Okay, here we go. YLL, you are on the right track. Both web and leather halters break easily, considering that you have such strength and weight on them when a tied horse pulls. But ever thought of why they pull in the first place?

Horses by nature are claustiphobic, and being "confined" by their halters, by their heads is scary business, especially if something else makes them really want to get out of there! And once they learn those things won't hold them, they try again and again. Web and leather halters, by design, cradle the head, much like a harness, which is for a horse to PULL with, cradles the body. Horses are inclined to lean into pressure rather than move away from it. They have to be taught to move away from pressure, like leg, bit, and even hand pressure (ever notice when you NEED him to move over he pushes back into you? ) To give you an idea of how this feels to the horse, have someone lay a flat hand on your arm and push. You want to push back into it don't you. And it isn't too hard to do it, especially if you are stronger. So.....

The solution? Use hand-tied rope halters!



*IMPORTANT* Don't confuse a rope halter with a Be-Nice halter. These things clamp down on the head and can cause severe damage to the nerves at the poll! Nasty things!



To again show you by example, have your same friend put a finger on your arm instead and push. First, before they push, the finger is light, barely noticeable compared to the hand, right? Then when the pressure comes, it is irritating and you certainly want to move away to stop the pressure. This is how the rope halter works. 5mm rope works best, as thicker rope just brings you back to a web halter effect of cradling the head. An added bonus, the rope halters, when made of appropriate rope and tied properly will not break. I have cured Percherons of pulling with rope halters.

Now, this carries through with tying, leading, lounging, even riding, if you are using a halter instead of a bridle. Once you learn how to correctly use a rope halter, you will never need a chain again to control your headstrong, unfocused horse who leads you, or worse, pushes over you, or drags you when you lounge. And any horse I start undersaddle I use the rope halter instead of a bridle, since they already know, respect and understand the feel of it. One less thing for them to figure out when I get up there!