I looooooove my Walsh (not sure what style, bought via Dover. It’s 8 years old and still in great shape.
I wouldn’t buy it as a “safety” halter, though. My boy spooked in cross ties once and sat down with his on. Destroyed the ties but the halter looks perfect. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.
I have a couple of Walsh halters that I love. I also have one from Hilltop Leather Shop and it’s beautiful. Super soft, sturdy, just a really nice halter
[QUOTE=Dewey;7880014]
I have one of these, too–their track halter. It’s beautiful, and the stitching detail on the crown piece is stunning.
http://www.tackshackocala.com/3042.html[/QUOTE]
I have this in the black with chrome and it is beautiful and solid.
I’ve got a few of the Quillens in the barn… Wings’s “special occasion” halters are Quillens, IIRC.
I have had Walsh, Quillin, and Tack Shack of Ocala halters. Quillin makes the nicest plates, hands-down, but for halters, I prefer Tack Shack over the other two. None of them are a bad choice, however. Tack Shack will be the least expensive for triple-stitched.
ETA - The brass hardware is VERY bright when the halters are brand-new, but it mellows out nicely.
Quinlin offers single ply noseband or triple stitched - is the single ply stitched on the edges? does it look weird? They don’t have v. clear pix.
[QUOTE=CaitlinandTheBay;7880323]
I looooooove my Walsh (not sure what style, bought via Dover. It’s 8 years old and still in great shape.
I wouldn’t buy it as a “safety” halter, though. My boy spooked in cross ties once and sat down with his on. Destroyed the ties but the halter looks perfect. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing.[/QUOTE]
Hmm that’s interesting I had the opposite happen, my guy reared up in cross ties and the leather snapped near one of the buckles. Wonder if it just happened to be how the pressure was applied.
I actually am really happy about the Dover’s Double-Raised leather collar… I believe it was replaced with Circuit’s Double Raised Halter. I got it 10 years ago for my old gelding… He is gone now, and it has been used and abused, cleaned/oiled maybe once a year, and is now worn by my newest gelding every day. All it takes is a quick wipe of baby wipes and some oil and it looks quite nice for being over 10 years old.
The nameplate, however, I do not like. How do Quillin’s nameplates fare? Mine always get mottled…
Walsh for all mine.
Link for Albrights, please? I can’t find them. Thanks.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and value of the SmartPak triple stitched halter. I had been a Walsh girl but my boy broke his when I was a bit broke and bought this as a “cheapie” replacement. It’s very nice!
https://www.smartpakequine.com/smartpak-triple-stitch-halter-1624pb
[QUOTE=beowulf;7880869]
The nameplate, however, I do not like. How do Quillin’s nameplates fare? Mine always get mottled…[/QUOTE]
They are the best. My mare has a Quillin halter with one of their nameplates and wears it everyday in turnout and it hangs on the stall door when she’s not wearing it. It’s not particularly well cared-for, but the plate still looks great. (The halter is also fine, but I still prefer my Tack Shack halters).
I used to be a big fan of plates from HalterTags.com, but I haven’t loved the way a couple of them have worn. I can’t complain too much, because those ones were only $5, but Quillin plates are definitely worth the additional $4 or so. They put Tack Shack, HalterTags, SmartPak, and Dover plates to shame.
I guess I’ll be the odd man out and say Perri’s. I love my padded leather Perri’s halter, super soft and I love the hardware.
Quillins is absolutely the nicest, hands down.
I also like http://www.kyhorse.com/ for daily halters- their turnout halters are fabulous and they do really good nameplates for cheap. I use only kyhorse for my every day halters. I have a couple of their sale halters and they are nice, but the Quillins stuff is better for show halters.
Pick something with solid brass fittings and English Leather. I really like the quality of the Walsh halters.
I bought mine from Danzig Brothers a few years ago, and I’ve been very happy with it. It’s well made, the leather is nice, and it’s durable. The nameplate was included in the price. In total I spend ~$60. It’s one of the nicest halters I’ve every had.
Quillin, hands down. Their halters (and plates) are amazing. Plenty of size options to choose from and excellent customer service!
Another Quillin fan here. Great product, great prices, and I will always support a one man show over Dover or Smartpak!
I LOVE the track halter I got from Tack Shack of Ocala a few years ago. It’s this: http://www.tackshackocala.com/3042.html My TB is 16 hands and usually fits better in cob halters than horse halters (he has to wear horse halters and bridles on the tightest hole, usually), but this fits him PERFECTLY. Leather quality is excellent, name plate looks beautiful, brass hardware isn’t that awful shiny bright gold color, price is great, and it’s very durable. It’s been his everyday halter since I bought it a few years ago for shipping, grooming, bathing, etc. and it’s held up just fine. I’d recommend it over and over and over again. 
Here’s a couple of my boy in his: http://s13.postimg.org/q97jh5emv/lexus_halter.jpg and http://s2.postimg.org/5z5rhclax/557380_4036100214803_806539170_n.jpg
I got Smartpak’s triple stitch halter for my other TB (has a smaller head as well) but am not as impressed. The nameplate looks good, but it has the more gold looking brass, doesn’t rest on his head like the track halter I got my other horse, and is a bit too big around the nose for his head (even with an adjustable noseband).
Have never owned a Quillin, but they look very nice as well!
