I know that many people think that putting a chain over a horse’s nose is cruel. Well, you know what’s even crueler? Making someone walk your idiot horse in from the pasture when they are trying to jump on top of you, bite you, strike out, or otherwise dangerously misbehave!
A firm jerk on the nose chain effectively reminds a horse who’s calling the shots.
Although he is incredibly well mannered and trained, my horse can be a complete jerk at times. And here are two very important facts: he weighs over 1300 pounds, and he is a horse. When handling, this means a little nose chain “security” is okay. Every horse—I don’t care how docile you think your little angel is – can act like an idiot and at those times, a little extra restraint is very helpful.
There is nothing worse than a horse that has never had any discipline. Additionally, a horse that has been properly disciplined usually knows what achain over the nose means and you don’t even need to use it. This “discipline” doesn’t mean inflicting pain, causing bleeding, bruising, or any trauma at all. What this “discipline” does is simply remind the horse, “Hey, listen to ME!” A firm jerk on the chain effectively reminds a horse who’s calling the shots. Guess what? With nose chains, horses don’t even get hurt, and most importantly, neither does the person walking your horse.
I totally disagree. Nose chains are evil. If you want a true bond with your horse you must spend time with it, get to know your horse. If a horse has good manners you should never need discipline.
gaaaaaaaaaaaaay. If you want people to take you seriously, don’t talk about ‘bonding’ with your horse. That’s hippie sh*t. It’s all about respect.
Meghan they are not evil just like spanking your miss behaving kid is not evil all these do gooders have made the spanking illigal and look at the bloody hoodlooms that bully and miss behave due to banning of spanking and yes i have put the chain round my arm and jerked t it to see what it feels like
I just think if your horse needs a chain over it’s nose all the time then you need to work with it more. No horse should need a chain if its trained good. I would be horrified if I came out to the barn and saw someone walking my horse with a chain over her nose.
you dont have to jerk on it constantly lady you just use it as a discipline plenty of times whiole working at various stables i’d get my ribs hung up on the gate while some one elses hortse would charge the gate to get to pasture needless to say My health or horse having chain on nose well heyl;l yeah the horse was always lead with a chain over it’s nose
I completely agree. If you need to use a chain over the nose to keep yourself safe, fine. but eventually, you should be able to wean yourself away from the chain. My horse goes fine in a rope halter. Did he have good ground manners to begin with? no. Was it easy to teach him (and enforce) those manners? yes! it took about two-three weeks.
LOL!!! I work at a barn and we put chains on the stupid horses all the time. Its not because they aren’t well trained, some horses just know its time to go inside and eat or their friend is inside so they are in a big hurry to get to the barn and will walk all over you to get there. I am a big chain user and never think its mean I just don’t want to get trampled.
Kat1ek1nz,
Maybe someone should put a chain around you. the kind of statements in your post makes me think that you shouldn’t be near horses. Your comment about “stupid horses” shows me that you don’t know how to handle or train horses and only see them as stupid beasts of burden. Do us all a favor and do something else for a living; preferably something that doesn’t involve dealing with animals or human beings.
i actually tried it on my arm to see how it feels and as uncomfortable as it was it was a deterrent from pulling or jerking whom ever was on the end of the lead
Nose chains if used properly – aka only when needed do you pull and only a quick pull- are perfectly harmless. You are reminding the horse quickly and effectively that you are still there and still working. Horses just like people sometimes need discipline. If a person or horse never gets discipline, it generally causes bigger problems than not. I do not approve of the use of nose chains with horses that do not need them, but if they do I understand. Most people who think they are evil usually have simply never been around a horse that needs one or have seen them used improperly. Horses do not become headshy, hurt, or upset if chains are used appropraitely and on horses that need them.
To rebutt further the few above, the article seems to be specifically speaking about stablehands/managers having to handle horses at equestrian boarding stables or centers – not their owners. Having worked as a stablehand at quite a few stables, I understand this policy as you generally are required to work long hard hours which include handling several horses during the course of the day. Some horses – well-trained or not – get rather excited, aggressive, agitated, just crazy, etc. during feeding and/or turn out. This is dangerous to both the horse, horses possibly around it, people possibly around and the worker. It is a safety thing for all involved.
Discipline is for safety purposes with horses and others around the horse.
Excellent points – Safety for the horse AND the handler are paramount. Reminders to behave are never cruel if you are protecting the animal from harm.
I agree that occasional use of a nose chain used properly on horses who need it is okay. I struggled for almost a year with my mare who while I was deployed suddenly decided that she would no longer load in the trailer, any trailer, at any time.
