Show Halters Rolled Leather or Cable?

[kdhminis]

Hi, This is going to be my first year out in the show ring with all of you

Excited, nervous, etc. all at the same time. I still have quite a bit of work to do - once it gets a little warmer here in Missouri!! Anyway, I have been looking at show halters and wondered if there is a reason you prefer the rolled leather sided halters vs the cable halters? I have not yet purchased my show halter because I'm confused. I think I do want the closed ring so I don't have to worry about the chin chain possibly coming off and my mini getting loose. Also does the throat latch chain help to keep the headstall from slipping off - in the case a horse acts up, etc? Does anyone use the throat latch chains in the show ring? And does the throat latch chain hook into conchos that can be added to halters? I would appreciate your comments - as I am still learning. See you in the show ring!!

 

[disneyhorse]

The cable halters with the patent leather nosebands are definitely "in" right now. I don't think the rolled leather show halters have been "in" in any recent history.

What color is your horse?

Andrea

 

[kdhminis]

The filly I will be showing is a bay. And I may also be showing a brownish/black pinto filly also. I know from the halters I have looked at the cable ones have a lot more options re colors, beads, etc.

 

[ruffian]

We prefer the cable for all our horses. If we have one with a very fine, chiseled face, we prefer to put a cable nose-band with some beading on it to set it off. If I have one with a plainer or larger head, we use the patent nose bands to disguise it a little.

The throat latch chains I've seen do nothing to hold the halter on, they're just for looks.

I sew a 1/4" wide bit of black elastic between the rings, open or closed, to keep the halter in place and to have better control. It keeps the noseband snug on the horse's face, and allows me to use the chain better if needed. Usually the elastic is only about 2" long unstretched so it keep's the halter in place.

Almost any color, IMO, looks good on a bay. I like bright green or a nice blue.

 

[Taylor Jo]

I show here in Mo and I NEVER have seen the rolled leather ones, EVER. So personally I wouldn't waste my money IMHO. I show with the open style cable patent leather halters,

unless like this one horse I have she's a yearling and has a VERY tiny head. I'm getting her a VERY thin cable for across her face with a couple of gold filgrees on it. I tried the patent leather and it ate up her face. Red would look nice on your bay too and it would look good on your B & W. OR a Gold one would look nice on your bay. I have a bay and white pinto and he's got a bay face and he looked so pretty in the gold but he out grew it so I had to pass it on to Dakota who's in my avatar.

Good luck, what shows you going too? Look me up if we'll be at the same one, it will be nice to meet you. I'm usually in the barn hanging out with my horses. My Farm name is listed here, and just ask around for me, just ask for the girl that wears ALL the pink and rhinestone stuff....LOL!!!!!!! Ask at the desk they'll know who your talking about!!!!!!

Taylor Jo

 

[friesepferd]

what i generally see in "big horse" shows is that people put the cable-like ones on arab-like faces, and leather on the stockier faces.

i would have to agree that this looks the best. i like them both

 

[targetsmom]

I am not sure what you mean by rolled leather, but it might be like the one on the gelding in the background in this photo. I prefer the Victor or Victor style halters (with closed rings) but these were two of our original halters and we still use them. We actually PREFER the rolled leather halter on our gelding and he won a grand and reserve in halter at his last Pinto show wearing that halter. He beat the mare in the foreground (who was then wearing a Victor, not the Shephard in this photo) and several other very nice minis.

I also prefer a plainer halter (no beads) because all our minis are pintos with lots of white on or near their heads. JMO.

 

[Minimor]

To answer your question about throat latch chains--I think that most people don't use these in the show ring. I don't use them but have looked at them, and they just clip onto the back of the conchos--I don't think they would do anything at all towards keeping the halter on the horse's head--they are so fine I would expect them to break very easily. They are mostly for decoration as far as I can tell.

The Victor halters are very popular--maybe people lump them in with cable halters, but actually they have cheeks that are rolled patent leather. On a very small, fine head I think the cable cheeks look better, but the Victors do suit many horses--they are much finer than the ordinary rolled leather halters.

I have a couple of Victors, one BKM and several Showtime halters. Some of the Showtime halters have the closed rings and the others have the open hooks. I really don't worry much about losing my horse in the ring when I use the open hook halters--generally I use the biothane chinstraps, not chains, and these stay in place pretty good. If I use a chain I wrap it around itself and that way it stays in place pretty good, plus doesn't tighten on the horse's jaw.

Once we pick out the horses we're showing we try them with the different halters & decide which ones suits each horse best. Some look good in the Victors, others look better with the thinner cable cheek halters--some look great in the patent nose band halters, others look better with a silver or gold/silver bar nose.

 

[Mominis]

As a fellow Missourian, I feel your pain about the weather. Sheesh! Is it ever going to let up?

As far as halters are concerned, the cable halters are much more attractive. Personally, on a bay, I would use gold accenting. It just brings out the color better. I have a contact here in Missouri that makes show halters and his prices are much better than I've found from the nationwide tack shops. Toss me a PM and I'll give you his info, as I'm not sure it's okay to do so on the forum due to the advertising rule. By the way, I detest beading on the cheekpieces of the halters. I think it takes away from the eye, unless your horse is pig eyed. I'd suggest going with plain cheekpieces and getting the bling from your conchos. That's just my humble opinion though.

 

[Amy]

We use both kinds. We use the rolled halters on our stallions and the pretty cable ones on the girls.

Not really any right or wrong -- just a personal preference.

 

[kdhminis]

Hey everyone that replied Thanks! I think I have found the show halters I am going to buy - going to buy two - just in case

This forum has so many people with so many different opinions - which is fantastic!