# Rope halter vs. Flat halter for training.



## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

If you are paying a trainer, why would you second guess them on something like this? They are the one there who know you and your horse. 

IMO-almost every horse can benefit from a rope halter, since so many of them will "test" at times.
You need to be able to put them in their place quickly and effectively so that a small issue does not become a larger one.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

I'll take a rope halter for training any day (although I'll never tie in one) - as franknbeans suggests, if a horse tests you in a flat halter there's very little you can do and the horse quickly learns to become ignorant of it and rude when being lead which can lead to all sorts of problems. It's very helpful to have the extra "bite" of a rope halter to quickly put paid to testing behaviour before it gets worse and leads to general disrespect. But if you don't like the trainer pushing their name brand halter (assuming they're asking you to buy it) why not buy a good quality one (the sort made from yachting cord) from a tack store?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dixieray53 (Jul 25, 2012)

franknbeans said:


> If you are paying a trainer, why would you second guess them on something like this? They are the one there who know you and your horse.
> 
> IMO-almost every horse can benefit from a rope halter, since so many of them will "test" at times.
> You need to be able to put them in their place quickly and effectively so that a small issue does not become a larger one.


It was my first day meeting her and she meeting me and my horse. So the difference is in the correction time and control ? So why wouldn't you use the rope halter all the time and not own a flat halter ?


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## WickedNag (Sep 7, 2010)

Love my rope halters...


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Rope halters are certainly much better for training purposes. If you're hiring someone to help train your horse, most of them will want to use a rope halter. A flat halter spreads pressure over a wider area, which can dull any correction you give.

I own both a rope and flat halter - At competitions I'll always tie in a flat halter, a horse pulling back in a rope halter can be problematic in an uncontrolled environment - if they really flip out and can't break free, you find horses with broken necks as a result of the rope halter not breaking under extreme pressure.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Rope halters are just safer hands down in my opinion for both horse and handler. If you knot it correctly they are also easy to use if you knot it incorrectly your gonna have a hard time undoing the knot. But anyways rope halter place pressure behind the ears and on the nose. They teach a horse to move off pressure. So if for example your teaching one to stand tied and it starts back up and pull, it learns to get a release of pressure by stopping pulling. A flat halter puts pressure in different spots and it breaks easier so they learn release incorrectly by breaking the halter. So then the horse says if I pull long enough I can escape but in a rope halter they learn pressure hurts, better quit pulling and they get their release correctly. Or if you have one that is flighty or scared you can grab their attention quicker or it can be a quicker behavior correction device. There are tons of uses for rope halters, I'm not even scratching the surface of uses and I love them. I use rope halters on my broke horses as well as my unbroken ones. I own flat halters and occasionally I use one to grab one of my broke horses out of the pasture but 99% of the time I have a rope halter in my hands.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

dixieray53 said:


> It was my first day meeting her and she meeting me and my horse. So the difference is in the correction time and control ? So why wouldn't you use the rope halter all the time and not own a flat halter ?


Lots of people do exactly that 

I only use my flat halter when he is on a "break day" -- meaning, no training, no schooling, no real work expected of him. He gets a couple of hours of grooming, handwalking, and maybe gets turned loose in the arena to run around a bit (at his own pace and direction).

When I ride, I always use a rope halter. I ride on the trails a LOT and prefer to keep a rope halter on under the bridle, so it's more convenient for me to just start with a rope halter.

Many people do not do a lot of groundwork with their horses, so don't get very concerned about the correction and control that a rope halter gives.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Rope halters are a really good training tool if the person using it knows what they are doing with it, but they can be used as just a general halter for every day use, depending on their construction and the type of rope they are made with. Personally, I like them because I can whip one up with about 6 meters of rope in about 15 minutes and don’t need to spend a bunch of money on it. As for the brand name ones, I think it's all [email protected]*%, Parelli didn’t invent them, neither did Clinton Anderson, people have been using them for who knows how long.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I am not a fan of rope halters. I have a horse that is really ****y/angry in a rope halter. Her first trainer used one and whatever the did was really inappropriate because this mare pins her ears and gets hostile in a rope halter. She is fine in a flat halter. I think in the end a rope halter is only as good as the person putting it on. A lot of people seem to think it will fix all the behavior problems a horse has. I don't think thats true. I see a lot of folks putting them on wrong (they tie the knot so it pokes the horse in the eye). They are a harder halter then a flat halter and in my opinion less likely to break in an emergency. I also find them harder to fit to horses. A lot of people have these poorly fitted rope halters on horses and then it does not do much except annoy me. You can't put a chain over the nose or lip with them which is the main form of restraint I need to do in a day. I also think its easy as heck to make and people get scammed into spending 30 bucks on something they could make at home for about 5.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

