years ago when I was into riding horses I had seen a halter /bridle combo although I've never used one. now that I'm starting to drive I thought that somthing like this would come in handy to use so that you would not have to leave the halter on in case you wanted to tie your horse/mule/donkey up while put on the trail. has anyone one else seen these, or used one? How did it work out ?
halter/bridle combo
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shorthorsemom
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Instead of a combo, I had an amish harness maker make me one of those halters with a nose band buckle and buckles over head too... it is large enough to go over my entire driving bridle and it allows me to drop the nose band buckle and put on my bridle and then buckle back over the top. You can buckle it over the top of everything even with reins attached very quickly. This halter was very handy for me if I already had my bridle on and needed to put to the cross ties quickly to do something before heading out. It worked for me. Not sure if anybody else uses this halter, but I love mine. Mine is made out of the material that looks like leather but isn't, so it can get wet or sweaty and can be hosed off.
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Peggy Porter
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Just remember that it is not considered safe to tie a horse with the carriage still attached.
I use a very fine underhalter that is worn under the bridle. It makes harnessing and unhitching much smoother as my mare isn't real fond of just standing still. It fits very well and is fine for CDE types of shows. Mine are beta to match my harness. It is much safer for me to have her haltered and tied before her bridle comes off.
Thats what I am doing now. The only time I tie them while hitched to the wagon is to open and close gates, as I am almost always by my self an don't want to have them take off on there own (causing damage to them and the wagon )
shorthorsemom
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I only tie on cross ties. If I do not have a header person to help me, I cross tie while I am putting my cart to. My cart is last on, first off.
I agree you should not tie with carriage put to but without a header person, I felt safer as a rookie and learning and with my slowness with having my horse cross tied while I got everything right, my trainer thought this safest for me. I have cross ties and a rubber mat set up in the opening of my training pen.
The halter worked beautifully while we were learning. I would take off the halter with reins gathered and ready in hand, then quickly enter my carriage, and when settled in my seat and whip in hand, would enter my training area for warm up. After my lesson, I would stop in the same place, exit, re halter and cross tie, and then remove my carriage first and set it to the side. Then the harness came off in specific order.
I agree you should not tie with carriage put to but without a header person, I felt safer as a rookie and learning and with my slowness with having my horse cross tied while I got everything right, my trainer thought this safest for me. I have cross ties and a rubber mat set up in the opening of my training pen.
The halter worked beautifully while we were learning. I would take off the halter with reins gathered and ready in hand, then quickly enter my carriage, and when settled in my seat and whip in hand, would enter my training area for warm up. After my lesson, I would stop in the same place, exit, re halter and cross tie, and then remove my carriage first and set it to the side. Then the harness came off in specific order.
BiologyBrain
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The only thing that makes me rethink a halter-bridle combo for driving is the blinders/winkers. With a driving bridle the blinders are attached to the cheek-pieces. My halter-bridle combo that I used for my riding horse used the halter's cheek pieces as the base. The bit's cheek-pieces were snapped onto special rings in the halter's cheek-pieces. I can't really think of a different way to do it that would allow for the blinders to be attached to the bit's cheek-pieces and not the halter's. Of course, I guess the blinders could be attached to the halter's cheekpieces with just the bit being removable.
Thats what I was thinking. I would be used as a bridle mainly and a halter second, just to keep from having to use both.( although both is working well) I was just thinking that it would be less bulky.
targetsmom
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I have used a blinker bridle without bit hooked to a halter to help protect an injured eye. The blinkers helped to keep the mare from rubbing her eye, and the whole thing was covered with a fly mask.
We are looking into ways to attach a bit to a halter for ground driving a mare that is SUPER shy around her ears. She lives in a breakaway halter (breakaway part is just a piece of cheap ribbon) and I thought maybe I could attach a bit with a velcro strap looped through the bit ring, then the strap part through the halter ring and then the velcro attached back onto the strap. This mare handles everything else just fine - leading, going over obstacles, she is learning to jump and longe - so I don't see why she couldn't be ground driven this way by a 4-Her. NO plans to hook to cart, but she would be awesome. Her foals are our best movers.
We are looking into ways to attach a bit to a halter for ground driving a mare that is SUPER shy around her ears. She lives in a breakaway halter (breakaway part is just a piece of cheap ribbon) and I thought maybe I could attach a bit with a velcro strap looped through the bit ring, then the strap part through the halter ring and then the velcro attached back onto the strap. This mare handles everything else just fine - leading, going over obstacles, she is learning to jump and longe - so I don't see why she couldn't be ground driven this way by a 4-Her. NO plans to hook to cart, but she would be awesome. Her foals are our best movers.
I've done that when I was getting ridding horses use to wearing a bit before saddling and ridding. It worked very well for me every time.
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