You get off your horse, drop the reins, and turn toward the judge with a confident, "Look! My horse can ground tie!" expression, only to hear a burst of laughter as Ol' Reliable trots merrily away, reins dangling, and a happy gleam in his eye.
You now have two options. You can slam your hat on the ground, stomp on it, and take off after your horse to even louder roars of laughter, or you can quietly catch him, go home, and get to work teaching this thing right.
On the surface, ground tying is an odd idea since a ground-tied horse is not actually tied to anything at all. Yet a horse will stand rooted to one spot, ignoring distractions, when you drop the lead rope or reins and walk off-if you've done your homework. You should even be able to move out of your horse's sight while he stands attentively, awaiting his next cue, for whatever period is necessary.
And We Do This Because…
Have you ever had to dismount and do a job that requires both hands in a place where there is no safe or convenient spot to tie your horse? Viewing the south end of a northbound horse when you are many miles from anything resembling food, water, and shelter is not a pleasant experience. So your horse needs to learn to stand politely and wait for you. On or off the ranch, this is a mark of a truly well-trained horse.
Set Up For Success
- Before you teach your horse to stand still, you should teach him to move.
- Practice groundwork fundamentals until your horse responds to your cues to start, stop, and move in all directions.
- Your ground-tying lessons will be most effective in a round pen or other enclosed area.
- It may help to begin these exercises after your horse is a little tired from doing other work.
- Remember, ground tying may help you win blue ribbons in trail and versatility classes, but it will also come in handy in real life.
A demonstration of a horse's ground tying skills is generally required in trail and ranch horse versatility classes. Such events can produce real belly-laugh moments for spectators. They, of course, aren't the ones chasing the horse. But the blue ribbons generally go to the riders whose horses actually do stand unattended, ignoring the cheers of the crowd.
Even if you don't compete, it is unquestionably handy to have a horse who stands quietly in the barn aisle without having to be tied as you tack up and then dash back into the tack room for a dropped skid boot.
There are, however, more serious reasons to train a horse to ground tie. First is safety. A horse who ground ties well has learned patience. He knows how to stand and wait. He's also a horse who is much less likely to panic or pull back when tied to a post or trailer. The ability to ground tie also increases a horse's value, and he'll be attractive to potential new owners in the event you can't offer him a home for life.
An equally important reason to teach ground tying is that it prepares you for the necessary but difficult "next steps" in training. It will take you far beyond the small circle where you expect your horse to stand, to a greater sense of trust and cooperation in everything you do.
