Be nice halter

Clava

Clava

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Apr 24, 2008
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On the South Downs, Hampshire
Where is the best place to buy one (website?) and is that the best sort of halter to get? I've just started reading about NH, I'm a complete beginner at this Natural Horsemanship thing (but won't rush into anything with lots of research) and I'd like to do some ground work to improve my relationship with my horse (including, leading, tethering...not being walked on etc). Any advice?
 
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have you tried the Horse and Harmony site they do parelli style halters.
They work brilliantly on my horse.
They work with the pressure and release system.
my friend has got a dually halter (Monty Roberts ) for her 2yr old and she finds that works better for him, not sure where to get one of those but eBay is a good place to buy second hand if you just want to experiment.
V x
 
trojan44@ntlwor said:
have you tried the Horse and Harmony site they do parelli style halters.
They work brilliantly on my horse.
They work with the pressure and release system.
my friend has got a dually halter (Monty Roberts ) for her 2yr old and she finds that works better for him, not sure where to get one of those but eBay is a good place to buy second hand if you just want to experiment.
V x
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Many thanks, I'll look it up. Which style halter would people recommend? the Be nice or one of the others - are they very different?
 
Parelli style halters are very good. I use mine all the time, a cheapy off Ebay and the best investment IMO. No grass grabbing on the way to and from the field and she's easily controllable in it. I made my own long leadrope though, out of yachting rope and gave it a handle. I can't get on with normal headcollars at all anymore.
 
9tails said:
Parelli style halters are very good. I use mine all the time, a cheapy off Ebay and the best investment IMO. No grass grabbing on the way to and from the field and she's easily controllable in it. I made my own long leadrope though, out of yachting rope and gave it a handle. I can't get on with normal headcollars at all anymore.
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Thanks, I did see some on ebay, but wasn't sure if they were copies (knotted bits of rope), so the parelli style ones do the pressure / release thing.
 
I swear my my haltie, simple but efficient with results.

google get knotted rope halter, amd you will find addy........:cool:got the reigns now to go with it and that is next on the list:p
 
jinglejoys said:
The Be Nice isn't really for Novices,I'd reccomend the Parelli or Lodge rope.:)
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Thanks for that but although pressure / release halters may be new to me I've been riding for 36 years and I would not describe myself as a "novice", (having owned foals all their lives to old age) anything I use I will do so with extreme care as you should with all training aids.
 
what JJ should possibly have said is that the Be Nice is at the nuclear end of the spectrum as far as training halters go. A plain rope halter (expensive or otherwise) should work nicely for you, but bear in mind the thinner they are, the more severe they are. They don't close like a Be Nice or Dually, but the effect is the same. I like the Dually too, it's actually milder than a thin rope halter IMHO and is very handy if you want to extend your groundwork into long lining etc. Whatever you use, it's all about the timing :)
 
A plain rope halter is a good start.

I have a be nice halter,and it can be quite severe, if you horse doesn't have any leading issues and you just want to do some groundwork then a rope halter is probably better.

I use my be nice when Shay is having one of his moments as he can drag me in a rope halter and I have carpal tunnel, so can't grip as well.
 
I think Jinglejoys meant you are "novice" when it comes to NH. :D This is something I have to gently explain to quite a lot of experienced horse people when I'm organising my clinics, no offence is meant.
Some of the rope halters on EBay are absolutely rubbish. The fit is dreadful and the quality is pants. If you look here - http://www.freewebs.com/lodgeropes/ropehalters.htm there is good info about quality and fit. (And it's a good place to order halters from!).
 
Thanks everyone, that is just the sort of advice I was hoping for. The be nice can be severe, the wider the rope the milder, ebay is rather hit and miss.... and I should probably start with a rope halter. No real offence was taken at being called a novice, just woke up tired and feeling old, with a babysitter booked for a ride and it tipping down with rain (wanted to try my hoof boots out). However, time was well used spent in the stable having a long grooming conversation with my horse, practicing standing and moving away from me (not on me) with lots of success, very satisfying.:D
 
Clava

There are many different types of pressure halter on the market..........each with their own spiel about how they can benefit horse and handler.

