I’m looking for some sort of halter and leadrope for trail riding. I have spooky green horses and in some cases I might want to get off and lead them, or maybe tie them up after I’m done.
I’d like the horse to carry the leadrope, maybe clipped around the neck? So that I can jump off and quickly get ahold of something solid.
I’ve seen people just ride with a halter under the bridle with a lead rope clipped to the halter and tied around the saddle horn.
Of course, if you’re riding in a saddle without the horn, that doesn’t really work so well. 
I when do this with an english saddle, I put a grab strap on the front dees and then loop the lead rope through the strap and tie it around the horse’s neck. This keeps the rope from slipping down if the horse puts its head down.
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I use reins with clips so that I can easily unclip the reins and use them as a leadrope.
I used to ride with a leadrope and it always irrated me because it swings back and forth and isn’t as quick to untie and retie as the reins (I get off and run a lot so speed and ease is important to me).
I just ride in my halter and lead, the rope ties back to the loop where the lead is attached, I don’t have a snap on either end. This way I don’t have to bridle him, I just tie it back to the halter and mount up. And he is greener than grass and a coming 4 year old but he is better with a halter than with a bit.
Ann Szolas
[QUOTE=ShotenStar;4754508]
I when do this with an english saddle, I put a grab strap on the front dees and then loop the lead rope through the strap and tie it around the horse’s neck. This keeps the rope from slipping down if the horse puts its head down.
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I used to do something a little similar - I’d tie the end of the leadrope to the grab strap with a quick release and the end looped through over and over to take up the tail. So with a simple tug you could undo it all (I don’t know what that knot is called, but I use it sometimes for tying a horse that will pull on the loose end and untie himself? You keep making the safety knot over and over, so you end up with a sort of chain. Sort of like this: http://slaterhorsetraining.com/training/tie.html
In a western saddle I’d half-hitch the lead rope around once or twice and then use the tail end as my “whip” and to swish flies.
I’ve only once needed to lead a horse home, and could have led her home by the reins, but I always figured I might need to temporarily tie one horse up to deal with a problem with a friend’s horse, or an injury or something and have both hands free. Or heck, the reins could break, and at least I’d have one “rein” (the lead rope) attached to the rope halter.
I use rope halters and leave them on under the headstall.
I make a coupe of loops with my lead and fasten it to my saddle. Most western saddles have a string to hold the lariat, thats where I put my lead rope. When I get to camp or a lunch spot, I pul the lead off and attach it to the halter and tie them to a tree or highline.
With younger or inexperienced riders, I will leave the lead attached and loop it over the saddle horn, Then if I need to help the child, I reach over and take the lead and can help them get their horse through any trail obsticles.
I just carry a catch rope aka pocket halter in my saddle bag.
It it a long lead with a ring on the end. You then make it into a halter and lead.
Here is one…
Or Clinton Anderson sells on for a lot more…lol
I bought the training style halter and lead, where it is all attached in one piece. No snaps to fool around with.
Plus they are pretty thin and light weight and you can slip it right over your bridle.
Does anyone do the old trick of slipping the end of the rope through your belt so that if you come off unexpectedly, you have a little extra time to grab the horse? I’ve been thinking about doing it with my spooktacular youngster who needs more time out on the trails than I can find buddies to go with me for, but I’m nervous about being dragged. Supposedly it just slips right out if you can’t grab it, but…
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about that a bit and it seemed appropriate for the thread. Hope you don’t mind, OP.
[QUOTE=CosMonster;4755508]
Does anyone do the old trick of slipping the end of the rope through your belt so that if you come off unexpectedly, you have a little extra time to grab the horse? I’ve been thinking about doing it with my spooktacular youngster who needs more time out on the trails than I can find buddies to go with me for, but I’m nervous about being dragged. Supposedly it just slips right out if you can’t grab it, but…
Anyway, I’ve been thinking about that a bit and it seemed appropriate for the thread. Hope you don’t mind, OP.[/QUOTE]
I think it might be safer to make a u-shaped fold in the rope and tuck that fold through just a few inches - rather than feed a whole length of rope through.
She’s cute! She looks like a tall girl??
I definetly ride english and I don’t want to keep undoing my reins to use snap on reins. I’m looking for something I can grab quickly if I have to dismount and control a bad horse. I was thinking about a leadrope that looped around the neck then clipped back onto itself.
I leave the halter on and the lead rope clipped to it. Then I make a noose around the horse’s neck with the rope. It’s both quick to tie and quick to untie. I do the same thing with the end of the mecate on my hackamore. Just make sure it doesn’t hang down too far.
I’m hoping this link shows what I am talking about:
http://chronicleofmyhorse.ning.com/profiles/settings/editProfileInfo
I found one of these once on eBay, bought it and have never seen another.
It has an extra ring in the middle of it and clips on both ends. You loop it around the horse’s neck and clip it back to the ring. Kinda heavy and not sure how well it would tie to anything, I’ve never tried actually, though I’ve ridden with it a few times. It has been useful to have the extra rope, I’ve just never needed to tie it.
I do worry the horse might manage to get caught up in it if something dire occurred and the horse went down. It’s not likely to break for any reason.
I know a few trainers that use the loop of rope passed under their belt when riding green horses. It gives them a good chance of hanging onto the horse if thrown. Personally, I use reins with snaps, bridle over a rope halter on my green horse, and I just use that rein as a lead rope when I INTENTIONALLY dismount to lead or do trail clearing.
The idea of the rope with the ring on the end is also good. I have one of those hanging by the back door in case I have to run out the door and catch a horse quickly. It would also be good for using on the trail as the rope is small diameter and coils up pretty small. Would go over a bridle easily.
Bonnie S
When we trail ride, I bring along a lead rope in my cantle bag and I use a neck collar. Less bulk under the bridle but I can tie or lead if I need to.
I simply use a halter under the bridle (western) and I snap the lead rope on the bottom loop of the halter and draw it around the neck like a calvery tie but with a loop tie instead of the formal “noose like” tie seen on a calvery horse.
I use a 9 foot lead rope for if I am on a over night trail its long enough to tie to the picket line.
I ride with an english saddle, so I have nothing to tie my lead on. When I go trail riding, I normally put my Nylon halter underneath my bridle, and use a piece of hay-string to tie my lead rope on one of the D-rings. It does flop around when you are doing anything faster than the walk, but it usually doesn’t flop around too much. I am still trying our ways to make it so I can clip the lead rope onto the halter while I ride.
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