Halters

[Marsha Cassada]

I've never had much to do with rope halters, but I just ordered one from Parelli. A new miniature horse acquaintance is doing the Parelli course and I liked the look of her rope halter. So I'm going to give it a try. It should fit either of my horses. I will watch the youtube video about it a few times and try to use it correctly.

 

[Abby P]

Just make sure, if it comes with a big heavy snap on it, to remove that and attach the lead rope directly to the halter - rope on rope. The snaps will just swing around, muddy your communication, and smack the horse in the chin. The rope most likely has a loop on the end of it, you can just stick this through the bottom loops on the halter, then thread the popper end back through and tighten - it can't come off and will be a nice soft connection.

If it didn't come with a lead, then I have been very happy with the ropes I got from Horse Rope Connection. I have a rope halter, lead, and a set of long lines from them. I find 10' to be a nice length for hiking with a mini, gives you plenty of room to send them ahead of you or wherever you need them to be.

 

[Pitter Patter]

I have regular halters and rope halters. The nice thing about the rope halters is you can usually adjust fit better, they are usually lighter on the animal's face, and of course there is a bit more control. You can even make them yourself (UTube and Etsy have videos and how to information) so you could make several fairly cheaply. You can put no knots on up to 4 or 5, depending on pressure points, sensitivity. I have two ponies that are hard at times for me to control safely, but the rope halters seem to allow better communication. Just be sure to have a loose, easy touch because those knots probably don't feel very good with too much pressure. Mine know I'm serious when I pull out rope halters but they are not fearful of them. I use natural horsemanship methods and it is very helpful. I don't have to put pressure at all usually and they walk easily with me. If I use a regular halter I tend to get yanked around a bit when they want grass, etc. Do not tie out with them or use them in trailers or even leave them on unsupervised though because while they may stretch there is no break away.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Yes, I knew about not using them to tie out. I plan to use it for our walks and ground training.
The thing I really liked about this Parelli halter is the soft rope material. Most of the rope halters I've seen, the rope is rather stiff.
I like that your ponies recognize the rope halter as a work halter.

 

[Abby P]

Yeah, some of the big-horse stuff definitely doesn't scale well for minis - those soft rope halters are not so good for the big guys but are just right for the littles. A tiny halter made out of the same rope that's perfect for a big halter, it might as well be made of wire!

 

[ServiceMini]

I remember using rope halters on lots of various farm animals, I like them because they're lighter and softer than regular halters and the communication is clearer. It took less pressure to lead our goats and cows in a rope halter rather than a regular halter. And it may seem odd, but head halters for dogs have gotten popular and I've tried them out on my German Shepherd. She seems to prefer the rope style over even the thinnest strap halter, and vastly over a padded halter.

I have made a few halters already for Sodapop. Some with thicker rope, some with thinner rope to see what she prefers. I prefer making my own because you can customize them to your specific animal to get a perfect fit and for their individual needs.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Received my Parelli halter today and am excited to try it out. It is very soft and flexible. Will have to review on how to do the knot. Weather inclement right now so I'll have to wait a day or two.

 

[Kelly]

I’ve used sheep halters on my little boys from time to time because they were handy and available …. And OMG! Those were so easy to get on and off. The sheep are now residing at their new home, but I still have those halters!

 

[Susan]

I have some mini rope halters from Starpoint Horsemanship but they’re a bit large all around. Any tips you can give me for making them smaller?

 

[Abby P]

That doesn't actually look too big at all - you just need to slide the whole thing up higher on the head and make the crown piece tighter so that the throat piece is actually at the throat. Sometimes the rope can be a bit slippy and that knot will slide down and allow the halter to loosen - sounds weird but getting the halter a bit dirty will help it stay in place better.

