frantically calling out to his buddies and paces back and forth stepping on toes and pushing you wherever.

I have bought horses that do all of those things as projects...and nothing I have or own will ever do them again after meeting me and "the dreaded tree". Basically...the horse eventually gets bored and falls asleep tied. They learn to look forward to tying as rest. Especially after a big ride.

PS- a lot of horses that are bad to tie- use their same defense if you "snatch rein" and they feel constrained. Be careful that if this horse gets panicked and you have a rein hold that he does not do the same thing with you on his back.

[Jleegriffith]

Well some horses don't tie but I do think there are reasons why horses don't crosstie. I actually believe in letting the horse release itself but I know that is a bit of a different belief. I have the crossties that unvelcro themselves (smartpak safety ties) and I can not tell you just how much I love them.

I have a constant supply of Tb's coming from the track through my barn. In the last 30 horses only one has not intially crosstied and that is my current CANTER horse, Dixie Rumble. He would stand and then all of a sudden just pull back and stand there shaking. No clue why and don't know what startled him most of the time.

Instead of getting mad about it I would just bring him back to the ties and pat him and pretend it never happened. Part of his issue was being left alone and being a bit claustraphobic. He also was 100x more reactive inside the barn than outside the barn. I don't know if he had truly been in a closed barn before or maybe a barn with stalls on each side of the aisleway. How can I get upset when he truly didn't understand.

I still insisted on putting him in the ties everyday but always kept my tack right there so I didn't have to walk away from him. He gradually improved and in the past six months he hasn't even thought about breaking the ties. He even had a feed bag blow at him when a gust of wind came through and although he was scared he hit the end of the ties and standed. He knows the ties give away but he also understands he should stand there. I never tied him to the trailer before (using my saftey ties) because he would break away but once he figured out the ties in the barn he tied to the trailer just as nicely.

Look at him like a blank slate. I think you could be very right about his former owner having some hangups which is why he might have developed some fear of the cross ties but keep working with him slowly. Get break away ties you don't want him to be scared of tying it should be a relaxing experience. If he does break then walk him back up and velcro the ties back and reassure him he can do it. Not to mention I am terrified of horses scrabbling on ties that don't let go. People and horses get hurt but again we all have our opinions. Keep your tack right there and don't leave him by himself at all you are just inviting him to get stressed.

I got a horse that the owner said didn't clip. I thought whatever all horses can be taught to clip but she was a good horse person so I did "believe" her. Believing her didn't make me think I couldn't turn on the small clippers in the barn while he was standing. He ran backward, reared up and tore my arm off getting out of there. I worked and worked with him in the round pen until I could get the clippers near him while turned on and it took a year to get to the point where I could clip his muzzle and face but I did use a lot of treats and patient work. He was not being mean he was scared. I treat a stubborn horse and a scared horse very differently.

[donkeyman]

Well Czar, it appears this is an important issue to you but you certainly know horses that break ties can have the end fling in their eye where they can lose the eye. Have seen it happen in a sale barn when someone did not listen to the owner. Boy watching that trainer call the owner and blame her groom for something she did was really enlightening. Horses also can sit down and pull stifles, get seriously hurt, rear (as Smarty Jones did) and fracture their head etc.

We have a horse in the barn now that is own by an amatuer and ridden by other kids and amatuers that is 17.2 and he does not cross tie. It has NEVER been a problem in handling and he stands in one place ground tied for as long as they leave him there even if they walk away.

I just hate to see unncessary battles and yes the yarn trick does work.

Wishing you the best in your hours of upcoming training

[Movin Artfully]

I totally disagree with the above post.

Having a horse that can't tie means: not safe to tie inside the trailer, to the outside of the trailer, in the case of an emergency, not while doctoring, not for the farrier, not while you use the bathroom for 1 minute, not while you attend a barn mate who has fallen off or gotten hurt.

I do hope you follow through with this and are glad you are asking about it. It makes your horse safer and more sale-able for the rest of the general public.

[indygirl2560]

I've already stated my method for cross-tying(which actually works by the way....) and I definitely think cross-tying is almost absolutely necessary. There are nothing but cross-ties at my barn and every show I've been to(the grooming stall or wash racks have cross-ties). I don't know what place you live in that doesn't require a horse to learn to cross-tie eventually...

[Czar]

Rory stood like a gentleman yesterday & today while I was tacking/untacking. I only had one tie on (& the lead rope that I could use if needed) but he was markedly better, more relaxed.

Thanks again for all of the advice.

Also, a short brag....this horse is FANTASTIC under saddle & his ground issues do not seem to cross over. He had never jumped a thing in his life so I popped him over a little crossrail earlier this week & he was a doll, though by the third time he was just trotting over it with no attempt to jump at all :lol: So today I decided to add a straw bale to see if it would impress him a little...he just mosied on down to it & at the last second perked up & jumped adorably.

[Cindyg]

If you DO want the crossties to break, use zip ties (http://www.curbly.com/uploads/photos/0000/0001/5388/zip_ties_large.jpg), they will break every time.

What strength zip ties do I want if I want them to break in a true emergency, but not to break for every minor disagreement?

[Gwendolyn]

These look about right

http://www.buycableties.com/catalog/7/standard_50lb_cable_ties

They look like the ones that I have used in the past. It's kind of hard to see them in those pictures, but I would say regular sized, not small, but not heavy-duty. If that makes sense. :lol:

[Come Shine]

Having a horse that can't tie means: not safe to tie inside the trailer, to the outside of the trailer, in the case of an emergency, not while doctoring, not for the farrier, not while you use the bathroom for 1 minute, not while you attend a barn mate who has fallen off or gotten hurt.

My mare doesn't cross tie but she certainly ties inside a trailer. She also stands a lot better in the aisle, in the field or in the arena than any horse I've ever had to cross tie.

[EqTrainer]

FWIW, it is very common for a horse to straight tie and not cross tie, or vice versa. So not cross tying does not mean the horse doesn't straight tie..

[enjoytheride]

You can also try putting a set of crossties in his stall and grooming him there every day. It's confined enough that he will not feel alone standing in an aisle, if he pulls back he's going to hit a wall, and it's familiar.

Another option would be to crosstie him and if he rears up uncrosstie him, take him into the arena, and lunge him. Then crosstie him again. If he stands still stuff him full of treats.

I also think it's important that if he rears and breaks the ties you can't put him away until he is back in the ties and standing still for at least a few minutes. He must not associate acting like an ass with gonig back to his stall and eating dinner.