spliced rope halters!!!!

[mayoguinness]

Hiya, just wondered if anyone had a spliced rope halter like this as modeled by Mayo, a lot more gentle without the knots, and if so how do you get on with them??:)

http://http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t304/mayoguinness/HPIM0548.jpg

[mayoguinness]

didn't work I'll try again: http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t304/mayoguinness/HPIM0548.jpg

[Shadowlark]

I have differnet halters for different severities.

I have some whose knots are right off the nose so just the two strands come in contact, I have some with 2 knots and one with 4. I also have a really nice one with a rawhide nose band that is fantastic for ridding in just a halter as it stays rigid and is almost like a super mild Bozal.

Havn't seen a spliced one before, nice idea.

[mayoguinness]

Oh right:) Well I got this one when Jayne Lavender came over to give a clinic and on her site she has a link for them and info on them. I really like them anyway:D

[india]

I must admit this is the first time I've seen this type of rope halter but I do like the look of them and wouldn't mind getting one for Beau.....of to check Jane's site now........:)

ETA:

Just looked on Jayne's site but......

the company is based in Australia...do you know if Jayne sells the halters Mayoguiness?

[mayoguinness]

I think she has a few over here she sells for the same price. She goes over to Aussie every 6 months or so and stocks up I think:) Might be worth emailing her to see;)

[LodgeRopes]

Hi all :0)

Spliced rope halters (without the usual knots) do look good and are promoted as being 'softer' as there are no knots to cause pressure on the horses face. they are popular with trail riders that keep a rope halter on the horse beneath a regular bridle......BUT.......
Okay, How do I start this without sounding derogative to another halter maker????
The spliced halter in the pic has serious design faults that can cause serious injury to the rider/trainer and severley distress the horse. If you look closely at the halter, it has the cheek strap threaded thru the chin piece to form the noseband, then the join is repeated along the noseband. So in effect, you have the cheek strap threaded thru the chin piece all along the noseband. If the lead rope is pulled hard, the chin piece can and does slide along to 'concentina' the noseband, constricting around the horses head which will send the horse nuts!!!!
I hope I explained that clearly...

We had one of these halters sent to us for repair as it trapped the horse on its first use and the horse went crazy, trapping itself under a fence.. This halter had a small stitch in the 'splice' to hold it in place..that all!!!

many years ago these types of halters were popular in Australia, made by 'back yard' makers...they soon dissapeared due to this problem.

attached are pics of this halter with the noseband stretched back into place and also in the position we received it for repair. This is not one of OUR halters. The owner told us to keep the halter to warn other people, but we thought these halters were all dead and gone as everyone was aware of the problem. The halter was in as new condition when it arrived, but is now a little crumpled as we had it thrown in box of 'other halters'

Sliced halters can be made safe if every join is a double splice, meaning it has the cheek strap thru the chin piece then the chin piece thru the cheek strap , but the 2 splices must be directly next to each other so they limit the movement of the rope join...any other method is dangerous.

If anyone is unsure of what I mean by this double splicing, I would be pleased to 'fake' one in a piece of rope and post the pic.

Hope I have not offended anyone but the prevention of injury to rider and horse is paramount.

[india]

....... If the lead rope is pulled hard, the chin piece can and does slide along to 'concentina' the noseband, constricting around the horses head which will send the horse nuts!!!!

Thanks for the information LodgeRopes. I haven't had my morning cup of coffee yet, so I may have misunderstood the above details, but.....would this mean it could act in the same way as a pressure halter? :confused:

[mayoguinness]

Well I've used it for trailer loading where Mayo has suddenly pulled back hard and it has never tightened around his face and certaintly has never gone nuts. He seems a lot more comforatble and relaxed in it. Jayne has speically asked this company to make them and as a horse trainer I'm sure has checked out to make sure there are no faults, otherwise she would never use them!! She has never said shes had any problems with them and neither have I. They mught be a little better made than th "back yard" makers;)

[LodgeRopes]

