I have cotton lead ropes, and I do not think I have had to replace one in 20 years. I don’t know where I got them. probably Dover or Smartpak or Southern States. I don’t leave them outside, but I don’t give them any special care. On one of them the splice started to loosen, but I just wrapped some duct tape around it, and it has held up fine.
I don’t remember where I bought them but they are
All my (nylon) halters have “breakaway” leather crownpieces (which break before the leadrope or anything else), and are cheap to replace (again, about $10)
i want to use only one hand and i’m just not able to do that with a bullsnap. There are some excellent climping snaps that have a locking mechanism that, as secure and strong as they are, only take one hand to unclip. They cost a lot though. And typically are too large. Hard to find them under 4"
This is so easily remedied. When you purchase a new lead take electrical tape (matching or “your” colour for easy identification) and wrap the bottom of the splice and down onto the rope. Finished, your tape wrap will be 3-4" long. It will last for years and years.
If you have a rope that hasn’t come all the way undone, but you know is going to - use tape. A little more tape and a little longer 5-6" may be needed, but a good tight wrap of electrical tape will hold it.
Hmm, quick running through my inventory in my mind, duct tape also works just fine. It’s just a little clunkier to work with since it is wider.
That’s a hard no from me. One small jerk to catch a horse who’s about to explode and you have a loose horse. And of course, when you DO need the thing to actually release when a horse is in danger of injury if it doesn’t, it won’t. Panic snaps are about the worst invention ever imo.
Agreed sascha. I had a panic snap ricochet back at me and resulting in a 2 inch gash right above my eye. A little lower and I would have lost the eye. I was lucky.
That’s far, I know some use nylon breakaways but they are not for me. I’ve had a few near misses with them, they only break over the crown if the most pressure is against the crown. I’ve had a few horses get the nose or the cheek caught in something and it’s been catastrophic.
Heavy thick cotton for me. I hate a wimpy lead rope that I cannot use for directional motivation with horses. It has some impetus.
I buy my own rope and I braid a panic snap to it. I saw a horse pull back tied to a trailer and pull the unhitched 2 horse trailer off it’s wheel stand. And I’ve seen horses tied long get a leg over. A panic snap is critical to releasing them when the rope is pulled back taut.
Maybe whatever you like for other use but not for tying.
For tying to a trailer, I use a quick release knot and a panic snap and leave a regular lead attached to the halter and looped around the neck For those whose tying education may be questionable. If the panic snap works - great. If it doesn’t, a quick yank on the rope releases it.
For tying elsewhere, I use my regular cotton lead with shitty brass or white metal snap. Those snaps will give way before a halter. Crossties, I prefer shitty brass or white metal double end snaps. Much more easily replaced than a halter or a horse.
Bull snaps are for cattle that you can tie fast/snub without the same worries as tying a horse fast. Generally. Once in a while a cow will put on an interpretive dance performance, but it’s really rare, and they generally get over themselves very quickly without doing themselves any damage.
I’ve seen panic snaps not release when there is enough pressure on them. I’ve also seen horses really losing their marbles that you don’t want to get close enough to grab for the panic snap. A proper quick release knot is the better choice, but it has to be a proper quick release that will not over tighten and not a slip knot that will tighten to the point of having to cut the rope!
I also prefer cotton braided lead ropes, but the splicing tends to unravel in my experience- or maybe I haven’t had good enough quality ropes! I have put my girl guide and youthful sailing experience to use and now “whip” over the splice with a matching twine. It’s not hard to learn and looks much neater than electrical tape. It’s also easy to replace if it starts looking ratty.
I like plain flat leather leads without a chain.
It appears I am an outlier though so 
The burn can “happen” in surprise situations. Our horses are well trained, very obedient being led or handled from the ground. Baby horses are often not paying attention, they just can’t concentrate very long walking to the pasture, so startles happen and I want to be holding a cotton rope! Foals to adult horses live here, get handled twice a day, so you can’t get perfect leading every outing. Surprises happen! Cat flyng after a mouse from behind a wall, sheep all leaping up, bells jangling as you walk beside their fence, kid running out with ray gun blazing LOUDLY, other horses racing up to the fence. But in new situations, even experienced horses can startle, jump back before they can understand what they see or hear. So again, cotton leads are my favorite choice.
guess maybe i’m just really lucky then, because (knock on wood) i’ve never gotten my hands burned.
-40 yrs horse owner. 19 horses (currently) at my farm. raised many foals and ferals. like they say, regarding doublebraid yacht ropes: YMMV
edit: FWIW, upon mental review of my lead-lesson protocol…
With the mustangs, once they are tame enough to go nicely on lead in the corral, i take them out and around our 10ac enclosed compound. When i do that, i have them on a VERY SHORT lead, like 18 or 24ish inches long. I am ready to release them to run away rather than fight with their flight instinct. All of them have gone through this in the corral at some point…and they all know that when they stop, i will come up to them, give them a pat/kind word, take the lead again and pop them a bit of a treat. So if they get away during this part of their lead rope lessons a) they can’t really go very far and b) they are verrrry used to waiting for me to come get them. (most have already learned to come back to me though). Anyhow, this training stuff is an aside from lead rope material i know, but it might be why i don’t get burns… i let them go as part of training. and i do something similar in concept to teaching a horse to tie. (like tie blocker mechanism except i just do one or two wraps around a panel bar)
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