When Tying is A Trying Experience: Don't Blame Your Horse, Blame The Amygdala

Image from Sage By Nature

In light of some new information about my own horse, I have a renewed sense of caution and care when tying her up. I think I took it for granted, like most people, that tying her up was just something that she was ok with, had become used to, and would not resist.

In fact, the very first time I laid eyes on her as a green two year old she was tied up to a trailer, seemingly calm as could be, with a dog and little boy running around her and the trailer.

The Ties That Bind Us

She had rarely exhibited any issues with being tied up, but looking back, the times that she did show fear should have been wake up calls. She was always sensitive to stepping on her lead rope; the brief moment of panic that followed was relieved only after the pressure on her halter disappeared. A couple of months ago she panicked when she got her head under the rope that had too much slack in it.

There have been many, many times that I have seen other people, too, take tying a horse for granted. If there is not an obvious trigger because the person cannot see it or hear it or smell it, then the horse is frequently labeled as stupid or spoiled or other not-too-kind adjectives. Sometimes it is because the owner is embarrassed that their horse reacted that way; a trained horse should not pull back and panic while tied up.

Your Horse Isn’t BrainDead; His Brain is Actually The Reason For All This Trouble

Or should they? What I have come to believe is that horses can be taught to trust, to submit and learn not to resist, but they can never escape their own internal, instinctual fight or flight mode. It has been honed and perfected in them, allowing them to survive millions of years. We humans are not going to reverse that with 30 days or more of training.

If they happen to have a traumatic experience lodged deep in their memory, especially a bad experience when they were first being taught to tie, this will heighten their sensitivity.

When the amygdala in their brain all of a sudden screams DANGER to them, and their physiology gears up instantly for fight or flight, what is the effect of having their head and body restricted to a pole or other object by a couple of feet of rope?

We need to always remember that horses are prey animals and their primary method of survival is to run. Tying up your horse removes its primary method of defense and survival: fleeing.

I had thought in the past that tying a quick-release knot was enough, but I don’t think there is any way to pull that knot quickly enough, or sometimes safely enough, with a panicky horse struggling at the end of its lead rope. I recently re-discovered a beautiful little invention that I had once seen at a boarding stable.

Image from Blocker Ranch

A Product Worth Noting

When I did a little search on it, I came up with it immediately. For under $25 and less than three days later, I had it in my hands. It is called the Blocker Tie Ring. Basically, the ring and its clip secure the lead rope that is attached to your horse, but if your horse panics and pulls back it will very slowly release; this gives your horse the immediate sense that they are, in fact, not trapped or restricted from fleeing. At the same time, it keeps them safe and keeps them from running off down the aisle or worse, down the road.

You can install it on a post, or you can clip it almost anywhere. For me and other boarders, its handy to have one that is easily removable so that you don’t end up giving it to the management when you leave (although I am so convinced now of its necessity and value to horses everywhere that I would no longer have a big problem with that). I like the fact that I have the flexibility to move it around from a post, to the wash rack, or to other places around the barn.

The bottom line is that if you are going to remove your horse’s first line of defense by tying it up, something we really cannot get around, then do it in a way that helps to avoid all out panic and possible damage to their psyche or body.

Resource Article

Research Sheds Light on Equine Long-Term Memory