I tried everything in the book to get this mare to load. What finally did it? A nose chain. We take a short walk before loading. We walk, and halt. If she doesn’t halt when I ask her she gets one small, quick jerk of the chain. After a few minutes of this my mare walks on to the trailer without a fuss.
My mare will actually relaxes in to near sleepiness when I put the chain on for loading as if she is reassured by it that I am in charge and she doesn’t have to worry about anything.
I also agree having dealt with other people’s ill trained and or aggressive horses. A chain can save you from injuries.
I agree one hundred percent. Not all horses are the same. Like children, some listen to kind words and obey and some don’t. If you’ve ever dealt with studs or racehorses and never/don’t use chains when necessary, you’re crazy and have a death wish.
I used to think nose chains were a sign of a poorly trained horse or over-horsed rider…. then I worked at the racetrack for a summer. In a professional context, when you’re dealing with horses that are high strung for one reason or another, it’s just a matter of safety. You have to watch the horse too. If it really scares or upsets them, obviously you’re over-reacting with a nose chain. But for all of the ones we used it on, they noticed it (and their handler) about as much as a fly on their withers.
My horse always gets turned out with a chain. My trainer even walks him with a chain. He isn’t bad with a chain on but if the chain isnt over his nose he drags you to eat grass. You never have to jerk on it or anything. I don’t think its mean, but some people at my barn have said that I should work on him being good without a chain.
I use a chain over my 7yr old TB geldings nose every single day going in or out. I rarely need to use it, however when he RAN me over day one getting off the trailer i decided that he needed a chain for a while. Now a days he knows better than to try to run mom over or he’ll get a swift kick to the bum. (once ive gotten up. I truly think the people who believe that you should never use a chain have horses that are dead to the world. Go buy a TB OTT and try doing daily activies with that horse without a chain ever and watch how fast you get hurt. They weigh 1,000 lbs and i weigh 120 – whose going to win that battle? Im pretty sure you’re not and the horse will. So should a chain be there for re inforcement when needed? YES
I always smile to myself when people come out with sweeping generalizations like “chains are evil.” That kind of statement reveals to me the lacking education and experience of the speaker. Try pinning down a top trainer (I mean a real national-level success story, not the “best” guy in your neighborhood) to get them to use the word “never” about ANY tool. It is ignorant to make declarations like “anyone who can’t do X doesn’t have a well-trained horse.” You would NOT want me to turn that same spotlight on your own education or child-rearing, beleive me.
I agree that the most beautiful performance and pleasure comes from a horse who is so trusting of you and so willing to do your bidding that he would follow you through a ring of fire. I understand the romantic fantasy “Natural Horseman-ish” proponents get caught up in. But horses are first animals, and animals obey what they respect. Just as you will never get true brilliance from a horse who is abused and forced into performing, neither will you get the maximum from a horse who thinks he runs the show, or has such apathy for his handler’s leadership skills than he disengages from the “game” of doing your bidding.
Probably the best way to explain how the OTTB people and the QH people don’t see eye to eye is to think about types of people you know and work with. When you are talking to an artist — brilliant but scatterbrained and constantly losing things — do you find yourself wanting to take shake them and say “STOP! FOCUS! CONCENTRATE on what I’m saying to you!” It’s frustrating with a human, but that kind of distraction is dangerous in a half-ton prey animal. This is a “horse” who you would always lead with a chain on and rarely use it. Likewise, would you expect the guy who tiled your kitchen to give you more than a two-word answer to the question, “How is your family?” This is a horse that needs a whip and spurs just to trail ride. Types of horse personalities are starkly delineated across breeds, but they run parallell to human personalities.
Just as we are attracted to different types of personalities in our own freinds and mates, we respond to different types of horse personalities. An easy-going person is going to find a flighty Arab or spooky warmblood completely intolerable and won’t put up with owning one or even want to board their own easy-going horse at a barn full of Arabs or warmbloods. We self-select our focus-areas in our training unless we actively try not to. Proud people like proud, showy horses and tend to be attracted to more horse than they can handle because they like being the center of attention (OK, if that hurt your feelings, it’s probably true. Take a breath and think about it.)