Naturally, you will want to make the best choice.

I work with horses every day, some more difficult than others, and I use Be-Nice halters on all of them. I find them to be very good across the board.

Even the most difficult horses I've encountered have only needed a Be-Nice halter, a long rope, and a sensible, informed introduction to the halter to teach them how to yield to pressure, and they have become changed for the better in a very short space of time.

Personally, I don't see the point in using one type of halter most of the time, and another when the horse misbehaves, when I can use one type all the time without any problems arising.

How to yield to pressure is the most important lesson in a horse's training, and good early training in this will set the horse up for almost everything which follows.

Many people have Be-Nice halters hanging on dusty hooks in their tackrooms, having tried them once without fully understanding the principals of how they work.......their horses having been mishandled in them and spoilt as a result. These people will tell you the halters are no good, or they don't work on their horse, when really they are at fault through having no incentive to use the thing properly.

Be-Nice halters have a cross-over system of tightening and slackening. The rope runs through a large ring under the throat which allows for instant release of the pressure as soon as the horse yields.

Used as a method of restraint, in harsh hands, by a person with no real intent to train, they could be bad for horses, but one could say that of most horsemanship 'tools' in those circumstances.

If, as I suspect, you have a compassionate approach to horse training, and want to get the best from your horse whilst building, and maintaining, a relationship based on mutual trust and respect, you would do well to consider buying a Be-Nice halter.

:)
 
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Yann said:
what JJ should possibly have said is that the Be Nice is at the nuclear end of the spectrum as far as training halters go. A plain rope halter (expensive or otherwise) should work nicely for you, but bear in mind the thinner they are, the more severe they are. They don't close like a Be Nice or Dually, but the effect is the same. I like the Dually too, it's actually milder than a thin rope halter IMHO and is very handy if you want to extend your groundwork into long lining etc. Whatever you use, it's all about the timing :)
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Yann, my friend

You really should take a trip to Scotland.

I'd be pleased to open your eyes on this one. :)

It's the hands that dictate the severity of any halter.
 
LOL! I'd love to come and meet you and watch you work :) I don't have anything against the Be Nice, as you say it is the handler that determines how severe something is. However if you're initially not 100% sure of what you're doing all I was suggesting is that something slightly more forgiving wouldn't necessarily be a bad idea, that's all :)
 
AengusOg said:
....It's the hands that dictate the severity of any halter.
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That's not always the case, especially if you have an exceptionaly claustrophobic horse....

I've included the link below rather than re-type my views and experience of the BN halter

http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=156579

I totally agree with Yann's comment, "the Be Nice is at the nuclear end of the spectrum as far as training halters go"
 
Ameliet

Believe it or not, I do recall our recent correspondence on this matter.

I may have taken you seriously then...............

Like you, I don't see the point in repeating myself too often.

:D:p
 
AengusOg said:
Ameliet

Believe it or not, I do recall our recent correspondence on this matter.

I may have taken you seriously then...............

Like you, I don't see the point in repeating myself too often.

:D:p
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Thank you both, I have read the thread in full and all your replies. I may be a novice at NH, but even though I say so myself, I am reasonably sensitive horse person and with extreme care (and after more reading and research, possible go and see one in action), I think I'll give the Be Nice a try with some simple exercises (when I eventually get one). I would like to really work on my relationship with Belle so that we become a close team. She's not too bad to handle, but can be pushy and thinks she should be the lead horse in most things. I want to gradually show her that she's doesn't need to be and it's Ok to stand still and relax a bit and let me show her the way. ( as these halters are quite expensive...it may be a while, so I shall keep doing our groundwork in the meantime with an ordinary halter)
 
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