I have a horse who needs to wear a halter 24/7 because he needs a bib to keep from terrorizing his pasturemates (if turned out alone, he goes to pieces like a bride ditched at the altar… :rolleyes:). What’s the softest halter out there (that won’t rub holes in his head) that also has a leather crown?
There are lots of padded nylon halters out there. They will have a piece that is breakaway instead of the leather crown. Perris has some nice ones.
You might look at the a Tekna breakaway halters. I just got one and it seems pretty soft, and easy care so you can hose it off and it won’t absorb muck like a nylon one will.
I think with any nylon halter you are going to face them becoming stiff with use. they all seem to get gross and stiff pretty quickly.
I did have a nylon breakaway from Perri’s that was so supple that I actually didn’t like it. It was hard to put on because it didn’t retain any type of shape. Maybe one of those will work for you. It was this one: http://www.perrisleather.com/product/442189/150/_/Premium_Nylon_Safety_Halter
[QUOTE=RugBug;7265521]
I did have a nylon breakaway from Perri’s that was so supple that I actually didn’t like it. It was hard to put on because it didn’t retain any type of shape. Maybe one of those will work for you. It was this one: http://www.perrisleather.com/product/442189/150/_/Premium_Nylon_Safety_Halter[/QUOTE]
I agree with some of the Perri’s halters being really thin and floppy. We have some in our barn and like RugBug said, they’re kind of hard to use because they’re so supple. That being said, I’m not sure the nylon is any softer than other halters, just really thin and shapeless.
I would think a leather halter that is well taken care of would be softer than a nylon halter. Leather is much easier to clean than nylon, which always seems to gunk up with sweat and gime sooner or later no matter what you do to them.
I have an old Weaver’s nylon halter that was pretty soft when I got it and feels like cotton now (8 years later.) I don’t know if they still make them the same way.
My horse had to wear a halter 24/7 and frequently lost, mangled or destroyed his halters. I started buying in bulk getting any padded halter I liked that was on sale. I would then convert them into a safety halter by using these http://www.smartpakequine.com/replacement-leather-safety-release-3742p. It is easy to install, takes about 5 min and converts any halter you like into a safety halter, by replacing the piece that attaches the buckle to the halter with this leather tab. They do break away usually without destroying the halter. I aways keep several on hand for repairs.
[QUOTE=jnel;7265980]
My horse had to wear a halter 24/7 and frequently lost, mangled or destroyed his halters. I started buying in bulk getting any padded halter I liked that was on sale. I would then convert them into a safety halter by using these http://www.smartpakequine.com/replacement-leather-safety-release-3742p. It is easy to install, takes about 5 min and converts any halter you like into a safety halter, by replacing the piece that attaches the buckle to the halter with this leather tab. They do break away usually without destroying the halter. I aways keep several on hand for repairs.[/QUOTE]
I had a couple of halters that I bought with those tabs, that were also VERY soft nylon. They were just cheapies from Horseloverz…I think probably Gatsby brand.
Honestly, to find what you want in a nylon halter, you’ll pay just as much as you would if you were to order a leather turnout halter from Tack Shack of Ocala or Quillin. Companies make padded nylon halters, but really, leather is still probably softer and more comfortable in the long run. Get an adjustable chin and double-buckle crown - makes it quick and easy to fix should either of those parts break.
I got a nice Lami Cell nylon breakaway for Townes that has a thick polarfleece noseband and poll. The rest of the nylon halter is lined with polarfleece, but the nose and poll are just floppy, soft fleece.
It’s really nice and I think all his barnmates will be getting them for Christmas.
At Equine Affaire, (why the “e”?!) I saw Roma and Schockmohle Sport (or whatever that company is) also make them, but they both have the company NAME embroidered on the nose, not just the circles like the Lami Cell.
It has the replaceable breakaway leather piece at the cheek.
His nose gets rubbed easily, he looks so comfy. Everyone who has seen it has wanted one.
Smartpak rhino halters. The buckle is Velcro and breaks away. It comes with 2 buckles. They’re on sale for cheap, too.