Certainly, using any tool against a horse that causes injury is to be avoided, but at the end of the day, human life comes first. There are instances in which a well-timed jab with the butt-end of a broom is appropriate, or with a truly aggressive, violent animal, a full-on smack with a whip or whatever you have to put between you and the 1,000+ lb animal attempting to kill you. Horses are immeasurably stronger, faster and dumber than humans, and by that I mean they have no moral judgement about thier actions. They cannot think “women and children first!” A mortally-frightened horse will mow down anything in its path to save itself. As caretakers and owners, we try our best to avoid our horses ever feeling like they are in mortal danger — but it happens.
Training a horse never stops — each time you or another handler lets the horse get away with something naughty, he learns that maybe next time it will work, too. The chain in the wrong hands can cause ugly damage to a horse’s face. Do not tie your horse to anything with a chain on its nose if at all avoidable. But catching a problem before it becomes a problem is where this tool is useful.
As to correct use of the chain, make sure it is adjusted so that your hands are on the rope/shank part. It is also important that the halter is adjusted close to the cheekbones so that the chain at rest cannot slide over the soft part of the nostrils – this can cause headshaking and general frustration to the horse. I reccomend a chain long enough to feed from the left ring, half-turn around the noseband, right ring and clip to the ring by the right eye, snap opening outwards. Your chain may not be long enough for this, in which case a full turn around the noseband keeps it from slipping too low on the nostrils. If you wrap too many times around the noseband, your release is not effective and the horse does not get his instant reward of release of pressure from submitting. Be very attentive when grazing a horse with a chain over his nose.
On a sidenote, covering the chain with Vetwrap for schooling makes it a bit stiffer and also rubs less hair off the nose if you really need to snap it. A trick I picked up from an Arabian Saddleseat trainer — and I’m a dressage/event rider who breeds Quarter Horse sport horses. The point being, keep an open mind and don’t get stuck thinking everything you don’t know yet is wrong.
Yeah I worked at a show/boarding barn once, every kind of horse, about 10 stallions, TBs off the track, other people’s horses that you didn’t work with and don’t have time to–you just have to move them from here to turnout–then extra reinforcement is safer than not. I always thought you were supposed to put a wrap over the top of the leather so the chain doesn’t come right on the nose bone first. I’ve seen some people run the chain with stallions through the mouth, but that seems a bit much.
Still I’d hate to think my personal horse that I taught to walk with me like a dog heeling–turn when I turn, stop when I stop, if I back up you back up–would need a chain. If he’s been taught to pay attention to the lead rope holder, he’s already not gawking around, calling out, pushing over you. If his attention’s wandering, stop and do some turns and backing up now to remind him he’s focused on you before you put him out or put him up. It’s also a great tool to teach him to give when he hits the end of the line when standing tied, instead of pulling harder as is his instinct. That has to be taught, but it’s a cool thing to see a horse (that say you’re hand grazing) trained to do it spook a little, hit the end of the line, say “oh” and immediately put his head down and slack the line.
BTW, I resent the “flighty Arab” remark . . . I am personal friends with and have met many, many very sensible, down-to-earth Arabians.
Chains are sometimes a good thing. I’ve had to bring in many horses from the pasture that were very energetic, and like to take off. I find that a sutle yank with a nose chain is good when you tring to keep them under control.
Every good horse needs a chain at least once in their lives.
Using a chain over the nose for punishment, I disagree with. But, a horse that is overly excited – I put a chain over the nose just in case. Hey, a horse is 1200 pounds of unpredictability, I say that even about my 22 year old retired hunter who doesn’t have a spook in him! You NEVER KNOW!
Every training method, handling secret, and gadget can be misused. A chain over a horses nose can be a very kind safety measure in one hand and an abusive control in another hand.
Use common sense people!
Can we sell common sense somewhere, we’d make a fortune!
I much prefer not to use a chain too, but, there are times when having a chain “just in case” can save your horse’s life – and possibly the lives of other horses/people as well.
Even a well trained horse can be overcome by the “fight or flight” reaction simply because they are horses, and that is an ancient instinct that is there and will always be there. It’s not being bad, it’s just being a horse.
And, as a passing thought, that’s what Natural Horsemanship is SUPPOSED to be about – understanding that horses are horses and training and handling accordingly.
I use a plain old rope halter on my Arabs. Actually…I used plain old rope halters before they became the “cool and new” thing to do. We used to make them ourselves. Two knots in the nose band and it works as well as any chain.
When I was at my last barn, part of my board was helping with feeding and turn out/in. There was a Dutch Warmblood stallion who could be a real pain in the butt, so I did always put the chain over his nose. I never tried the rope halter on him because he wasn’t my horse…but I bet it would have worked just as well.
