This message is from: Marsha Jo Hannah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > I am only concerned about the possibility of a halter without metal > as I have three horses out of seven which have problems with the metal > causing sores. This is why I asked about rope halters.
I would be even MORE concerned about rope halters causing sores! Halter rubs happen because the halter is moving with respect to the horse's hide. On pasture, this is because the horse is biting off grass, chewing it, and swallowing---the jaws move in opposing directions, and the halter can't "move with" both parts at once---it has to slide across, hence rub, some part of the animal's face. Rope halters are put together with knots. In fact, much of their appeal in "natural horsemanship"-style training is those knots, which form small pressure points, the better to get "messages" across to an inattentive equine. In a pasture situation, those knots are going to rub off not just hair, but also hide! Rope halters are also risky in terms of animals getting caught in them. An equine that is shod behind is at risk of getting his halter hung between the heel of the shoe and the hoof, if he scratches at an itchy spot on his face. Rope halters are unlikely to break. I've got one Fjord who's sometimes hard to catch, but no, I won't leave a halter on him any time that I'm not on the other end of the lead rope, or within a few feet of him. It's just too big a risk, IMHO. For nylon halters that rub in other situations, the first thing to do is wash them thoroughly to get out all chemicals, and especially any burs. The second thing is to rinse them very, VERY well, in HOT water---leftover detergent can scald an equine, and despite what the soap box tells you, cold water rinses often don't do the job. Check the halter for any rough stitching or rough spots where the ends of the nylon are melted to stop them from fraying---often, it's not the metal, but the doubled and sewn layers of nylon, next to the metal, that cause problems. Next, try padding the halter pressure points with "fuzzies". Note that this can cause problems if the horse gets his head down into burs, foxtails, etc---you'll have to keep picking out the lumpies. (It's a common problem with fly masks around here.) Or, use leather turnout halters, which are less likely to irritate than nylon, and are usually engineered to break when hung up. Marsha Jo Hannah Murphy must have been a horseman-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] anything that can go wrong, will! 30 mi SSE of San Francisco, Calif. -------
