Haltering with a Rope Halter

Rope halters convey a "message" to the horse. A typical flat halter is very difficult to train with because a horse can lean on it - making training difficult. Rope halters work because the relatively thin rope causes the horse to yield to their own pressure -- teaching them not to lean. Yet, the rope is soft and comfortable to the horse when they are yielding. The strategically placed knots on the halter also assist in this process.
Halter breaking is a term I have heard over the years that really doesn’t have much meaning. It sounds like something bad is going to happen by putting on this piece of hardware.
Putting a rope halter on a horse is pretty uneventful if you have worked out the ground manner issues with your horse. By this we mean -- does your horse respect your space? If not, then you need to work this out first. But, assuming that you can stand next to your horse without getting bit, having them swing their head into you, or stepping on you then you can approach putting the halter on.
Start by having everything ready. Hold the nose piece of the halter in one hand and the long tie strings in the other. Show the halter to the horse. Work the nose piece onto the nose of the horse. Bring the tie strings over the head and behind the ears. Make sure the tie strings are straight,with no twists in the strings. Take up the slack and center the knots on the nose and throat latch. And finally, it's important not to move fast with your hands.
Tie the latch knot: Bring the tie strings through the back of the loop. Hold your fingers below the loop, bring the strings around the back of the loop, through and under the strings. This is the best way to tie the latch knot. It won’t come loose and it will come apart easily when you go to take the halter off.
You can start a good bridling experience with good haltering practices. Don’t move real fast. Ask the horse to bend at the poll and lower their head. You don’t want to be putting a bridle on a head high horse, so why would you do it with the halter? Reward your horse.
You should be able to halter your horse on your knees. This is an easy goal to work for. Ask the horse to bend at the poll, reward this behavior. Over time you will get him to lower his head and be able to keep it there for you to halter.
Next Concept: Yielding
Ordering Information
Our rope halters are hand tied to your specifications (we usually make them in the evening after working horses) using the finest quality 1/4" double braided rope you can buy. There is no hardware to injure the horse and all splices are sewn and the ends are buried to prevent the "unraveling" effect that some other rope halters experience. These are the highest quality rope halters you will find -- even if you pay more money!
Soft, marine grade double braid kernmantle rope.No metal fittings.No knots at the poll.Washable.All splices are hand sewn to prevent unraveling.Hand tied with a Fiador knot for lead rope attachment.Adjustable.Latch knot end ropes spliced- will not unravel.Left handed or right handed rope halter?
The halter in this picture is tied from the left side of the horse. This is the “traditional” style. But, you may want to consider using a halter that is tied from the right side of the horse. The reason you may choose to use this halter is that most of the work that you do with the horse is traditionally done on the left side of the horse. We normally mount on the left, halter & bridle on the left and in a lot of cases unknowingly longe, groom, and work on the left more than the right side of the horse. Anything that you can do to get yourself over to the right side/right eye of the horse will benefit you greatly. There is no difference between the left hand halter and the right hand halter with the exception that we make the halter "backwards" with the loop and latch knot being tied on the right hand side of the horse. It’s such a simple idea that can make a huge difference with your horse.
Sizing:
Take a measurement around your horse's nose just below the cheek bone and at the throat latch. Note: the average horse is about 23-24" around the nose. We custom make every halter to your specifications. Use a string to get the length of these measurements and lay the string out against a yardstick or tape measure. DO NOT USE A METAL TAPE MEASURE TO TAKE THESE MEASUREMENTS ON YOUR HORSE!
Or you can order the following sizes:
Pony - fits ponies/yearlings and very small horse heads. Approximately 20" around the nose.Arab - fits cob/Arab size horse heads. Approximately 22" around the noseHorse - fits the average size horse head. 90% of the halters we sell are this size. Approximately 24" around the nose.Warmblood - fits the large horse i.e. warmbloods. Approximately 26" around the nose.Draft - fits the VERY, VERY large horse i.e. Percheron, Belgian, Gelderlander, etc. Approximately 28" around the nose.Custom - Specify the nose & throat latch measurements.
Note: If you have to decide on a size -- It's better to have a halter that is a little bit too big than one that is too small! If you are going to ride with the halter you want a 2"-4" space above the fiador knot to tie the lead rope into the halter (see the picture above, the lead rope is tied into the halter for riding).
Important: Do not leave a rope halter on your horse when you are not using it. Do not tie your horse in a trailer with a rope halter.