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I think there are good and bad things about all three options.
The all leather one is interesting as it has the option of adding bit hangers to it (whether you buy theirs or pick some up from a place selling parts for a halter/bridle combo, either way). I could see the center ring getting “stuck” on occasion as you change directions. Not a deal if you make the habit of manually changing directions (walking up and leading the horse to the new direction), but if you have a less obedient horse who swaps on you or you want to change directions on the move I can see it not swiveling as readily into the new direction. There may be some slippage, but the jaw strap is the stabilizer and should keep it from getting too kattiwampus on the horse’s face. The leather nose is definitely less harsh and will fit a wide variety of face shapes.
The second one appears to have a swivel in the middle ring, which should make changing rein fairly easy without as much risk of the line getting “stuck” on the old side. The nosepiece is leather wrapped solid metal so it has the potential of being pretty harsh, but as with anything on the horse’s head or in it’s mouth it’s as harsh as the hands that hold it. Of course with the solid band you also run the risk of having a horse that has a nose that is too wide or narrow for it, which would negate its effectiveness.
The third one looks a little bulky on the nose. It is jointed so less harsh than #2 and will fit a wider range of noses. I do like that the rings set out from the nose more, though I am not sure if it is enough to make it an effective riding cavesson (not an issue if you just want to lunge with it). I like that it is not as ridiculously padded as the ones you find in the USA (a full inch of padding, really? On both the nose and the chin strap?) and they look like they have a nice range of adjustment on all three.
Between the three I would probably go with #3 because I have horses ranging from an Arab to a Belgian and work with more breeds and sizes as well, a solid noseband wouldn’t make sense. What fits the Arab well will not fit the Belgian. I usually keep my horses moving while changing direction and having the line get caught while doing it is annoying so the plain leather one is probably out too (again I do find the bit option intruiging!). If I worked with one breed that didn’t vary much in size or just had a single horse I’d consider #2.
I found this website while looking for something else entirely:
http://www.usfriesianreferral.com/halters.html
About halfway down are their lungeing cavessons offering three similar options, but the jointed one isn’t just the typical two joints, but like a bicycle chain. I’m thinking about the jointed one there myself.
Good luck making a decision! They all look to be high quality and each has its good and bad points depending on how you want to use it.[/QUOTE]
Thanks for the detailed response! I only have one horse, who usually borders between full and oversize. But who knows what the future will bring as far as other horses. I do usually have him switch directions on the go, rather than going up and leading him in the other direction so I can see where the swivel would be an advantage. I’ll check out that website you posted as well!
