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Tuesday, January 04, 2022

Benefits of an overhead tree tie

Tie up High

I don't recall where I first got the idea... probably looking at something about tying horses to a highline for horse camping.  But after first using the overhead line (a rope strung between two trees, with a tie coming off it), I then found a nice big shade tree with an appropriate branch coming far enough out from the tree to tie the line to that.  The branch acts as a spring to take any force if the horse hits the end of the rope due to spooking or acting up. 

Similar to snubbing for despooking... lets a horse move it's feet, but cannot run away.  

Horse Tying Safety

If the horse actually throws a fit and rears and starts to fall, the branch actually acts as a spring to absorb to shock, and frequently bounces horse back to it's feet.  An important safety tip here... if the horse freaks out at something, just step back and let them sort it out for themselves.  Don't stand where you could get stepped on or tangled in the rope.  It's also always wise to have a knife handy in a few locations where you have livestock and ropes.... I knife can saw through a rope under tension quicker than anything can cut it.


Something that is more or less the same is known as a "Patience Pole".... not sure where the concept first came from, but it has the same advantages of any other overhead tie. The horse can safely stand tied without much risk of injury, even if they are dancing around with impatience or spooked by something.

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