Round up a couple of stray tennis balls for an easy, sensible method to improve your cross-ties. While cross-tied, some horses tilt their heads and grab the tie behind the snap and chew on the rope. Another problem with crossties, especially if the snaps are large, comes when the ties are unsnapped from the halter rings and dropped. If the snaps hit the base of the wall, they make a loud sound that startles some horses.
These problems can be cured with tennis balls, one for each tie. With a small, sharp knife, carefully cut one slit or a cross shape on two opposite sides of each tennis ball and slip the end of the rope that doesn’t have a snap through the slits. Make the slits just long enough to work the rope through then slide them up the rope to the base of the snap. If the holes are small enough, the ball will stay in place. You can insert the snap end first, but be careful not to make the cuts in the tennis balls too wide or the ball won?t stay secure.