When I worked ranches as a kid, we did the “two knot” trick on a lot of horses because we didn’t have any chains. It worked as well as a chain, especially if you let the halter drop low on the fleshy part of the nose. it works like a hackamore. All our halters we made ourselves from rope because it was cheap. We had “fancy” leather halters we bought from people at the track that we used when we went to rodeos or had to tie horses in a trailer because they looked nice and would snap if a horse fell down or freaked out.
how do you think that horse got manners? by someone singing sweet songs to him and stroking his face asking him to be nice? i doubt it! i worked for years on a breeding farm and working with babies to have the ground manners the horses you are buying takes work and dicipline…nothing comes easily. sorry for you, i hope andpray you always have a nice horse who will never test you. a chain does not mean you are evil, it means you have the upper hand on an animal that weighs 1,000 when you weigh roughly 100-150lbs? to say a chain is evil is extremely narrow minded
Nose chains can be a good thing, we have one horse at our barn, he has to have a nose chain, cauze he trys to kick you every single time you bring him in or out of the pasture.
Be the herd leader if it takes a chain to win the role so Be it.
Wow, guess you never met Spencer, a 17.1 big-dude that only required “the chain” when loading. Not that he wouldn’t load- but for the first couple of months I had him (sale horse) he would suddenly swing his head away then use the weight of his body to pull away from me (I’d be dangling on the end of a soft cotton lead). Enough’s enough. They’re too big to get away with that sorta nonsense. If they aren’t ALREADY trained or have developed bad ground manners along the way there’s gotta be a toolbox of remedies available to deal with the behavior. The chain is only evil if the human administering it uses it abusively. After a good day at a schooling dressage show (please, I couldn’t exude polish if I tried-I’m always dirty and disheveled) I decided to give the benefit of the doubt and load chainless. 5 minutes later I could be found the distance of a football field away from my truck & trailer. He had pulled the same trick and trotted (a nice medium trot) w/ me hanging on to the end of the lead, pleading for help from any the many onlookers who stared blankly…they might have been dq’s. On a happy note I refrained from exhibiting poor horsemanship, I added the chain, in he went and once he was sold (a few more months) he was self-loading w/ the lead swung over his withers- and H-NO, I don’t use the freaking orange sticks.
A firm jerk on the nose actually teaches a horse to pull back. You can test this theory by taking a friend and asking them to hold your hand, then give them a firm unexpected jerk and see how they react. They will brace themselves against you, just like a horse. It is never ok to jerk on a horse, not on a chain, not on the reins, not on a plain old lead rope…unless you want to teach the horse to throw up its head and pull back.
Why not teach the horse to lead rather than just covering up bad behavior with a quick fix that ultimately will result in a less responsive horse. A chain with no give doesn’t create softness in your horse.
chains -like a bit- can be dangerous and harmful in the wrong hands.
horses by nature will always be finding ways to be in a higher place in the hirachy than you . this can vary in different gestures some as small and ‘insignificant’ such as not stepping back when you enter a stable. or even to rearing and kicking out when you lead him. sometimes it does take a little extra to remind the horse that he cannot dominate you regardless of the amount of trust he has in you .
A nose chain is much like a dogs choker chain. It’s the extreme cases of people misusing the item that causes people to think these aids for a horse are cruel. This is how ever a proper way to use them.
Most people think a dogs choker chain is to (as the name implies) choke the dog. This is not the case. A proper used one is to “flick” the chain so it makes a sound that gains the dogs attention. It should never be used that it is pulled far enough to choke the dog or even begin to wrap firmly on the animals neck. This is also the same with a horses nose chain, it is not used to cause harm to the horse it is the noise they respond to. Some people how ever have not had the proper training to use these tools and use them in a hurtful manner to the animal. It is a item you use to quickly gain the horses focus back on you without any injury to either of you.
With enough training and patience the horse will soon adjust its behavior and you can wean them off the nose chain.
I Think nose chanes are fine when my hore dusent lisen wich is rare but some times she dus ones you pot a nose chane on her she nows what it is and stops being a jerk and if you skard of your horse and lut it do what it wonts its going to woc all over you and act like its the bouse i no some one how had a stud a he is a nasty horse becouse when he was yung some one abuzed him and dident properle care for him so she resqued him and becouse of his blud lines she kept him a stud but one day one of the mares was in het and she was poting him out in the round pen and he could smell the mare and he terned around and bit her throw fore sets of clows and becouse he had the nose chane on she was aboul to pull him back before he bit more into her skin. Thats one rezan i like lip chans becouse if he wasent waring one she would have lost her arm she was lucky she onlly had to get stitches.
