Do You Feel Safe When Riding In A Halter?

[Dales_Lover]

???

I made my mare a side pull halter the other day (Thankyou Jay.O!), and rode her out with it underneath the bridle. We had not bad brakes (not as good as in our 'normal' halter) and lovely steering - even though we kept to tracks, I'm not sure whether I'd want to ride with that on its own out and about. I know I can bring her back in a bridle to a walk reasonably quickly if something scares her and she bolts - I'm not too keen on trying that out in the side pull tho! I may for a while ride her in the bridle and the side pull, just so I know I have that extra control. Hopefully by the time I get started on the Parelli (just have to wait for my equipment to come through now) I'll have have more confidence to go out with just the side pull. By the way I do use weight aids to shift down a gear, they just don't work when she gets scared by the dirt bikes and decided's to bomb off!

In my 'normal' halter (one of Showjumper's ones), we had brilliant brakes and I'm always riding her up to her field in that, but sadly our steering isn't too great! She also responds well to being ridden in a normal headcollar (if I've left her halter up the field or at home).

I love riding in the halter, and my mare loves not having the bit in her teeth, and she can really stretch out and relax. I've just got to find the confidence to use it out and about everywhere now!

So, do you always ride in a halter? How long did it take for you to feel confident enough to use it out on hacks and on the roads?
And most importantly of all, do you feel safe when riding in it?

x

[Esther.D]

I feel safe riding in mine, but all our hacking is off road......so I have not tested whether I would feel safe on the roads in it. Generally I feel more relaxed with it (I think that is because Rupert relaxes in it) so I do feel safer. I have just bought a natural hackamore (just the Parelli halter with rope reins and 12ft line attached - ordered from America though - identical to Parelli but cheaper ;) ) so I am going to have a try with that this weekend.

[Jay.o]

Your welcome! How did it come out did you use the rings or like the one on the website you showed me?

I made mine and I feel completely safe in mine (touch wood). I got on her in the school with a headcoller a couple of times, then made my halter and went for a hack one morning. My dad stayed at the yard to wait for me for the first week or so. And I only went out for about 10 minutes in it.

Yes, I always ride out in my halter. I never use a bit anymore and dont really ever intend to. I havent really been out on the roads in mine. Actually my first road adventure was going to be today, but we'll see how the weather pans out first! I am confident in the woods with her. There are dirt bikes here too, really annoying but Mysy isnt spooked easily so I dont find them a problem. If she was to bolt, I would let her I think, and gradually pull her back to me. If she bolted on the road though, I am not sure what I would do, lol. She has come across a tractor though in the halter, and that wsnt scary!

Insurance: I had a chat with my insurers who gvae me confidence. they said i would be covered riding bitless or not, so that wasnt a problem!

And yes, i do feel safe riding it in. Mysy is a lot happier and more relaxed.

[Dales_Lover]

Originally posted by Jay.o
Insurance: I had a chat with my insurers who gvae me confidence. they said i would be covered riding bitless or not, so that wasnt a problem!

Just out of interest who do you have? I think I've asked you this before :rolleyes:

I made the one with the rings like yours in the end - those little loops were just too fiddly for me - and I wanted to make it now! And in under an hour I had done :rolleyes:

Ebony is getting better with the dirt bikes - since she got spooked at the old yard and I fell off, she'd rather run away with me home than go head on for a challenge :rolleyes: that's why we have avoided the roads so far, but we are getting there (this darn wind isn't helping tho!)!

x

[Jay.o]

I am with NFU, the person that works in the horse insurance section actually has horses and someone else in the office rides bitless, so they are all for it apparently :D:D

Mysy hasnt been on the roads in months really, I always go in the woods now, but this menas shes not exposed to traffic. I hae to do a blance of the two it hink, so thats why I am trying to go on the roads today.

I would avoid it if its windy though. If you're uneasy, and shes a bit nervous, then the wond wont help lol! I am sure you'll both be fine though!

Good Luck!

:D

[Dales_Lover]

Ahh thats ok then - I'm with NFU too - I had this scottish chap chatting to me though :p

I'm undecided about what to do with the roads - do I wait till the winter when all the grockles have gone but bad weather, or go in the good weather now (well, in the summer!) and get all the grockle traffic?