AnrewPL said:


> Rope halters are a really good training tool if the person using it knows what they are doing with it, but they can be used as just a general halter for every day use, depending on their construction and the type of rope they are made with. Personally, I like them because I can whip one up with about 6 meters of rope in about 15 minutes and don’t need to spend a bunch of money on it. As for the brand name ones, I think it's all [email protected]*%, Parelli didn’t invent them, neither did Clinton Anderson, people have been using them for who knows how long.


I don't have a rope halter that has cost me over 10 bucks lol. I think those name brand ones are a money making scheme. Anyways if you do get a rope halter get one that looks sturdy at your local tack store look up how to fit it and tie it properly! If you use it correctly they are a wonderful tool to have.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Yep, its down right criminal how much some people are charging for rope halters, I heard somewhere that the Clinton Anderson version costs over 40 bucks, unbelievable.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

AnrewPL said:


> Yep, its down right criminal how much some people are charging for rope halters, I heard somewhere that the Clinton Anderson version costs over 40 bucks, unbelievable.


Yeah I've seen them its absolutely ridiculous! I just bought one the other day for $6.99 at atwoods and I'm teaching myself how to make them at the moment . Rope halters have helped me so much I have a mare that they used to put nylon halter with a chain on her nose to make her mind I retrained her in a rope halter now she doesn't pull or rear up anymore. I HATE chains personally all it did was hurt her she didn't really learn anything. She learned respect for the halter and that it doesn't necessarily mean pain. Pressure then release that is the way they learn.


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

Oh yeah, they can be a good bit of gear, but like most stuff, depends on how they are used. Another thing I might add to is that if you get one made out of something like starter cord (the recommended stuff for the Parelli training) they last forever, I've had mine for 18 years.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

AnrewPL said:


> Oh yeah, they can be a good bit of gear, but like most stuff, depends on how they are used. Another thing I might add to is that if you get one made out of something like starter cord (the recommended stuff for the Parelli training) they last forever, I've had mine for 18 years.


Oh thank you for the tip I was wondering what would be best as far as cord goes so I appreciate that!!! And agreed anything can be used incorrectly I'm sure when I first started out I didn't use it completely right either. But now that I've been using them for years and done lots of studying plus what I've learned myself I love them!


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## AnrewPL (Jun 3, 2012)

About 8th to ¼ inch nylon starter cord is good (¼ inch is probably the better choice), but keep in mind that it does bite in if you go yanking on it, thats kind of the point, but part of the point is to learn to uses that aspect of them as the end of a force continuum that starts off as gentile as possible and only gets “bitey” if need be, and when I make one I try to make it fit the horse as best I can and not make it so it rubs/wears on them. And hell, none of us ever start off knowing how to do things. The only thing that has saved me in my history training horses has been that many of the horses I have trained have been more forgiving and easy going that I maybe deserved, I've never been mean with them, just a bit stupid and ignorant, and probably a tadd too enthusiastic, sometimes. I guess the important thing is to try to constantly learn and improve what we are doing.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

AnrewPL said:


> About 8th to ¼ inch nylon starter cord is good (¼ inch is probably the better choice), but keep in mind that it does bite in if you go yanking on it, thats kind of the point, but part of the point is to learn to uses that aspect of them as the end of a force continuum that starts off as gentile as possible and only gets “bitey” if need be, and when I make one I try to make it fit the horse as best I can and not make it so it rubs/wears on them. And hell, none of us ever start off knowing how to do things. The only thing that has saved me in my history training horses has been that many of the horses I have trained have been more forgiving and easy going that I maybe deserved, I've never been mean with them, just a bit stupid and ignorant, and probably a tadd too enthusiastic, sometimes. I guess the important thing is to try to constantly learn and improve what we are doing.


