Send This
Page
To a Friend

Reader's Comments

"I have a notebook of the tips from your site and I love them... Bonnie Anderson has been wonderful. All the tips I tried of hers worked the first time. I am now in the riding stage and my horse is awesome. Thank you all very much and keep the training tips coming!!!!!!"
Karen Gossard
Fayetteville, NC

A halter-puller is a horse that pulls back and tries to break its rope when tied. He has learned that pulling will release himself whenever he pleases. This is a dangerous problem, and simply tying a puller to unbreakable objects, and hoping he well learn to quit pulling on his own is mostly ineffective.

When retraining a halter-puller, you must be extra careful working around the horse. Get assistance from an experienced trainer if needed. Horses can throw themselves around and accidentally knock you down or step on you. They often get so caught up in pulling that they cease to pay attention to what is going on around them.

One way of retraining a halter-puller to stand tied, is with the use of a lariat and a good halter. Find a safe place, one where you can tie the horse to something solid. Next take the lariat, or a strong cotton rope with a loop on one end, and place it around the horses girth. Thread the end of the rope through the loop on the lariat and pull the slack out so that it looks like youve just roped your horse around his girth. The rope is now circling his middle just behind his withers and front legs. You may have to get him used to the rope before doing this. Rub him down with the rope and lay it across his back so he knows it wont hurt him.

Position the sliding loop on the rope so that it comes out between your horses front legs, just below the chest. Run the loose end through the halter in the ring you would normally snap your lead rope to. In no way do you tie or wrap the rope around the halter. The resistance comes from the rope around his middle, and not the halter, so the rope should slide easily through the halter ring back to where it is looped around the horses girth.

Now tie the loose end of the rope at the same length you would a lead rope to your solid object, whether it be a post, tree, or wall. Do not spook the horse into pulling. Let it be his idea to start to pull. When he takes the first step back, the rope around his girth will tighten around his middle. This is uncomfortable for him. The harder he pulls, the tighter the rope around his middle becomes.

When the puller steps forward, the tension is released. This is his reward for not pulling. When he pulls, hes uncomfortable. When he doesnt pull, hes comfortable. He is basically training himself not to pull any longer. If your horse should get worked up enough to fall down, have a knife on hand to cut him loose, then retie him with another lariat if possible.

It may take many lessons in a row to retrain the halter-puller. There were times that I had to use the lariat at trail rides, parades, and shows, tying the horse to the trailer or a tree with the rope around his middle. It takes a few extra minutes to do this, but pays off in the end. Halter-pullers are dangerous and should be retrained for the sake of the handlers. Patience and perseverance will help you to achieve the goal of having a safe and well mannered horse.