Cassia- You are so right……Kristine, can you post your feelings about riders using bits that are too harsh for their horse? This makes me nuts, seeing a nervous rider that opts for a skinny twist, or a Mikmar that they have no idea how to use…..You wonder why your horse is flailing his hard around? Oh yes, tightening that standing martingale will really help, why don’t you try cranking in the draw reins too while you’re at it.
Chains- I have used many a chain in my barn life….and dealing with the horse owners is rediculous. I had one woman who’s “Baby” Percheron/TB 3 year old took me right through a stall door and chain because she couldn’t be left in the barn without her next door buddy. If I took her out first the buddy would scream and kick our stalls down. I started using a Lip chain on her….man did I hear about it. When used PROPERLY this shoulnd’t be a problem and should only be used in exream situations. It’s not my horse, not my place to ‘train’ it to act properly….I just had to get it in and out of the barn safely. The horse left me with 8 stiches and a two fractured ribs. The horse owner wrote a complaint about me using a lip chain. The owner of the barn (also a well known hunter/jumper trainer) asked her to find another place to board:)
I’m probably going to get crap for bringing a lip chain into this blog……
Jessie
i totally agree that nose chains are necessary to keep a young or feisty horses respect! i learned a lot about groundwork this year and the chain helps when the 4- legger is too damn strong, it’s either that or get run over or hurt. my 2 year old behaves better than my 12 year old because of the time i put in on the ground working those manners by making them give to the nose pressure, now i barely have to use it! i love your blog, gotta have a sense of humor
erin from Black Cat Farm
I use a chain on my eighteen year old mare when we go to shows because her attitude goes from being a broken down old school horse to a two year old that wants to run wild and free. I weigh under a hundred pounds and if i did not use a chain on her i would be dragged around the show. I believe that chains when used properly are not evil but can be used kindly. I also know horses that have been mistreated with the chain, a young filly at our ranch was jerked by the chain so much that she came down to her knees and now she can not even have a chain attached to her lead rope without freaking out. If you use a chain though you should know how to use it and when enough is enough.
i dont like the way you put that horses can be sh*ts they act on their instincts but if you used the chain sensitively and with correct timing these could help a situation that would otherwise get serously out of hand because it means even though their fear is completely rational we wont get hurt.
i think you should just try having more empathy because you sound like an ignorant person who thinks horses are just trying to get one up all the time
Every horse (like all other animals) can have bad days where they don’t feel like behaving or they’re extra spooky one day, I get that. But I feel that if a horse always requires corrective methods, then the owner/trainer should try to find and resolve the root of the problem instead of just using a harsh and temporary fix.
Fair enough if you have to handle other people’s horses. I don’t blame professionals in big yards for taking safety measures. But you can most definitely teach your own horse not to need this kind of handling. You just have to do it systematically, first teaching them to yield to halter pressure with no distractions and when they aren’t emotional, and then building up the distractions carefully and steadily so the horse is never out of its depth. Eventually the right behaviour becomes so ingrained that you get it even when the horse is highly emotional. Of course this takes time and a good knowledge of learning theory, plus the ability to control your own emotions and thoughts about what the horse “should” be doing. It is so much easier to just stick a chain on the horse.
Why would someone put a closet rod sized stick up a horses nose?
I saw this once. Is it a training method?
saw this last year
Just as some human kids need a bit of tough love held over their heads, so some horses just need a basic understanding of what CAN happen if they’re being an a**. I love my stallion, he is a lamb and would not intentionally hurt a fly. However, he is a stallion. There is ALWAYS a chain over his nose – not tight, but it’s there. All I need to do before leading him out of his stall is lightly jingle it and say “manners”. He drops his nose to my knee and walks beside me like a gentleman. If he misbehaves, he gets a firmer not-so-jingle and a louder “manners”. There is no second chance – the next correction is loud, immediate and firm. It lasts two seconds but makes the point. The chain IS involved, however briefly. He is a stallion; he weighs 1200 lbs. He has a sex drive and could kill me if I got in the way, although he has always been a gentleman. Still, why would I take the chance? I don’t want him to even think of the possibility of having the top hand. I don’t care if it’sa stallion, mare or gelding – if the potential is there, better to use a chain and nip the problem in the bud than to end up in the hospital. BTW, my barn manager is also fully authorized to put the chain through his mouth, because she leads him past the broodmares when she turns him out. And he is STILL a lamb and is still gentle as can be. Yay for chains.