next »

[Susieque]

Last weekend I was at a local NRA rodeo and every single cowboy except ONE who roped was using a big, heavy tie down on their horse. And, every horse was high headed, and, every cowboy was yanking the horses' mouth and head around, fighting with the horse every step of the way. Seems like tie downs are sometimes a substitute for inadequate training? There are many methods to get a horse's head down, from riding with reins at the knees, clicker training, gently pulling in small motions as you ride, LIGHT hands, and other techniques.

The ONE cowboy who did not have a tie down also had extremely light hands, a very responsive, and quiet horse, and the horse's head was level or down at almost all times except when coming to a sliding stop with a calf or steer roped to the saddle.

How many of you use tie downs and what has been your experience?

Susieque