But all that said, you can adjust the size by just repositioning the knots - start conservatively until you learn which strands go where, and what you have to do to get the effect you want, but you can make the whole thing smaller without untying it and just end up with a longer crown piece at the end.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I had not thought of being able to reposition the knots. I brushed the hroses good and tried the halter on Midnight; it is too large. I will need to order the mini for her. I think the pony size I ordered fits Dapper Dan all right. I will need some supervision to get the fit correct.

 

[Susan]

That doesn't actually look too big at all - you just need to slide the whole thing up higher on the head and make the crown piece tighter so that the throat piece is actually at the throat. Sometimes the rope can be a bit slippy and that knot will slide down and allow the halter to loosen - sounds weird but getting the halter a bit dirty will help it stay in place better.

But all that said, you can adjust the size by just repositioning the knots - start conservatively until you learn which strands go where, and what you have to do to get the effect you want, but you can make the whole thing smaller without untying it and just end up with a longer crown piece at the end.

So sorry… that horse isn’t mine. It’s from the Starpoint Horsrmanship site. On our guys the noseband is baggy. We’re do I start pulling to make it smaller?

 

[Abby P]

Well...if it's just the noseband then the simplest way is to increase the size of the loops under the chin - but of course there is a limit to that. If you want to make it smaller without changing the size of the lead rope attachment area, then you have to start at the crown, and remove slack that way (making the free end longer). There are some tutorials online, I think, on how to tie a rope halter, that might be more helpful than me trying to describe it in words!

 

[Taz]

I learned to tie them on line. Once you get the hang of it they are really easy to make or adjust, if you have any thin rope I'd suggest trying to make one first.

 

[RahRah SC]

Where IS the best place to get leather halters for small minis? My halters are HUGE! I’ve gotten discouraged trying to find some that actually fit.

 

[Taz]

Are you wanting a leather halter because it will break or because you like the look? I've only seen rope and nylon halters for minis here but haven't looked a lot. I use adjustable foal or weanling halters, the ones that adjust over the crown, under the jaw and the throat latch, they seem to work for mine. I 'safety' all of them so they will break if they need to.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Ozark Mini Tack has a nice leather, I think. Have not looked lately. I got mine from them many years ago and I still use it.

 

[RahRah SC]

Are you wanting a leather halter because it will break or because you like the look? I've only seen rope and nylon halters for minis here but haven't looked a lot. I use adjustable foal or weanling halters, the ones that adjust over the crown, under the jaw and the throat latch, they seem to work for mine. I 'safety' all of them so they will break if they need to.

Well, actually both, but mainly for the safety of the leather halter. How do you “safety” yours?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I looked at the Parelli site to see how to knot my Parelli halter. Worthless illustration. I found a video of a guy in Australia who demonstrated it well. So, I tried it again on Midnight, after learning the correct way to fit it, and it works fine on her. I am anxious for the weather to cooperate so we can go for our walk and see how we do with it.
I put it on Dapper Dan also, and used the nose knots to ask him to back up out of my space. He was actually much more responsive to the pressure than Midnight was.
I will order another, as they are so soft and very attractive.

 

[LodgeRopes]

I have made rope halters professionally for over 25 years... I have shipped thousands of orders to the UK over the years and made many friends along the way.. including orders for halters & leads for The Royal Mews Stables for the bays & greys.
Brand name or price is no guarantee on quality, sizing, safety, humaneness or effectiveness.. Years back I did a makers perspective article that appeared in many horse magazines around the world, including horse & hound in the UK.
Here is a link to a version of the original article (the only one I could find on this laptop) I hope it educates and informs..... it may even save you a few quid by not wasting your money on sub standard items.
Please ask questions of the halter maker, look at their pics and question anything a seller/maker puts online, most don't understand the true application & release of pressure, knot placement and facial nerve structure as they learnt to make halters on youtube. .
Important : never leave a horse unattended in a rope halter and never use a halter with the extra knots on the noseband... they are an inhumane sales gimmick . I don't care if you doubt my article, but read it... it is important.
cheers from Downunder
https://lodgeropes.webs.com/leadropestecharticle.htm