Tethering

[slinky]

The grazing here is far to lush for the ginger one. (Shetland)
He always wears a muzzle, is strip grazed and is coming in for most of the day.
The problem is that he hates being in.
I'm contemplating tethering him by the house (where I can see him)
I've never been a particular fan of tethering, so experiences good and bad would be helpful. ;D

[haffyfan]

It's a bit of a taboo subject isn't it...it seems to be reserved for travellers. On the way into mansfild there are lots of horses tethered on land, I must admit I look at them and think how lucky my boys are but to be fair they look healthy, the tethers are moved about, they always have hay in winter I guess it's jsut a different way of keeping them that I am not used to.

Could you not electric fence him a pen either in the field or around his stable so he can potter about still? When Murph had lami he refused to stable even though we put him in shelter to be near Harry so with vets blessing (he was doing himself more damage kicking/climbing out) we made him a smallish pen around the shelter and he was content themn to shuffle around. It was being locked in he didn't like and when he could choose he was quite happy to be inside knowing he could go out at any point.

[duckles]

I've never done and can't see myself ever doing it. I always worry about legs being caught and entwined etc. I have seen it done and not only by travellers. Sometimes in common areas (which are unfenced) . Haffy's suggestion about the pen sounds good

[racaille]

This is obviously a cultural thing as tethering is something that is taught here. If you set off, for example, leading 10 horses on a week-long rando, you're going to have to tether sometimes - you won't always get paddocks/boxes/stalls. We are taught to tie a high line with loops knotted in at certain intervals and then the horses are tied relatively short to that, pretty much as you see in cowboy films. Even when the horses are feeding their individual ropes are tied just so that the horse can get its head down to eat, but no more. It has to be said, though, that we are talking about horses who know the drill (and each other). I wouldn't do it to a flighty TB.
I tether my shetland in a different way. So that he can make the most of the grass that is springing up in all the 'abandoned' fields around my house, I tie him on a seven metre rope attached to a headcollar. I've watched him a lot and he seems to have the knack of stepping over the rope if it touches his feet, so he has never become entangled. Touch wood. Shets are canny creatures - or Triangle is! But I never leave him for more than a couple of hours. I don't feel bad about it - the trade is that he is getting grass that he wouldn't otherwise get - it's not my land and while no one minds a shet tied up in different places every day I think it would be a different matter if I started fencing it! (Although I do know someone who flings up leccy fences all over the place, on any old piece of land, for a few weeks at a time. I haven't quite got the balls!)

[slinky]

He is on stripped grazing with an equally fat Highland.
I was thinking more along the lines of, during the day. I've got a pit of a grassy patch by the house, so I could see him all day. Then turn him out with the Highland at night.

Nice to hear there aren't any recent horror stories about tethering.

I do have the odd pair of huge hooped earings, so maybe I'm a gypsy after all. ;D ;D

[scattymare]

Never done it but I suppose as long as you're confident he wouldnt get spooked and tangled then couldnt see too much harm. Particularly if you can see him.

[Jen]

the first winter we had blossom i had to tether her and she never came to any harm at all. i moved her round regularly it just looked like loads of crop circles in the field!!

jen xx