Highlining

One of the common methods of tying out goats is to highline them. This is basically tying a line taught between 2 trees, about 6 feet high. (High enough so that the goats won't mess with it.) Then tie leads to the first line. The leads should be far enough apart so that the goats can't twist their leads up and get tangled. They need to be long enough so that the goat can easily lay down.

I use a no-knot, also known as a tensionless hitch to tie the rope to the trees. This is a hitch commonly used in rope rescue, because knots reduce the strength of the rope, but in this hitch there are no knots under tension. The friction against the tree is sufficient to hold the rope in place. The tensionless hitch is tied by wrapping the rope 3 or more times around a tree, then securing the tail. The tail end should be very loose, it shouldn't have any tension on it. If you have a slight bow in the rope in the tail end, you have done it right.

There are several reasons I like to use this method of tying to the trees.

• The tensionless hitch is probably the least damaging to the trees. (if your highline is causing damage to the trees, you need to consider using some sort of tree protection such as an old piece of carpet or fire hose)
• If the goats pull hard on the highline, there is no knot to get too tight to untie
• Since there is no tension on a knot, even when the goats are on the line, it's easy to tighten the rope up if it stretches.

Should you need to make an angle at a tree, in the middle of your line, simply wrap 3 times around the tree. This will keep the line secure on the tree, and prevent the goats from pulling back and forth and rubbing grooves into the bark of the tree.

For my drop leads, I use a narrower piece of rope. I use a girth hitch to attach it to the high-line. Some people use a prusik hitch, which is also a common hitch used in rope rescue. The Prusik hitch is used in rope rescue for it's ability to lock on the rope, when it's under tension, and the ease with which it will release and slide on the rope when it's not under tension. Since the goats don't contsantly hold tension against their leads, a prusik can come loose and slip.

I also always make sure I have a clasp that spins on both my drop lines, and the ties in my trailer. In fact, I use the same ties for both purposes. I clip the short trailer lines to the high-line drop lines when it's time to secure the goats for the day. When the goats aren't secured in the trailer they wear the drop lines on their collars with both ends clipped into their collar. This keeps them readily available if I ever need to tie them up.

More Info