I am a great proponent for tying horses out until they become quiet and patient. My favorite tying place is a nylon rope with a big swivel bull snap hung down from a big tree limb. I want the rope to be about long enough for the snap to reach just below the height of the horse’s withers.

I tie my horses out until I can just tie them out any time and they just stand there, hind leg cocked and completely relaxed. It may take one 5 or 6 hour day or it may take several days, but I won’t ride them or try to teach them anything else until they can be tied up and are completely relaxed.

I completely ignore them and I never put feed out for them. If it is hot, I will offer them water once or twice. If they don’t drink, I don’t worry about it.

I’ve had them dig holes that had to be filled up with the tractor and front-end loader every night. I’ve had them dig holes that were so deep they were standing on their tiptoes with no slack in the rope. But, you know what? A couple of days later, they had all learned to stand quietly and relax when they were tied up. They tailored better and they trained better.

Over the years, I have gotten to where I don’t even try to train on a horse that is fidgeting and fussing when they are brought out and tied up. I’ll just leave them tied up somewhere and ride a different horse until they get their mind straight. They learn so much more and so much quicker if they are settled. If they are all nervous and fussy, it will carry over into the riding session. You spend most of your time trying to get them settled down under saddle. Your training session will probably be fruitless and may even go backwards.

I don’t care if they are Arabians, TBs off of the track to a cow-bred colt. Their first lesson will be to stand tied quietly.