Thanks for the tip and I completely agree with you. You and I think a like.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I don't know how we ever managed to have mannerly horses when all we had was a flat leather halter. The first I ever saw a chain used was the qh people in a halter class. I thought this was generally reserved for stallions, not mares and geldings.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

rookie said:


> I am not a fan of rope halters. I have a horse that is really ****y/angry in a rope halter. Her first trainer used one and whatever the did was really inappropriate because this mare pins her ears and gets hostile in a rope halter. She is fine in a flat halter. I think in the end a rope halter is only as good as the person putting it on. A lot of people seem to think it will fix all the behavior problems a horse has. I don't think thats true. I see a lot of folks putting them on wrong (they tie the knot so it pokes the horse in the eye). They are a harder halter then a flat halter and in my opinion less likely to break in an emergency. I also find them harder to fit to horses. A lot of people have these poorly fitted rope halters on horses and then it does not do much except annoy me. You can't put a chain over the nose or lip with them which is the main form of restraint I need to do in a day. I also think its easy as heck to make and people get scammed into spending 30 bucks on something they could make at home for about 5.


First-Dancing Arabian-I do occassionally use a regular halter, especially to tie or trailer, but-keep in mind, that even on a "break day" if you have a **** ant like I do-he WILL try you. Guaranteed. And also remember that anytime you handle your horse it is learning something. So, technically there is no such thing as "break day".

Rookie-First, they will NOT, as stated, break in an emergency. That is why many of us will not tie or trailer in one. Secondly, it is pretty difficult for one to be "poorly fitted". Put on wrong-ie too loose, to tight-but they are pretty adjustable. Lastly, if you know how to use one properly, and have an appropriate lead, you should not need a chain on the lip, etc. Have no need for any of my leads with chains anymore-in act-got rid of all of them, and my horses are much easier to handle, and I do not have to fight with them. THey actually learn in a rope halter. A chain is simple a restraint. No need to restrain if they actually learn manners. JMHO.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

franknbeans said:


> First-Dancing Arabian-I do occassionally use a regular halter, especially to tie or trailer, but-keep in mind, that even on a "break day" if you have a **** ant like I do-he WILL try you. Guaranteed. And also remember that anytime you handle your horse it is learning something. So, technically there is no such thing as "break day".


I didn't say or mean that everyone used a rope halter for all occasions on every horse, sheesh. Of COURSE there are exceptions and instances where one is better over the other. When MY HORSE is working, he's in a rope halter. When he's in a trailer or on a "break day", he's in a flat halter.

I'm very aware that every time I handle my horse he is learning something. I never said nor implied that a "break day" means he can do whatever he wants. I said that there's no training involved, as in, I'm not making demands of him. I'm not asking him to bend this way, or lift his back or stop doing a giraffe impression. All he has to do is have good manners - bad manners are corrected immediately, break day or not. I do consider it a "break day" when the only expectation I have of him is to have good manners. My horse will certainly try to test me on occasion, in very small ways, and they are all corrected immediately - regardless of day.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

DancingArabian said:


> I didn't say or mean that everyone used a rope halter for all occasions on every horse, sheesh. Of COURSE there are exceptions and instances where one is better over the other. When MY HORSE is working, he's in a rope halter. When he's in a trailer or on a "break day", he's in a flat halter.
> 
> I'm very aware that every time I handle my horse he is learning something. I never said nor implied that a "break day" means he can do whatever he wants. I said that there's no training involved, as in, I'm not making demands of him. I'm not asking him to bend this way, or lift his back or stop doing a giraffe impression. All he has to do is have good manners - bad manners are corrected immediately, break day or not. I do consider it a "break day" when the only expectation I have of him is to have good manners. My horse will certainly try to test me on occasion, in very small ways, and they are all corrected immediately - regardless of day.


Any horse can need correction any time-even YOUR HORSE. Just because you are not actively training him does not mean that he won't have a brain fart and act stupid and get into your space (as an example). If you have him in a flat halter, it may be more difficult to correct. That is all I am saying. I am not accusing you of not correcting YOUR HORSE. I know if I am in a hurry and grab the first halter I come to (a flat one) and go out and get my guy he will try to eat at least 5x on the way into the barn. If I have the rope on him-once-maybe twice (he is a **** ant)corrected-and we are done. But then-I have one who will take every inch he is given, so I am super aware of it.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Lets just simmer down now I think you jumped the gun on accusations there.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Peppy Barrel Racing said:


> Lets just simmer down now I think you jumped the gun on accusations there.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


What? If you are referring to me, just FYI-I only used CAPS because she did. Not sure why, but she has her panties all in a bunch. I made no accusations......plus, we have mods who have stars by their names......;-) Thanks tho.

Back on track.......


