While the owner had had dreams of this mare becoming a dressage horse, she’s now wondering if the horse will ever be even rideable. We’re hoping for a complete recovery, but whatever comes, the horse does have a home for life, which is an unusual commitment considering that the mare is only three.

But, back to our point. It’s natural to presume that any horse can be tied safely, and I don’t fault this owner for not knowing that. I do want to mention to our readers, however, that the only safeguard when it comes to tying is teaching the horse to yield to pressure — to move forward when he feels pulled on. (If you don’t know how to teach your horse to “tie without trauma,” click here for an article with step-by-step instructions.)

Some people try to get around the problem by tying with baling twine that will break if the horse pulls. At best, that’s a stopgap measure. Sooner or later someone will tie the horse to something that doesn’t break easily. And the old idea of tying the horse to a stout tree and letting him learn on his own is just not safe. If the horse gets startled, it may be the horse’s anatomy that's the first to give.

This information isn't coming from an ivory tower. I personally have a horse whose life has been significantly affected by having had a pulling accident in the barn aisle long before I owned him. Some good basic training would have prevented lots of physical and behavioral problems, and would have saved his prior owner and me considerable expense in rehab and retraining.

So this is one of those things that deserves your attention from the get go. When horses pull back, they can endanger themselves and the lives of the people and animals around them. If you’re not sure that your horse has learned the lesson, read the how-to article, figure out your game plan, and set a date to train. You can slip the preliminary training into your everyday horse handling, but to be sure the horse will be safe to tie, you need a few sessions of serious training. It’s well worth the effort. And then, of course, be sure to put some carrots in your pocket — a reminder that you’re doing something really great for your horse...and for yourself!