Which Pressure / Training Halter ?

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Mareish

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Richard Maxwell / Monty Roberts .......it's a minefield out there :o

Can anyone recommend a good pressure halter and give me your reasons behind the recommendation?

Does anyone have one to sell (LARGE !!)

Thank you in advance

Jo
 
If it's just for teaching some basic manners and giving you a bit more control in a situation then I don't think you can go far wrong with the dually halter. It isn't as harsh as some of the others and there's no poll pressure, which can make some horses go up or even over in some situations.
 
Just to teach some basic ground manners yes, I have a large youngster, he isn't nasty in any way but has never been taught and is sometime quite bargy. He tends to throw his toys out of the pram occasioanlly and strike with a foreleg - I just want a little 'clear' communication between us.

Is the dually easy to understand / use?
 
It's what I was using on Petra in those vids Iron Maiden posted the other day. They're not complicated to fit or use, but like all other halters the trick is in releasing the pressure the moment the horse does what you've asked, or makes any kind of effort in that direction.

They're available online with a DVD showing you how to use them, but aren't particularly cheap (no surprise!). You could try ebay, unless your horse is truly massive the black one ought to be fine. Another option would be to book a groundwork session with your local RA, who could sell you one and save you the P&P and show you exactly how to use it and things to work on at the same time :)

http://www.kellymarks.co.uk/shop/

http://www.kellymarks.co.uk/content.asp?id=8&doc=66
 
Yann said:
If it's just for teaching some basic manners and giving you a bit more control in a situation then I don't think you can go far wrong with the dually halter. It isn't as harsh as some of the others and there's no poll pressure, which can make some horses go up or even over in some situations.
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Oh Yann...........it's not poll pressure which causes horses to go up or even over...........its extremely bad handling, usually by people who have no idea what they're doing!

No halter in the right hands is harsh.........it's the handler using it harshly which causes problems.

If a horse tries to rear in a halter it is because someone is holding onto his head and trying to hold him down.............if the handler learns when to give timely release of the pressure it is fairly straight forward to dissuade a horse from rearing.

I get really frustrated when I take great pains to write long explanations (as I have done on this sight, and by PM's) of how to use pressure halters, and how to prevent horses from rearing, and how to load horses, only to see it all swept away by people who make generalised, sweeping statements such as yours.

Once the handler has perfected the technique required to handle horses with a pressure halter, and when the horse has had a proper fair introduction to such a halter, the transformation (in both horse and handler) is astounding.

The subtlety of the technique is such that a horse can be handled with a piece of string attached to the halter..........there is absolutely no need for any harshness with any pressure halter.

In the course of my work (as I've said before) I handle some extremely spoiled horses and change them into manageable, handleable animals in minutes. Surely that could not be achieved using harsh means. :mad:
 
I'm sorry I seem to be guilty of sweeping away all of your good work:confused: And equally curious to know where I suggested being harsh.

If it's possible to use a pressure halter in such a light fashion as you're suggesting from the word go, then why do you need one at all?
 
end of round one - ding ding !

Ok, Aengusog has been incredibly helpful by PM on the use and benefits of a halter

I just don't know which to choose, I am swayed by one that comes with dvd instruction so thanks Yann

Thanks to you both for your help thus far :)

Ok, carry on ...
 
I'd just use 'any old' rope halter - as long as it fits. Have a look online - over here they'd be 5 to 10 pounds from online tack stores - if you find a cheapie you'd like, I can send it to you if that would work ?
 
You need to differentiate between a rope halter that exerts pressure because the rope is a bit narrower than normal webbing, and a halter that increases pressure because it tightens on the horse.
Maxwell sells both kinds I think.

The Dually can be used in either mode.
But when I used one (on a day course) I did not feel that the rope relaxed of its own accord, and at the Monty Roberts demo last Sunday, I was interested to see that he too seemed to slacken it off, by lifting and adjusting the rope nose piece with his fingers after each time it tightened.

He demonstrated too how to position it with the webbing high up under the cheek bone, i.e. higher than I have been taught to put on a conventional UK webbing head collar.