Hi India, no it does not act as a pressure halter, a pressure halter is designed to release once the horse gives a little... These single spiced halters bunch up changing the entire shape of the halter and traps the horses head. if you look at the original pic that was posted, look at the off side cheek strap, it passes thru the middle of the other piece of rope that becomes the chin piece that goes down to the fiador knot and loops where the lead attaches. There is nothing locking this join in place. (usually a double overhand knot is used to lock the ropes in position.) Then look at the next join along the noseband, there is nothing locking this in place either, if they are not locked in place...they can move. Now look again, what is really dangerous is that it is the same piece of rope (the cheek strap) that is passing thru the other piece of rope on the noseband, makers used to alternate which rope is pushed thru the centre of the other, this way movement is limited. The halter in the pic has just one rope serpentined thru the other, this means it can scrunch up causing problems.

Mayoguiness.. as i said in my post,i do not intend to offend anyone, but have a good think about it...i dont care how good Jayne is,that is not in question here so dont confuse the seperate issues, the halter is made to a faulty design and is dangerous, and i will be approaching her over this matter.

"Mayo has suddenly pulled back hard and it has never tightened around his face and certaintly has never gone nuts"
I never once inferred that JUST using these types of halters would make a horse go nuts, i clearly explained that....
" the chin piece can and does slide along to 'concentina' the noseband, constricting around the horses head which will send the horse nuts!!!!"

You are lucky that the halter is so loose, this would transfer the energy in a straight line to the poll when the horse pulled back. test the halter yourself, if you can move the rope join where the cheek strap goes thru the chin piece..it is dangerous.

BUT it is your horse, I only warn of dangers we have encountered in 12 years of professionally making rope halters...the rest is up to you.

Dont take it personally, it was not meant to be personal, i am not discrediting you, your horse or jayne, I am talking about a piece of rope!

cheers
Rob

[mayoguinness]

I understand what your saying;) Just in my experience with it and I have used it with manyyi a horse at the yard who have pulled etc. and never had a problem.........if you feel you should, take it up with Jayne, I'm sure she'll know more about it than I do.

[LodgeRopes]

MayoG,
it could be that your particular halter in made by Nungar Knots here in Australia, if so, you will not have any problems with it, NK are a great manufacturer. If your halter is one of theirs it will have the double splices i mentioned in a previous post, these splices will be where the cheek strap joins the throat piece to make the poll strap and on the near side at the eye loop. Bad copies of this design are sold on ebay and thru saddelry stores and have caused dangerous situations. It because of this, I felt it important to warn of design dangers with spliced halters.
One thing does worry me, I was of the opinion that NK alternated the splicing thru the noseband, the posted pic does not have this feature?????
I have emailed cecily at NK to clarify it all.... best thing to do in these situations is to speak with the maker :0)

if anyone is interseted in such a halter, it may be worthwhile to make sure it is a Nungar Knot spliced halter or thoroughly check out the design of any similar halter before you buy.

None of us want problems with training gear..

[LodgeRopes]

Mayoguiness,
Spoke with cecily from Nungar Knots, your halter is one of theirs so you will not have a problem with it..
I know it sounds a little strange for us to be promoting another brand of rope gear, but we do it without hesitation because NK is an Aussie institution and a benchmark in quality and workmanship and the owners of the business have always been of great assistance, we bought some of their training sticks for rope sets we were making at the time.

I hope readers followed the difference between a well made spliced halter and the rubbish ones that often appear for sale at online auction sites.
we hope our contraversial posts have alerted members to the dangers associated with substandard spliced rope halters.

probably the safest way is to ask if it is a Nungar Knots halter.

[Lili & Morgan]

That IS professionalism.

Well done Lodge Rope you do have a passion about rope, and rope halter!

Thanks for the information, very instructive .

[LodgeRopes]

ciao il mio amico

Lili, thank you for the comment. We are lucky as we work with horses and their owners.. and it keeps us in horse feed :0)
we have met the nicest people online and in the round yard.

cheers from the Central Goldfields, Victoria, OZ

[mayoguinness]

Oh yes, sorry I could of told you that and saved all the bother you had to go too. I'm glad you think there ok, I did start to wonder;)

MG:)