Rope Halters

[Connie P]

My farrier was here again today to work on my rescue horses and one of my geldings is just VERY unmanageable and outright dangerous to try to trim. I gave him two - yep two shots IM of a tranq today and it did absolutely nothing. I will have the vet here the next time to give an IV tranq, but my farrier suggested possibly a rope halter.

I have never used a rope halter and would like more information about them. He said they have pressure points which makes the horse behave better. Anyone have any experience with rope halters and also where would I find one to fit my 36" gelding?

Thank you so much for any and all help.

 

[ropenride]

The pressure points he's referring to are nerve endings that essentially release endorphins when pressure is applied. On the poll there's one on either side of the spine; under the jawbone; at the bottom of the jawbone/cheek where it meets the face; on the nose. An easy way to find the one on the nose is to use 2 fingers and lightly tap your horse's face starting between the eyes and working down...when he blinks you've found a pressure point. On my big horses it is usually just past half way to the nose. This is where you want your halter noseband to fit. I've tied my own big horse rope halters for years and found that it was really easy to measure the little ones, use smaller rope and tie custom halters for them

Now everyone has their own personal, color-coordinated halter! lol There are other natural methods to use that will cause endorphin release and take them to their "happy place" without drugs, but the rope halters usually work pretty well. Good luck with your little guy! We had one that I wish I had a pic of....hubby flat on his back on the ground hugging the filly to his chest with all four feet in the air while the farrier rasped them down!!! ROFL!!!! It was hilarious!!! She did get much better behaved after that.

 

[mayflowerfarm]

Rope halters are a God send! Make sure to get one made of stiff rope, not the soft nylon rope. Several of the smaller mini tack shops have them. Oh, Kay Jay Farm carries them although I'm not sure if they are the stiff rope or the soft rope. Clinton Anderson and Parelli also offer them for minis now as well. Good luck!

 

[Connie P]

Thank you so much. I appreciate the help!

 

[Jill]

I have several of them from KayJay and love them!!! But, I haven't used them yet on a difficult customer. It's good to hear they are more than just pretty looking

One of Our Buckskin Girls, Maddie, Showing Off a KayJay Halter

 

[wade3504]

Rope halters work better too, when you have not just the knots on the corners at the noseband but two farther up as well on the noseband.

I'm not sure that a rope halter alone will work for the horse you describe though. You can get them to feel the pressure more easily as they aren't near as wide as a web halter that they can just push through, but they aren't miracle fixes. You might try working with one before the next trim.

Good luck.

Amanda