Barrels and poles question?

My gelding uses a tiedown when I run him because sometimes coming off a turn, or going into a turn when I cue him to rate he will raise his head a little and it will throw him off. So the tiedown helps him balance himself into the turn etc.

You definatly do not need a tiedown to do the sport. Its individual horses that may require the tiedown. A gelding I used to run uses a tiedown because going into the gate he'd raise his head and take off with you into the gate and you'd have no control.

But if your horse doesn't need one, don't use it.

I'd rather put a horse in a bonnet if they're a head tosser. A nose rooter gets a tie down.

Not all barrel racers use them. Some have them on there just for more bling and they are so loose that they're practically useless. Others use them for horses who balance hard on their front end. Others still use them to compensate for their hard hands (not the right thing to do, but not my horse and not my problem). Some people put them on there because that's "what barrel racers do."

I personally don't use one. I'd rather solve the issue of why they toss their head in my slow work than keep them in one permanently. A horse that grabs the bit I'll stick in a chain mouth (NOT a mule mouth!) so there's nothing to grab.

None of my horses use a tie down on any of the games, but I have used them during training as needed for horses being re-patterned or while re-training some head tossers, but I gradually loosen it as we solve the problem until one day I take it off and we don't look back.

It keeps horses from flipping their heads up and holds the head down. And not ALL barrel racers and pole benders use them...if you go to more places there are only about 20 percent of the racers using them.

And you do NOT need to use a Tie-Down, they obviously don't know what they are talking about. The only horse of mine that use Tie-Downs is my mare and she was ran in one her entire life and I only use it on her when she runs.

Whoever told you that was full of ****...

Most people who use them have not trained their horses properly. People like that give those horses a bad rep. Like they are all insane and don't know anything but barrel/poles. It makes me sick.

That said, there are some situations that they are useful but they are few and far between, for the most part, they are over used.IMO

I run barrels, don't need one, and I have lots of friends who are pro and none of them use a tie down.