There are many situations in which ground tying a horse can be beneficial. The horse isn’t actually tied or fastened to the ground, ground tying simply means that the horse stands perfectly still, even though you have dropped the lead rope or reins and walked away. It is similar to the sit and stay command used for dogs.

To train a horse to ground tie, some people tie a rope to a heavy concrete block or metal weight, or even drive a heavy metal stake into the ground with a fastening ring on it so the horse cannot move, this works ok but it can be potentially dangerous should the horse panic and run off dragging a heavy weight which is likely to cause injury to the horse. An excellent alternative that works very well is just adding a 10lb sandbag to the end of the lead rope. A Yoga sandbag works perfect, they come with a zipper to add your own sand, dirt, or even grain to the bag, and are usually available in either cotton or nylon with a nylon handle which your lead rope can be easily attached. If you shop around on the web you can usually find them for around $10 or less.

Using a lightweight sandbag has some obvious advantages and benefits, it’s not likely to injure the horse if he runs off, the worst case scenario is your bag might get ruined, and the bag is just heavy enough if they attempt to walk off it will give a slight tug on the halter as a reminder which is usually enough for a horse that has already been properly halter trained . If a horse runs or walks off, most horses won’t like this bag following along and often will just stop on their own, some may get scared of the bag and panic, but they will eventually get tired and stop running and realize the bag won’t chase them anymore if they stand still.

Attach the sandbag to the end of a 6 to 8 foot lead rope and fasten the other end to the halter. Pick up the sand bag along with the lead rope and lead him around, ideally along side him with his head parallel or slightly behind you, he should NEVER be allowed to get ahead of you. Then drop the rope (and sand bag) to the ground, always make a habit of showing him the rope and practically throwing it to the ground, so he knows that you meant to put it there, and not just dropped it by accident. Then give the command “STAY”, and then walk a couple paces away.

Command the horse to “STAY”, then step back a few feet. If he stands still for a few moments, reward him with a pat on the neck or a treat. However, should he instead attempt to move or follow you, give a firm tug on the lead rope and say “STAY” again, then step back again. For now, just continue to step only a few feet away so you’re still within range to quickly correct him when he moves. Once you can get him standing still for a couple minutes at a time, then try gradually moving further away. When you’ve gotten to where you’re now more than 8 or 10 feet from him you’re no longer in range to quickly correct him by tugging on the lead rope, but hopefully by this point when he feels the slight tug caused by the sandbag he will stop and stand still. When tries to move or walk off when you’re at a distance, still yell out the command to “STAY”. If necessary, walk back up to him and place him back in the spot you want him to stand, and give a slight tug on the lead rope and give the command “STAY”, then walk away again. This process takes patience and time and every horse is different when it comes to learning, it make take daily sessions for a week or more. Your goal is to get him to eventually stand still when you drop the rope for at least 5 to 10 minutes while you walk completely away and do something else, such as even going off to retrieve some tack from the barn.

With enough training and persistence the horse will eventually stop and stand still as soon as you drop the lead rope or reins to the ground. If you found this article helpful you can find additional tips such as this at the Hitching Post, a site for Country Singles and country folks in general.

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