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Lol whatever. For starters you're the one that picked at people and went off topic and I'm not going waste my time and argue with you, you seem to be the type that must be right so congratulations I hope it makes u feel better. I'm so sorry to the OP that your question is being interrupted by nit picking.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Barrelracer00 (Sep 9, 2012)

Rope halters are great. If your horse is very strong, it is a good consideration since all horses, trained or not, have their moments.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

Hi Franknbeans
I agree a well trained horse should not need a chain. Then again a well trained horse should do well in mild restraint (ie a flat halter). I know they are adjustable but I have seen a lot of them poorly fitted and poorly used. I am not saying they don't have a place. I am saying I see a lot of people call the vet out for vaccines. When we arrive they are chasing the dam horse around with this rope halter trying to catch it. When the owner does catch the horse they don't know how to tie the halter on. Meanwhile the horse, is a total snot. I end up running to run to the truck for the twitch or tranq. We can't chain their nose or lip because you can't fit it. In the space of the appointment I don't have time (or the ego) to "fix" their horses unasked. I just see a lot of poorly behaved horses and their owners using rope halters. As a result, from what I have seen I am not the biggest fan of rope halters. Its not the law its just my opinion. 

Heck the farrier has a huge heavy halter. Its actually really cool for snotty horses, its got a metal loop for the noseband. He puts that on the snotty horses and shakes it on the nose. They snap right into line. Its great, it weighs about 15 pounds, but I would not use it on a horse that does not need it. 

In the end, rope halters are a polarizing one. I think the original poster should do what she feels works for her and her horse. I don't think you should buy a product because someone else told you its the best thing ever. You should buy a product because you think can help or benefit you and your horse in some way.


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## EvilHorseOfDoom (Jun 17, 2012)

As I've stated earlier in the thread, I love rope halters (but also have a flat halter for tying because I've seen horses with permanent scarring around the poll area from pulling back in a rope halter). But I think I know what rookie is talking about too. However, those horses are badly trained not because of the rope halter but because the people who own them have no idea what they're doing. The reason why they have a rope halter is because some DVD or website told them that was the thing to buy (I'm not against NH per se, but there are a lot of very ignorant owners incorrectly practicing it out there, and most of them have rope halters).

I don't think it is necessarily wrong to only use flat halters on your horse but I know that if I were asked to deal with an unknown horse (especially in a training situation) there is no way I'd agree to do it without a rope halter as I wouldn't know what kind of resistance to pressure I was going to meet. The last thing anyone wants when trying to train a horse is to find out it doesn't react to the pressure of a flat halter when that is the only option - all that will do is result in a bunch of disrespect and the horse not learning anything good.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

Agree rookie-understand what you have to deal with...all of those who watch a video and think they know how to wiggle a rope. 

Anyway, with respect to the OP, I agree she should do what she wants, BUT, when you pay a trainer, one of the things you pay them for is their opinion. If you are already questioning the first thing the suggest, perhaps they need to reevaluate the choice of trainer.


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## Peppy Barrel Racing (Aug 16, 2011)

Yeah I agree you definitely can't just put a rope on every type of horse. For some horses who don't know how to work off pressure it could be dangerous if you tied one definitely, that's why I work with young horses for awhile before trying to tie with one. As previously stated some horses have broken their necks because rope halted usually won't break. I say try it out and if its not for you go back to what your more comfortable with. Like I said I love them they are great when used properly.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## dixieray53 (Jul 25, 2012)

franknbeans said:


> Agree rookie-understand what you have to deal with...all of those who watch a video and think they know how to wiggle a rope.
> 
> Anyway, with respect to the OP, I agree she should do what she wants, BUT, when you pay a trainer, one of the things you pay them for is their opinion. If you are already questioning the first thing the suggest, perhaps they need to reevaluate the choice of trainer.


My original thought was which is better. There have been many helpful answers. But when my horse blows up the first time with the trainer and yes maybe she ( the horse ) was being somewhat non-compliant, I have to question is it the halter or a heavy handed trainer. Dixie has very good ground manors for the most part. She will nudge, but easily corrected, stop to graze, once, but a good yank on the flat halter and a firm NO gets her head back in the game. The trainer will be here again this Thursday and will see how sesion 2 goes. Like I said in the beginning, I am looking for a trainer to train me. I will use my flat halter on her until I see it make a difference in THIS HORSE's demeanor. Thanks Again for the lively fun discussion. Oh check out my gender .....LOL :lol:


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

OOOPPPPsie Sorry.


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