To saddle a tied horse or not?

Garrett asked me "if it's a good idea or bad idea to tie up        horses when saddling them, and if I tie them do I suggest hard tying them or use one of my Functional Tie Rings?" I can't remember the last time when I saddled a horse hard tied to a       tie rail or D ring on outside of a trailer. Having horses tied     when saddling is useful as some horses, especially younger horses will move their back ends around and having the horse secured makes it easier to put them back into position.    Sometimes I have just looped the lead rope over a tie rail, but most of the time I just use my Functional Tie Rings, because      it's easy and safe for me and the horse if he pulls back. But I       do not tie horses if they do not have an understanding of    yielding to pressure.

You never see a good hand saddle a colt for the first few times having tied that horse up. And I know old cowboys who never tie a horse when saddling. You have to be pretty sure about that horse staying ground tied to do that, especially when in a pasture where that horse could spook and bolt. In fact, one of my buddy's had a young Arab, he was putting miles on to eventually ride him in endurance races, and his horse spooked while saddling without being tied. That Arab took off and it took my friend a half a day to catch that horse.

The horse in the photo at top right, Hays, is fairly new having just been on the ranch for the past 7 weeks. I'll be writing more on him in the coming months but when I got him he did not give to pressure, instead pulling back and rearing up when he felt the pressure of the halter on his poll. I was warned that he did not trailer well, and he did pull back and rear when I tried to lead him into the trailer the first time. I worked him for a few minutes on giving to pressure and got him to step into the trailer. After a 10 hour trailer ride home, the first thing I did when I unloaded him was work with him for a short time, handling his feet and trying to give him a beginning understanding of giving to pressure. Again, all horses have to have that understanding before you tie them, with or without any type of tie ring.

In the photo you see the lead rope laying on the ground and Hays is ground tying well. However, this is a temporary position. I tell riders in my clinics to consider this a neutral position like the gear shift in your car. The horse learns neutral, when there is no pressure or no feel on his lead or reins, and learns that this is a rest position for him. In my ground work as I try to give the horse an understanding of feel in the lead rope and connect that lead rope to his feet, I'll get the horse to move his feet based on that feel which he sorts out from the different angles. I get the horse to back up on the feel and when he is good with that, and comes forward on feel, then he can understand the lack of feel, or the neutral position, and stayed ground tied.

Once a horse backs up really well on the feel of the lead, you can let him back up until the lead rope goes taunt which increases pressure on the poll, and once the horse is good about giving to pressure, he'll stop backing and shift his weight forward or take a step forward to alleviate that pressure - now he is giving to pressure and can be tied. On Hays, I have been saddling him without tying him just to give him more experience in staying ground tied, because as he becomes good at this he'll also be good at understanding the feel of the lead rope or reins from the different angles I present to him to direct his feet.

I suggest in the beginning try grooming a horse or picking up his feet while holding onto the lead line, either in your hand or the end in the crook on your arm. Much like you would do when working with a horse to get comfortable with picking his feet up in the beginning. You'll get better about moving around and managing the lead rope so it doesn't wrap around your or the horse's legs, so you can later saddle him by holding onto the lead as a fail safe.

But all horse's need to be able to be tied (as well as stand ground tied). If I'm using a Functional Tie Ring and I have to leave the immediate area, I'll put a half hitch in the open end of the lead, just to ensure he doesn't walk off when I'm gone. I have seen many riders attending the clinics that won't leave their horse' tied. Some will say he just doesn't tie well. When I suggest we work on that, often I'll be told that their horse just doesn't like being tied. Well, horses are predisposed to not like a lot of things we do with them until we present it in a way they can understand.  If hey never get a release, then they can't begin to understand.