Watching Monty Roberts, seemed to underline that it is not the type of halter one chooses to use with one's horse, but the way in which one uses it.

And that the choice of halter is a very subjective thing, allied to the handler's perception of the problem with a particular horse. Roberts uses the Dually on every horse and pony.

But because he also uses join up every time, it is impossible to differentiate between the effect of the halter and the effect of join up.

It was noticeable too, that even after join up, Roberts used more assertion in handling the Dually than any woman I have seen use it. So it is hard to know whether it is the assertion of the male trainer (I'd include Michael Peace and Rashid here) in handling a rope halter to get compliance, or the actualy type of halter which is significant.

I'd be inclined to try a rope halter that didnt tighten, and ground training, before resorting to any halter that tightened, but that is because that is the way things are done on my RIs yard.
Think carefully what YOU really really want, because having the halter you trust may give you the confidence and assertion you need to convince your horse.
 
the halter just makes them clearer doesn't it?
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Nope, at least not to my way of thinking. Though I've learned things from many horsemen, I'm not a big fan of some of the people I see mentioned on NR. Here's some thoughts from a "cowboy" that I do really admire.

"Generally, when a horse gets to fighting the adjustments on the head gear, and that'd include those chains they use over the nose, why then someones liable to recommend some other 'tighten-up' rig to put on him to fix the problem."

I believe that the tack is unimportant, it's the handler that most provide the feel and that feel must be "clear" or there just might be confusion for the horse.

Have fun, be safe
Jack
 
So now I'm really confused :confused:

Do I or Don't I try working a little with my youngster in a pressure halter or do I carry on letting the big bumbling fool walk all over me oblivious to his actions because he doesn't know any better and the fact that he is a great deal taller and stronger than me?

I thought this may help me get a clearer message to him ?
 
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I'm going to put a vote in for the Richard Maxwell halter. I have used one with my mare with wonderful results and there was no fighting/harshness etc along the way. She now responds very lightly to the slightest pressure (physical or visual) and generally these days she just reads my body language. I have seen Max in action when my old YO got him out to help with her 16.2 5 year old stallion who had developed serious issues with loading into a trailer. Max worked with him for 2 hours and that was all it took to get the horse loading quietly. I was so impressed with Max's whole way of working with the horse, so quiet and very quick to praise the slightest try from the horse. Since then I've recommended the halter to several friends who have all had very positive experiences with it - one has solved another loading problem, one has used it to help ground train a youngster and another is using it to help with leading a very bargy cob who has forgotten all his manners! As Yann said, the key to any of the halters is the release has to be instant. This is why i like the Maxwell halter. Using his techniques the horse learns to reward itself by releasing the pressure when it stays close to you (ie the rope is slack), this way it is not down to the reflexes of the handler which in my case may not be all that sharp. Ithink it is very important that which ever halter you choose, you should do some study into the philosophy behind how it works and if possible see it being used by an expert. Alos worth noting that pressure halters aren't the final step, they are just a useful tool to use along the way and really you are looking to be able to ditch the halter once you have achieved your training goals. Sorry for the long post and goodluck with your little one:)
 
I've got a Dually headcollar if it helps I thought it was a bit useless. It's just the same concept as a headcollar with a rope over the nose which people have been using for years and is about £40 less expensive. Alps came with his and I've never used it really, no more effective thank a yank on a normal headcollar in concept. The pressure halters that act on the poll as well work well for napping and loading though.
 
I believe that the tack is unimportant, it's the handler that most provide the feel and that feel must be "clear" or there just might be confusion for the horse.
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I thought that's what I'd said?:D

Mareish, you are on the right track, believe me;)
 
the key to any of the halters is the release has to be instant.
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Yep, or actually before instant. :)

I was interested to see that he too seemed to slacken it off, by lifting and adjusting the rope nose piece with his fingers after each time it tightened.
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Seem's to me that (Monty's) "adjusting" the nose piece with his fingers might have interfered with the horses understanding. I know that my horses wouldn't tolerate that kind of handling. They expect the release to be "instant".

Here's another quote from the same horseman I mentioned earlier,

"I missed the little things on the start"



Have fun, be safe

Jack
 
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