Rope halters
I've always bought my horses leather halters. Nylon halters to me are not only unsafe, but look tacky. It sounds snobbish but I guess it was just the environment I grew up in. While I will always refuse to use nylon halters, I have recently discovered the convenience of rope halters. While they do appear "western-y," they are fantastic for starting a young horse. The bridle slips right over the halter with no problems - whereas with my leather halter I have to adjust some straps to make sure everything fits and it always looks like the horse has 10 tons of leather on his face. Rope halters also have a little bit of "bite" for when you need it. Not quite as much as a chain, but more than just a regular halter. I also like this. Rope halters are so adjustable, it's ridiculous. One size can fit a wide variety of horses. So while I do not like the current pink one I'm using with Hampton, convenience has trumped the little fashion police voice in my head ... for the moment.
Lunging
Of all the tricks to teach a horse, I have always been pretty good at teaching them to lunge. I know how to deal with just about any problem they can throw at me, and in most cases in the beginning when a horse does not cooperate on the lunge, it is because they don't understand. Hampton, however, is a large 2 year old and is VERY good at moving sideways. I mean, if there was a Kentucky Derby for a really messy, unbalanced, frantic leg yield/side pass - he would win. So while I am capable of handling and correcting a horse that "bulges" out on one side of the lunging circle, Hampton merely runs sidways - sometimes so fast that I just let go of the lunge line because I don't feel like face-planting. There's hardly anything I can do when he does this ... so instead we've gone back to lunging in the roundpen (where this does not happen) ... and in the open ring, I stick with smaller circles and slower speeds. I hope he eventually comes around with more work. Part of working babies ... sometimes it just takes time.
Yeah, I am with ya on the rope halters - I think they look tacky, rednecky, and not so professional on a horse. But they do fit a wide range of horses and are great for when first working with the babies. But I do so much prefer REAL halters!!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the continued lunging!! Sometimes you get a horse that it just takes a bit longer for their brain to understand.
Hell, I live in leather halter country. I lurve my leather halters, but for teaching baby the finer points of life... nothing says pay attention like a rope halter.
ReplyDeleteThey just have more finesse. I just wish I could find more in yacht rope.