It is important that horses learn to stand safely when tied up.
If a horse panics when tied up they will generally pull back.
Depending on what they are tied to this can cause disastrous consequences.
You always need to have a breaking point between the horse and the tying up ring, this will snap if the horse pulls back and will set the horse free.
This is essential because if the horse panics and is not able to get free it will continue to panic and will inevitably slip or fall and injure itself.
Canvass headcollars are not designed to break so these can cause injury to the head and neck if the horse falls and remains tied up.
The problems start when the horse realises that with minimal effort they can pull back, break the string and set themselves loose on the yard.
Once a horse has learned this it is difficult to break the habit.
For this reason it is essential to give young horses the best start and teach them to be tied up from an early age.
This can be started at any age but should definitely be complete before breaking the horse in.
There are many hints and tips out there for teaching a horse to stand tied up.
One that generally works well is putting the horse on a long rope or lunge line and looping this through the tying up ring whilst the handler holds the other end.
The handler can then apply increasing pressure without causing distress to the horse.
Another technique is by using a tail bandage rather than string to tie them too.
The tail bandage will have natural elasticity which will lessen the feeling of being restricted and so make the experience less distressing.
Teaching the horse basic ground manners will make it much easier when teaching to tie up.
A pressure halter can be used for groundwork but these should only be used when in hand and should never be used for tying up.
The pressure halter will teach the horse to accept pressure and they will learn that if they move towards the source of the pressure then it will relax.