Tying for Training

Tying a horse can be highly beneficial in many ways. Not only does it provide convenience and safety, but it can also serve as an effective training tool. While patience poles are often praised for teaching horses patience, tying—whether or not a patience pole is involved—offers its own unique advantages that shouldn’t be overlooked.

I believe most horse owners can agree: a horse that doesn’t tie can be both frustrating and inconvenient to work with. The equestrian world is full of exercises, articles, clinics, and training aids designed to help teach this essential skill. However, once a horse has learned to tie, it’s easy for this practice to fade from daily routines—especially when owners are short on time and often choose to ride rather than focus on groundwork.

Nonetheless, the benefits of tying are numerous—and the practice can even improve your rides.

Why Tying Matters

Anytime that a horse is tied, they are being worked. They are mentally having to focus, or, as they become better at tying, they are practicing the art of relaxing and being patient. A horse who tends to be very busy under saddle, nervous, excitable, resistant or defiant can all find major calming effects from practicing being tied each day or periodically through the week. Tying can invoke both patience, coping skills, respect, relaxation and even serve as a boredom breaker from lack of stimulation. Even more, many horses can become sour if every time they are haltered they know they are going to be worked hard. Tying the horse and then releasing them without being worked can aid in teaching them to not be upset each time they are haltered. Furthermore, the skill of relaxing and standing still while tied needs to be practiced. When going to a show, your horse may need to stand quietly and patiently while being braided. They may need to be tied while you wait for their hoof polish to dry before their class. They need to be relaxed and respectful to be tied for the farrier. They will need to be tied while in a trailer, heading down the road. They may need tied while you are out on the trails taking a lunch break. Yet if they do not practice standing tied, your horse that already knows how to tie may lose respect for being tied, get antsy and start dancing around while you are wondering why they are not standing still and relaxing.

How to practice tying

When practicing tying, the horse must first be trained to tie, meaning that the horse has been taught to give to pressure and has been worked with and supervised through the process of learning to tie. Without a patience pole available, many people will use the option of a tie wall, tying in the stall or tying to a fence post. For a stalled horse, you have options of using a tie ring with a trailer tie, a tie rope or tie chain to make it much more time efficient versus having to knot a lead rope every time you practice tying. If you do use a lead rope, be sure that you are using some form of a quick release knot to ensure that you can quickly get a horse untied if they get into a bad situation.

The horse should be tied with their head in a natural position. The tie rope or tie strap should be short enough that the horse cannot get into danger by putting their head underneath it, nor should the rope be too short thus making the tying process uncomfortable and defeating the purpose of learning to relax; usually about 18 to 24 inches of length will be about appropriate. When using a tie ring in a stall, mount the tie ring at the natural height of the horses poll or just above so that when they are tied their head is in a natural and comfortable position.

Breakaway halter or not?

Opinions on whether to use a breakaway halter vary by trainer and barn. Some prefer leather halters, panic snaps, baling twine, or other breakaway mechanisms to prevent injury if a horse pulls back. Others believe solid nylon halters and sturdy tie straps prevent horses from learning they can break free.

Regardless of the method, the halter should always fit well and be comfortable. This choice is best made in consultation with your trainer or barn manager and should reflect the individual needs of the horse. The most important thing is to ensure safety and comfort in every situation.

How long to tie and when?

When introducing tying as a training method, start with short sessions of 10 to 15 minutes. Gradually increase the duration in 10-minute increments until the horse can stand tied for up to an hour. During these sessions, the horse should be supervised but not actively handled. This is not the time for grooming or direct interaction—the horse needs to learn to cope quietly on their own.

While the horse practices tying, you can work on other barn tasks such as sweeping the aisle or cleaning tack, as long as you stay within earshot and check in periodically.

Some horses, especially those with busy or anxious tendencies, may benefit from daily tying. Others may do well with a few sessions per week. Either way, choose times when the horse isn’t expecting to be fed, turned out, or ridden, as this sets them up for success and minimizes frustration.

Final Thoughts

Tying offers horses mental stimulation, builds patience, and supports better behavior under saddle. And while your horse might not connect you specifically with being tied, they will notice that you are the one who releases them at the end of each session—a subtle but powerful part of building trust and respect.