I have a young, big, horse that can be quite strong in hand. I’ve been using a chain wrapped around his halter to keep his attention while we worked on manners. He’s gotten much better, so I’d like to move to something less harsh but still more substantial than a regular halter.
Recommendations? Rope/alternative halters are not something I have a through knowledge of.
No other recommendations. Stick with the chain. Wrap it in vet wrap if you want. Rope halters require knowledge/experience to size and tie correctly…even if you have that they are a PAIN to put on.
You might like this hybrid rope halter: http://hybridhalter.com/
Rope halters aren’t necessarily kinder, though. Especially the ones like this, with the knots. With a rope halter, you are always “using” it. With a chain, you can use the chain or not use the chain, as long as you have a rope also clipped to the regular chin ring.
Rope halters. I’ve seen horsemanship trainers handle all kinds of craziness in rope halters. They are not difficult to size or to tie up, once you’ve mastered the single knot.
They are more common in some disciplines than others, so if you really don’t have anyone in your immediate circle that uses one, its worth looking for a local horsemanship trainer or colt starter who can get you started.
As far as “always using” a rope halter, in a typical day I wouldn’t need to put any pressure on the halter to halt or turn unless horse dived for ditch grass or spooked and bolted.
I can do ground work obstacles and in hand work with no tension on the lead, just a feel of the lead rope and body language.
The clinton Anderson rope halter is a good one. You only use it when it’s needed otherwise it’s practically like a regular halter BUT it will get their attention and they learn real fast to always “Be Nice”.
It’s a lifesaver for pushy, strong horses.
I like placing the chain under the chin, but everyone has a different opinion on that.
Rope halters are dangerous if the horse pulls back when tied. They are a pain to put on. I’ve used them but I’m not a huge fan. They are nice if you are ponying another horse because if the horse breaks away you don’t want them to step on their bridle or step on the chain around the nose.
Maybe carry a whip instead? You can disengage the hindquarters or prevent the horse from moving past you with a whip.
I’m not sure there are a lot of alternatives other than a rope halter for what you want.
I love using my rope halter when the weather is bad and we can’t ride so we are hand-walking instead. My guy is fine with a leather halter when he is getting regular work, but if he’s been off work for a few days, it is nice to have the extra “oompf” to deal with his extra energy. Usually there is one attempt at being naughty, then he quickly remembers his manners. I won’t use it to tie with, only when working in hand.
Like most things with training, you need to be consistent, and in this case that means any time the horse moves toward you without you first requesting it, you must correct. Don’t wait for him to spook on top of you, put your hand up and make him move away when he takes a step in your direction. A whip or crop can be a useful extension of your hand/arm, too.
TTouch leading exercises: https://ttouch.com/Detailed/Shop/Horses/DVDs/Solving_Riding_Probl…_89.html
Be Nice halter
If you have something that works, why change? I prefer using a chain wrapped around the noseband for every horse I work with, and most of the time I don’t use it at all. No matter how well behaved, they are still 1000+lbs and I would rather have the equipment for when it is needed than be SOL when a typically calm horse has a bad day.
I’d suggest the hybrid halter posted by Simke. If you get the leather one or one with a breakaway strap it’s totally safe to tie/cross tie in and it definitely can get a horse’s attention when needed. It’s also good if you’re at a barn where grooms or other people potentially handling your horse may not be comfortable with tying a rope halter.
I found mine super helpful for a green bean who was very in my space and was just learning about cross ties and trying to lean on them. My current horse doesn’t need it but I keep it in my show trunk in case we get into an exciting situation and just as a backup for equipment failures.
I recently started using a knotted rope halter with my big boy. He’s a mannerly fellow, but I wanted something extra to use to teach him the idea of lunging. Didn’t have a round pen at the time and I object to being dragged around. Worked out well. Graduated to a proper cavesson fairly quickly. I didn’t find it to be more trouble than doing a chain up on a flat halter. Less trouble than if you are re doing the chain every time you halter imo.
I love my Hybrid halter. The nose knots do not bother my fairly sensitive/reactive Andalusian cross. I had tried a rope halter with the nose knots on it and had to ditch it as she was flinging her head all over. Just way too much for her. The Hybrid halter however, I think has much better balance and weight and it doesn’t twist on the nose when pulled on like a rope halter will. You can also use cross ties with it. Very function and comfortable halter. I have done hours and hours of ground work with this horse (who is now 17) because she has insisted time after time that when the mood strikes her, she is the leader…noooo. Her behavior has improved dramatically with the Hybrid halter without really ‘using’ it. I have also found it a great tool for in-hand work and lunging.
Susan
So years ago, for some sensitive horses, a trainer I knew used a round nylon dog choke collar instead of a chain. You need to be sure the hardware on the collar will fit through the “rings” on your halter. Attach it to a lead and use it just like you would a chain.
Thank you all for responding! Seems like a fair split between rope halters and leave the chain on. I think I’ll leave the chain for now until his attentiveness is a little more established, but I love these hybrid rope halters! I can see that in our future.
I strongly disagree. You know what’s dangerous? A horse that pulls back when tied and then learns that doing so is an effective way of escaping. You know what else is dangerous? A halter breaking when a horse pulls back, sending the halter and/or tie slingshotting across the barn and the horse flying backwards even faster. I have dealt with horses that have learned to pull back when tied and will never, ever, ever own one or create one. A horse that is taught to give to pressure properly doesn’t pull back when tied. Even when startled, the horse may react, but quickly comes back forward when it feels poll pressure from the halter.