Decisions decisions :rolleyes:

Anyway, back to the original topic......!

[Jay.o]

LoL, grockle, I love that word - its so, so devonshire lol!

I used to live in devon with all these grockles (lol - brilliant word) but wasnt horsey there. Now I live in Berkshire, not a beach in sight, full of big towns and motor ways and huge business parks - not a grockle in sight lol!

If you live near a beach, you could hack to that one evening when ts quiet. Or just go round the lanes. Where i used to live, Cockington was a horsey place and not many grockles when there often. Just quiet lil' lanes.

[Dales_Lover]

'Grockle' is a great word :D

Ahh yes we have a beach just 10 mins hacking distance from the yard (all tracks) - but guess which little pony is scared of the waves :rolleyes:

We only get grockles going down to the beach and on the road, the dirt bikes go everywhere else - we have to miss riding on a Sunday evening though, as that is 'dirt bike' time :nods:

Hehe I went riding at Cockington once - pony cantered instead of trotting :rolleyes:

[Jay.o]

10 mniutes, wow you are lucky!! I think ours is a place in the New Forest called Lyminton or Leep and it would take about 2 hours with a trialer I am guessing!! :rolleyes: Bless her, I take it she wont go in the sea yet then? Would lvoe to do that with mysy. At the moment we are content taking advantage of the flood at the dip of the hill on the Yard road lol!

I never went riding at Cockington :(. I went in one of those big carriages though, pulled by the big horseys :D:D. I did go sledging though at cockington when we had a lot of snow one year - '94 that must have been.....

[Yann]

I don't actually ride in a halter (apart from a Dually) but rather in a 'no bit' bitless bridle which amounts to much the same thing. In answer to the first question, no you have less control than with a bit, though it's normally enough. I don't ride out bitless on fast work in company for that reason.

However we do hack out on the roads bitless on a regular basis without any problem. Rio's happier that way so that's fine by me.

[dophi_arno]

I ride Harashee out in a halter. We've only started riding out recently in which time we've done roads, bush, sand tracks, heavy and light traffic, tennis courts, football games (with lots of cheering), bulldozers, jumps, green ovals... pretty much everything you'd expect to find in a sporting city area.
I find I have very good control. Today we went for a gallop up a sand track and I could easily bring him back to a canter/trott/walk when asked (using the parelli trombone technique) ... but I spent ages, ie, at least 3 months working only in the arena to make sure that I could do everything there before going out to the 'real world'. Working in the arena also boosted my confidence a heap, can recommend it :) !

[Showjumper]

I used to adore riding Dolly in a halter, and still use it riding around the field, and up and down the lane, but I stick the No Bit Bridle on her if we're doing any roadwork as it offers better brakes and steering :)

[RachelEvent]

I ride in a Parelli natural hackamore about two or three times a week (I use a bridle for hacking on the road, dressage and eventing competitions)

I have to say that I feel 100% safe in it. My brakes and steering are just as good, if not better, than they are in a bridle. I can turn either using direct rein aids, or Ferdie seemed to pick up neck reining without being taught, so we can do that as well. HE can do flying changes being ridden in a halter with one rein, just by lying the rope on the opposite side of the neck in canter :eek: won't do it with a bridle on mind. He doesn't find the bridle uncomfortable, he just enjoys bitless! I don't hack out on the road in it, as I'm not sure where I stand with insurance, and we have only busy roads around here. I hack out around the farm tracks (lucky me, there are about 4 miles of them in the summer!) wearing the halter and we happily go in any pace on a totally loose rein. I follow the Parelli 'instructions' for riding in the halter, as to be honest, they have worked brill! I have jumped cross country including water and ditches, cantered in company, showjumped etc. in the halter in fact, tomorrow, weather permitting, mum is going to video me showjumping in it (PROOF!)

I'd be more than happy to compete wearing it, but unfortunately it goes against both British Eventing and Pony Club rules. I am going to do some TREC competitions next year, and I will be able to use it for them :D

The one thing I wouldn't use it for is dressage schooling.. for that, I'm afraid I need my bridle. His dressage has come so far now with the bridle, and as I want to do well at affiliated level eventing, and maybe pure dressage, he must go well in the bit.

Rachel xx