If you’d like to see how I make my tire pedestals, I’ve added a few photos to my previous post, Tires and the Power of Choice. As far as the tire size, I really like 48 inches wide. It gives the horse plenty of room to negotiate and I think it adds to the stability. The only drawback is that tires that wide often have tall sides, which is why I bury them a few inches. Burying them also enhances the stability.
Should you decide to build your own, please build at your own risk. I don’t sell the tires or the plans. I only offer the photos as an example of what I’ve built and what has been working for me.
As with all things equine and their inherent risks of potential for injury to horse and human, the exercises and examples of the things I do with my horses on the tires fall into the category, Try at your own risk.
When I work with my horses on their pedestals, they are at liberty. They are not attached to leads or restraints. My horses also have a solid understanding of attraction based communication and my cues.
Because I invite them to participate, they’re more free to be relaxed and find their balance and footing without tension. If they are not relaxed or are forced to climb, either by being pulled or tapped from behind, the potential for loosing their balance increases. Having a horse fall off of a tire or fall on me is not one of my goals for this type of training!
My goals are to foster as many ways as possible to work with my horses in an atmosphere of attraction. The tires have proven to be a fun an inexpensive tool that I really enjoy, and I think my horses do too.
-cw
I Feel Good, My Horse Feels Good 