Fear is Not a Training Issue

Muzzle caught on wire

Many horses are afraid of being tied. This is not strictly a training issue. It is a fear of being trapped, terrifying for a prey animal. Brandy came with a traumatic history and many fears, but she seemed ok being tied until the night the clip on her muzzle halter caught on a wire and she was trapped until the leather headstall broke.

Brandy's muzzle

The halter clip was inadvertently turn outward, enabling it to catch on the fence wire, something that can also happen with a halter without a muzzle.
The next day, while tied for the farrier, she pulled back and broke her halter - after standing tied for him for 8 years.

Solution 1: Don't Tie

Since I had told my farrier about the muzzle, he understood exactly what had happened, and knew not to re-tie her. This is how she stood while he finished her hooves. She didn't need to move because she knew she could. If I tried to "re-train" her to tie by forcibly restraining her, I would re-trigger the fear of being trapped over and over, intensifying the fear and demolishing her trust in me. Imagine if someone restrained you and then exposed you to something that frightened you! Doing this to a horse risks one of two ugly outcomes. Either the terrified horse fights until someone gets seriously hurt. Or he gives up and goes into a state of "learned helplessness", which is not only inhumane but dangerous because fear reactions can be unpredictable. Solution 2: For Horses Who Need to Be Tied We cannot train away fear, but we can teach skills that make being tied less frightening. All horses should be taught these skills before being tied. Many horses with tying problems were not taught these skills. 1. Stand still not tied.
2. Yield to light pressure, especially on the halter. This is an essential, potentially life-saving, skill for all horses.
3. Become accustomed to potentially spooking things in their environment so they are less likely to feel the need to escape. Warwick Schiller demonstrates in this video. Play Video Equine behaviorist Lauren Fraser recommends the same approach Warwick does, and explains why it works so well. She also includes a fourth step in the rehabilitation process.
4. Make standing still and being tied a pleasant experience. You can use treats, scratching, massage, brushing, just hanging out together, whatever your horse's body language says he really, really likes. She emphasizes the importance of NOT tying while re-training is in progress, because each new incident of feeling trapped increases a horse's fear. Both she and Warwick recommend using a Blocker Tie Ring or similar device that allows some give if a horse does pull. Lauren's Article

Brandy Not Tied for a Bath

Brandy already reliably stands still on cue, and yields to light pressure. Her Horse Agility training provided lots of positive desensitizing. Now, the more experiences she has in "tie" situations without feeling trapped, the more chances she has to overcome the fear, so she can feel safe being tied in the future. Since we have perimeter fencing, and Brandy doesn't travel, there is no rush to resume tying her. Prey animals are supposed to remember scary things. It's how their ancestors survived. The earlier something scary happens, the longer lasting the impression is likely to be. If a horse has already had lots of good experiences with something, then one scary incident is more likely overcome. Most "bad" behavior comes from pain or fear. Or fear of pain. When we show a horse that we respect his fear, we earn his trust and willing cooperation. That gets the best reliability in the long run.