Tying up during the day and patience

[Rod]

I am thinking about tying my mule up with her harness on and in her stall during the day letting her free in her yard at night. This is something I learned at the first DAP field days during a round table discussion as a way to increase the animals usefulness since they will essentially be ready to go during the working day with a minimum of preparation.
That is the main reason I want to try this but wondered also if this might also increase her patience. Right now when she is tied up or at rest during a working situation she becomes impatient and does a lot of pawing which is distracting and causes me to get anxious and to hurry up (just what she wants). Any thoughts are appreciated.

[LStone]

I don’t see a problem with it. I do it if I find it necessary.

[mitchmaine]

hey rod, i tired that a while ago with a pair of mares i had that liked to go. i tried harnessing them up and cross tying them side by side on the barn floor in the shade with the doors open, and drove off for a couple hours and did it for a couple of days.
it worked really good. they stood good and didn’t have the same snap as before.
i think they associated being harnessed with work, and that meant “go”. harnessing them and letting them stand got them off it. mitch

[J-L]

It’s an excellent idea. I have done it with many of them and even had a very nervous team that I went a step further with.
They were pretty unruly and a little barn sour, also wouldn’t stand at gates or in the stackyards, etc. What I did was to back them up to a good, solid brace in my fence by the corral and chain the back axle of my haywagon to the brace (making sure the chain wouldn’t come undone and my equipment was in good shape) and let them stand, hitched to the wagon. They nervously swept that tongue back and forth for a few hours. I kept an eye on them and when they decided to stand patiently, I’d go unharness them. They received this treatment daily for better than a week and eventually got to be good at standing.
I agree whole heartedly with the idea of having the team you’re using harnessed much of the time. I do this right at morning chores much of the time and if/when the situation arises when you can either use the team or a tractor it makes the team a viable choice as they are already harnessed.

[jac]

Yes I do that as well. Its interesting that they stand really quiet when harnessed but if tied bare they swing around and paw and such like.. like they get into work mode and are glad to stand in “park”…
John

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