As another poster mentioned, Clinton Anderson’s rope halters are fantastic - high quality, just the right weight/feel, and with appropriately located knots for control when needed. I’m not a huge fan of his, but I think he does two things exceptionally well - make rope halters and teach horses to trailer load.
I don’t see how a rope halter is “always on” any more than a chain. There shouldn’t be constant pressure on either under normal circumstances.
When a horse runs backward in a rope halter, you don’t get the choice to not use the rope halter.
When a horse runs backward in a flat halter that’s outfitted with a chain over the nose AND a regular lead rope clipped to the chin ring, you can choose to use the chain, or you can choose to use the regular lead rope.
Having BOTH options can be really nice when you have a horse that is nearly always good, or one that may escalate with firmer correction at that specific moment in time.
I suppose you could do something similar by outfitting the horse in a flat halter AND a rope halter. Then it’s there for a little extra oomph if needed. I think it’s easier to just use a chain + a regular lead rope.
You and I are normally on the same page, Simkie, but I’m going to have to disagree here. Having the rope halter engage when the horse runs backwards is not the same as it being “always on”. Likewise, if the horse runs backwards, it would take EXTREMELY impressive dexterity to only use one of two lead ropes in that moment, unless maybe you’re holding them in separate hands…which would be quite awkward. While I’ve seen people use two lead ropes, it’s rare and NOT something I’d want to deal with while handling a fractious horse. I prefer the horse face immediate consequences for running backwards and nip that habit in the bud.
I totally agree with you that a horse that can’t tie is dangerous, but if we are in a situation where a horse pulls back because of panicking, I want the cross-ties and halters to break - so I’ll play devil’s advocate here. :winkgrin:
I’ve almost lost an eye to cross-ties coming whinging towards me, and I get it, but I am thankful for the most part that my discipline (eventing) has primarily leather halters vs nylon or rope. You cannot account for everything and at any given moment, a perfectly good horse can find himself in a really bad situation. It’s just the nature of life, and horses.
We had a loose horse XC once come galloping back to the barn and into the tack-up area, which was a 6 horse cross-tie configuration with a big entry bay and exit. The horse came from the entrance and, instead of going down the barn aisle, flew into a cross-tied horse because there was an exit behind him to the wash-stall bay. The horse didn’t see the crossties, clothes-lined itself (the side he was on, the x-ties broke thankfully), the horse cross-tied absolutely panicked, and in the process hurt himself and his rider that was grooming him because he spun around the metal post the unbroken cross-ties were on, and then started to pull back and panic across the tack up bay because the crossties wouldn’t give. They were safety cross-ties, but because he wrapped himself around the metal post, he was pulling against the post and not the ties… A very good example of bad things going wrong and that horse was not in any way in the wrong - but he was so panicked I don’t think any amount of training could kick in. He got pretty hurt and slipped and fell backwards several times before he got free. Lots of rope-burn and he needed a very long time off.
Thankfully I was not in the bay at the time, but I heard the commotion and came out in time to watch the “victim” horse panic and fall back over himself several times because he couldn’t get away. I was amazed given the action I saw that his scope of injuries was not more severe.
Horses kill themselves on cross-ties and hard-tie surfaces all the time. I have sadly heard, and seen, for myself, horses get severely hurt and needing to be PTS because they either flip over backwards and fracture their spine, and/or they break their neck, or crack their skulls. It is a really awful way to go, and while we can always say the horse “should have been trained to tie” at the end of the day I think that a horse is a horse, and expecting it to overcome flight instincts in a panic-mode situation is tough.
Rope halters should not be used to hard-tie. I’ve seen way too many degloved noses and heads, and, have also watched several all-out horse panics that resulted in some seriously injured horses because they were tied with rope or nylon halters and nothing broke. I know people that trailer in rope halters and it makes me very nervous for the horse.
I think one of the worst things I have ever watched is a horse panic against something that would not give, and watching it get seriously hurt – and knowing I couldn’t intervene without getting seriously hurt and having to wait it out… It’s not hyperbole either - once you have been in that situation, you don’t forget it. It endangers the horse but it also can get people killed in the process, so it’s way better to have a loose horse getting the heck out of dodge than a panicked horse panicking in a small/enclosed environment where you and others are unable to escape. YMMV.
That is not to say I am anti rope-halter. I love my rope halter for installing good ground manners. I prefer using a rope halter to a chain, when working on ground manners. I think chains can “deaden” the aid and a lot of horses are desensitized to them. I find that it is easier to control the degree of pressure with a rope halter, whereas I think the chains can be harder to control when engaged because they do not always immediately release pressure (chain gets caught on the metal rings in halter, etc); the timing is usually very important for me, so I like that the rope halters usually have quicker give.
That being said in the wrong hands, rope halters can be abundantly cruel. I wrap my rope-halter noses with vet-wrap. I find most horses do not need the knot, or the hard bite, a standard rope halter provides.
@Montanas_Girl Perhaps it’s like riding with two reins–the more you do it, the more proficient you get 
If I have a chain on the horse, I always have a second leadrope. It’s never been difficult. It’s often VERY NICE to not go straight to the firmest correction mode…sometimes the horse just needs a little reminder. And sometimes when the horse is scared, vs being an ass, a chain (or sharp correction with a rope halter) is counter productive.
Having the option of just the regular rope/flat halter is also very effective (if you can handle two ropes, I guess) for moving a horse off of always needing a chain. You’ve got your emergency brake if you need it, but don’t have to use it.
It’s worked very well for me for a buncha years, but not like it’s my idea :lol: I’ve seen a lot of people handle their horses like this.
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