Highlining

[Taffy]

Do you prefer to highline with a halter or collar and why?

[Nanno]

I would never highline in a halter. It would be too easy for the goat to get twisted up in it and hurt their neck. I only use halters for leading and for tying up short--like when I'm trimming hooves or when they're riding in the truck bed. For any kind of tethering I use a collar and either a chain or a rope that has a swivel snap at both ends so it can't twist.

[Taffy]

I would have thought a halter would be better because of the chocking hazzard with a collar. I like the idea of a swivel at both ends so the rope/chain they are attached to doesn't get twisted into a mess.

[Nanno]

There is somewhat less choking hazard with a halter, but there's a lot more danger of injuring the neck because of the leverage a halter can exert on the head (this is what makes it such an effective tool for leading and restraint). Even on a high or low line, a tethered goat has enough slack to forage a bit and to lie down comfortably. This means he also has enough slack to put a fair bit of force on the rope when he hits the end in a panic situation. A halter will cause his head to suddenly snap back or jerk sideways, which could break his neck or at least injure the vertebrae. The worst that is likely to happen with a collar is that he will get a bruised windpipe.

[hihobaron]

Hello All
RE: Halters verses Collars. and High lining.
Here is what I am looking at in my part of the country. (East Coast)
I am not going to picket Pete and Sam, They are good with it especially in open ground. On Collars.
But I can see not a hazard to the goats but a tripping hazard with the stake out lines. For the City Folk.
My first "Target" overnight camp will be Paris Mountain North Lake Greenville SC.
A City Folk State Park. No long trails and the "primitive sites" (5) are geared to Mountain bikers/Entry level Back Packers. That is fine for me, I fall in the Entry Level Goat Packing Category.
High Line with out seeing what there is to tie off to, I am concerned about Cloths Lining a biker cutting through camp. Non-Camping type Mountain Biker.
Walk through hikers I am not worried about total Trail Round Trip into North Lake from parking area 5 miles.
I am planning a "Scouting" walk through, call it a training mission to recon the site and trails soon, with the boys.
From the discussion above I will use collar's for tie out. "High Line"
Only have one goat halter anyway.
If I am lucky by the time I do the recon, I'll have a couple soft packs on both of them, No real weight but just to get them used to the packs on their sides.
One More Question:
Opinions / Benefits of "Chain" collars verses Web or leather dog collars?
All ideas are welcome.
Thanks to all
Happy Trails
hihobaron Pet and Sam

[IdahoNancy]

Have always used a collar to tie a goat. If using a picket, which I like, rope needs to be large bore and slightly stiff so it cannot easily strangle a leg. High lining can be tough if the tie off points are not where you need them. With the high-line there is a concern of strangling trees. In Wyoming you have to protect the tree from the rope. This likely came about from high-lining several horses at a time on one rope. Seems a bit odd to me but they take it seriously.

[Nanno]

After doing it a few times, I much prefer low-lining. You don't need trees to low line since you can stretch the rope between two picket pins, rocks, stumps, or whatever. The goats can't scratch their horns on a low line, and it also gives them a little more reach to the surrounding foliage.

[GPW]

I've done highlineing with halters and collars and yes it seems that they tend to "yard" against the halters but the collors they just seem to lean into ito get that barely out of reach peace of grass or fir tree branch. Never tried lowlining but I would like to give it a try this year on the trail.

[hihobaron]

Hello All and thanks for the ideas.
To Nanno:
For some reason (Probably my horse background) to me the term "Low Lining" means putting up a picket line about chest high on a horse and tying off like you would to a hitching rail.
Your adept description of "Goat World" low line took me by surprise, I can see it as a better application for my boys.
Of course the conditions I find on the first trip to Paris Mountain "Walk through" will control what I do there for the boys. Paris Mountain will be my real testing grounds, there are other places closer to me but I want to see the City Folks reactions to the boys and get them used to working around different people in a public situation.
Well enough for now.
I'll have a surprise for ya'll later today (I hope) and some pictures.
hihbaron Pete and Sam

[Nanno]

With goats, "low lining" means stretching the rope right along the ground. That way it's not such a trip hazard. I like to tie butterfly knots at about 12' intervals and hook a six-foot lead into each one. This way the goats all have a decent distance to browse but can't tangle around each other. A swivel snap at each end helps avoid rope twisting problems.