tying

Question
2.5 weeks ago, I tied my 5 yr old OTTB to the hitching post to get him ready to ride.  He had some long hairs, so I pulled his mane.  As he pulled his head up (not a rear, but a "hey that's annoying") the entire hitching post pulled out.  I ducked as this metal thing came out of the ground and over my head.  My horse backed up and dragged it a good 30 yard before someone cut him loose.  It took 4 men to pick it up and move it.

Needless to say, this freaked both of us out.  If that thing hit me, I wouldn't be writing this.  It took me a week to get him used to the lead line again - that scared him.  I still cannot tie him - at a post or even in cross ties.

I spent an hour coaxing him into a cross tie area with a bucket of carrots.  I have to walk him with a whip in my hand, because everytime we approach the area, he leg locks on me.  I tap his rear and we continue forward.

Today I thought it may be better to find a complete new spot to tack up.  When we got near the hitching posts he started shaking.

He got lots of peppermints and carrots.  Even if I wrap the lead line around a pole, that tension freaks him out and he starts backing up.  I can only groom him with the lead line in my hand or over his neck.

This is a new barn - we have only been here a month.  Prior to that we were at a very quite barn and for 4 months he cross tied without incident.  Prior to that, I had him tied on a pole for a year.

How long will this take?  Will he EVER be able to be tied again?

Answer
Hi Lisa!

Oh, bother!!!  I'm SO sorry this happened.  Sigh...Fixing this and getting him to trust again will just have to take the time it takes.  Horses are SMART.  He won't want to be in any situation that he thinks will kill him again.  You will really have to step up your game as a leader to get this guy to trust you again.  

Ground work is going to be critical for the both of you.  Feeding him is not going to prove to him that you are a leader he can trust.  Remember, the ESSENTIAL NATURE of the horse is to preserve itself in MIND, BODY and SPIRIT.  It is this essential nature that the true horseman tries to use and not fight.  You got into a pretty good wreck.  Hopefully you learned some really good lessons here.  This is how we become experienced horsewomen, you make mistakes and exercise bad judgment, that leads to lessons and experience and then pretty soon GOOD judgment.  I'm pretty darn sure you won't be making those mistakes again.  This is how we learn and believe me, you are not the first nor will you be the last to make these kinds of mistakes.  Just swallow hard and get to work.

Go back to the beginning and really get your ground work solid.  Get to the feet and show him how to come off of pressure. The fact that he hit resistance, even if you were doing something that hurt him, and pulled back SO hard as to tear the hitching post out of the ground, tells me that your ground work is really lacking.  You need to work on your feel as well.  I'm pretty sure you do not use the classical ground school that I use and was taught to me by my teachers.  It was important before your wreck and now it is critical.  Watch the ground work DVD by Buck Brannaman.  It will show you all of the elements of the ground work I'm talking about.  There is a lot to it and much more than what I can explain here.  When you can get to your horses feet and he knows how to come off the pressure and yield his hind quarters, then this, yielding the hind quarters, becomes his solution to pressure and NOT pulling back.  You should be able to "tie" him to a paper cup and have him stand.  He should follow the FEEL of the weight of the lead rope.  Again, watch the DVD.  I have written how to yield hind quarters in past answers here.  They are quiet long and detailed, please look them up.  

I know I have used terms and concepts that you are not familiar with, so watch the DVD and then write me back and we can talk more about this.  I'm glad you are both still here.  You were VERY, VERY lucky and so was your horse.  Oh, I almost forgot the most important thing, try, really work at letting go of this trauma.  Your horse can feel it.  Just make the commitment to let it go and approach your horse as if this had never happened.  It is a tall order I know, but you have to.  Get your ground work going, get control of his feet, know how to drive him forward  and then yield the hinds, this is how you will get him where you need him to be with out getting into a tug o war with the lead rope.  That will only create another brace that you will eventually have to fix.  

There is a silver lining here Lisa...you are having to really learn and master a new level of horsemanship that you may not have had to do if the wreck had not happened.  Blessings sometimes come in strange packages.

Denise