One challenge you might face in ranch trail is ground tying. Cody Crow breaks down what a +1 score looks like for this maneuver and explains the proper way to handle your reins when riding with romal reins.
Crow, a Ride TV coach, will demonstrate how to set your horse up for success when asking him to ground tie. You’ll also learn some basic drills to practice this skill at home.
Basics of Ground Tying
“What judges are really looking for, is that you can dismount your horse and go perform a task. Whether that is opening a gate, putting out a salt block…as long as you can reliably trust him to be waiting for you when you come back.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Penalty Breakdown
“If you ground tie and leave and your horse takes one or two steps, you might be given a penalty one. If your horse takes three or four steps, you get a penalty three. And, if he takes five or more steps, you’ll probably be given a penalty five, plus the judges will hit the maneuver pretty hard.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Romal Rein Placement and Practice
“I may just trot up here, stop, and then dismount. I like to pitch my romal rein up…I would never put my closed rein on the ground where they could walk off and put a foot through it. O,r ruin my expensive reins. The basic standard is to put your romal forward on his neck, wrap the tail around the horn, and show the pressure is off the bit.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
“I prefer to say whoa, then I just walk away and go do whatever I want to do. Walk around them, do whatever you need to do. The judges just want to know that your horse is going to stand there, be patient, and wait for you to come back to work.
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Re-Mounting
“When you get on, the penalties are similar. If I have to remount as part of my maneuver, and my horse walks off one or two steps, I get a penalty 1. If he takes three or four steps, I get a penalty 3, and more than that a penalty 5. Judges want to know the horse is going to patiently wait for me to remount.”
Tip: If you need a mounting block, one can be provided for you.
“I walk up, say whoa, and get on, and I want to know that my horse is going to stand there and wait for me.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
Stand Out for the Judges
Slowly walking away, looking back, or being hesitant is an average maneuver. It shows that you don’t fully trust your horse to ground tie. If you want to stand out to the judges, ground tie with confidence. “I want to see a horse that I can just drop and walk away with confidence. To me that’s an added degree of difficulty and the exhibitor obviously trusts their horse. So, for me that’s a plus 1 maneuver.”
▶️ Watch the full video lesson.
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[READ: More about Ranch Versatility]
