Interactive lesson

Tack and harness, step by step

Interactive lesson: headcollar and leading, tying up, collar and pack saddle, bits, parts of the harness, safe putting to and tack care.

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The whole lesson as text

1. Headcollar and leading

A horse that leads calmly and stands tied is half a trained horse.

A headcollar that fits — The noseband sits two fingers below the cheekbone, with two fingers' room between the strap and the cheek. A headcollar that is too low hinders breathing.
Headcollar in the field — In the field a horse wears a headcollar only if it has a breakaway part that snaps under a strong pull. A headcollar caught on a fence is a common cause of a broken neck.
At the left shoulder — Walk beside the horse's left (near) shoulder, not in front or behind. Hold the rope in your right hand 20–30 cm from the headcollar.
Spare rope in folds — Hold the spare rope in your left hand, in folds, never wrapped round your hand. Turn the horse away from you, so it doesn't step on your foot.

Why: Leading is learnt first and must be reliable before any work. Every animal has its own headcollar and lead rope, in its size.

A lead rope is 2.5–3 m (8–10 ft), thick and soft, with a clip that opens under load (panic snap).
When the horse stops, you stop.

2. Tying up

A horse is tied short, high and to something that can't move.

A solid post — Tie to a solid post or ring, never to a fence rail, a gate or a cart that can move.
High and short — At the horse's eye level or higher, and short: 50–70 cm of rope from ring to headcollar.
Knot and twine — A quick-release knot comes undone with one pull of the free end. Between the ring and the rope, tie a loop of thin baling twine that breaks: better the twine than the horse's neck.
Never by the reins — A horse tied by the reins or bit breaks its jaw or tears its mouth when it pulls back. A tied horse stands under supervision.

Why: A horse that pulls back pulls with all its strength. A fence rail, a gate or a cart then gives way, and a long rope means a leg over the rope.

A horse that learns to "break free" needs retraining, but it is alive.
A tied horse isn't left for hours, and never alone in a cart.