# Safety using a rope halter?



## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

I want to use a rope halter, but I'm worried about safety issues since they can't break during the case of an emergency.

I thought about using lead ropes with a quick release snap, but they don't seem to make those...

I also thought about only tying them to something like this:
Blocker Tie Ring - Hardware/Fasteners from SmartPak Equine

*However, *I don't want my horse to learn that if they pull hard enough they can get loose, so for that reason I DO want to only use solid halters/leads/hitching arrangements. 

What would you recommend? Thanks


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## Breezy2011 (Nov 23, 2012)

If you find a good rope halter, it the horse pulls hard enough (it has to be really hard, or a lot of hard tugs) the knot you do up will come undone, it is safe. Web or nylon halters are too easy to break, last week I was trailer loading my filly for the first time and she was wearing a web halter, I clipped her to a trailer tie and she freaked out and broke the halter... so I like using rope halters in training, just IMHO


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## aforred (May 12, 2010)

You could make a lead rope with a panic snap. Something like Select Stable Lead w/ looped-in Montana Snap PNW Select (Supplies Tack - Halters Leads - Leads)

All you need is a snap off an old trailer tie or cross tie. You can also make a rope with a loop at the end, push the loop through the ring of the panic snap, and pull it over the snap. If I didn't explain that well enough, let me know.

ETA: Like this, but with a panic snap. http://www.statelinetack.com/item/tough-1-poly-lead-w-replace-trigger-bull-snap/E005332/


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## hemms (Apr 18, 2012)

I like to commit, one way or the other. For myself, it depends on the horse and whatever the issue is. Our three are ROCK solid fellows, one of them in training, one of them requiring constant respect reminding. 

I've had success with blank slates by never allowing another option to enter their scope of understanding. A horse that comes with issues may need a different approach. 

Even when we haul, we use rope halters and carry knives for emergencies.^shrug^ It's just our way. I like łnowing my equipment won't fail.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

The only safe thing is to have a sharp knife on you.....
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## 6gun Kid (Feb 26, 2013)

Phly said:


> The only safe thing is to have a sharp knife on you.....
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


every rider should have one every time they ride, lead, trailer, etc. etc.


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## petitepyromaniac (Oct 12, 2010)

Here I was, over complicating things, when the answer was really simple: Have a knife handy. Thank you for bringing me back to reality! I feel kind of stupid now, haha. 

What would I do without the Horse Forum?!


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Breezy2011 said:


> If you find a good rope halter, it the horse pulls hard enough (it has to be really hard, or a lot of hard tugs) the knot you do up will come undone, it is safe. Web or nylon halters are too easy to break, last week I was trailer loading my filly for the first time and she was wearing a web halter, I clipped her to a trailer tie and she freaked out and broke the halter... so I like using rope halters in training, just IMHO


I don't know what type of rope is used in the halter you use or the type of knot you use, but every knot I've seen with a rope halter will tighten, not come undone or slip loose. 

The only way I could think of it happening is with a thicker and stiff rope. 

I've only had one nylon web halter break and that was the buckle breaking. I have had several lead ropes and tie downs break before the halter breaks.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Light (Mar 4, 2012)

I don't have a vast amount of experience, only what I have learned with my own horse over the last year and a half. 

My horse has an issue with pulling back. 

Every time a horse pulls back it risks damage to the nerves in their neck and could potentially cause neurologic problems.

If a horse really pulls back hard and what ever is holding him, halter or lead rope, breaks the horse could really damage himself or a person.

Any metal parts have a chance of hurting you or the horse if something does break and it goes flying.

What worked/works with my horse is a really thick, strong rope halter and the blocker tie ring.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

If you have a not too strong clip on the lead it should break. I find the clips on leads break before webbing halters anyway. 

I've always used rope halters, and they're much better I think. I haven't had any real safety issues with it. No more than I had with webbing ones.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

If you tie the CORRECT knot, it is able to be undone no matter how tight it has been pulled.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## oh vair oh (Mar 27, 2012)

I use the blocker tie ring with my rope halter. There are different ways you can loop the rope through the tie ring to tie it loose, harder, and hardest. But even on the hardest setting if your horse has a freakout, it will slowly let rope release to the horse.

My yearling uses this to train to tie and she has set back on it. The blocker will slowly feed out rope to your horse, and usually a few steps backwards is all it takes to make your horse feel safe again. Or it gives you more time to run over and help them out. The worst thing I've seen when a horse is tied to something solid and their halter suddenly snaps is that they flip over from the momentum. I don't tie to anything but the blocker in a rope halter.


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## BarrelracingArabian (Mar 31, 2010)

My trainer actually uses a safety clip can't remember the name though. Her mare wa a nasty one about setting back and now she doesn't have the issue. It is the same idea of the blocker tie ring but they are less likely to actually get away from it. We have put several horses on it and all learned they couldn't get away by pulling rather then they could. 

But yes a handy knife is your best bet to be completely safe lol.


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## hemms (Apr 18, 2012)

The lack of hardware is precisely why I prefer the rope halters. A friend of mine nearly lost her eye to such a situation. 

For myself, it's like pulling someone out of the ditch... I don't want to be anywhere NEAR a chain but will tow with straps all day long.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## hemms (Apr 18, 2012)

wild_spot said:


> If you tie the CORRECT knot, it is able to be undone no matter how tight it has been pulled.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


The correct knot still tightens rather than loosens. Know of a stud turned out in a rope halter who got one of his hinds through during the night. He had to be cut free when they found him in the morning. Not that a nylon halter would have broken without more leverage/momentum than he could have possibly produced in such a position... But a correctly tied rope halter does not, in my limited experience, come undone without strong fingers!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## amberly (Dec 16, 2012)

Our rope halters have small loops under their throats where you can hook on a leadrope.








See where this is a shiny part here at the end of the photo, that is just a small clasp that is easily removable for emergencies and such.
Just a clasp like this:








or like this where they twist and then the top flips open:


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## Bridgertrot (Dec 2, 2011)

wild_spot said:


> If you tie the CORRECT knot, it is able to be undone no matter how tight it has been pulled.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Don't forget too in needs to be in the correct SPOT! The knot needs to ite around the loop that you put the line through initially. You should not tie the "line" back onto itself. The loop allows you to undo a knot if it gets tight. If that makes sense lol. 

The loop I'm referring to is highlighted in red. This is incorrect:









This is correct:









The trick I use to remember is imagine the loop is a fence post and the line is a fence rail. You always tie your horse to a post and not the railing.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

From my experiences, any knot that's under the load of a scared, hurt, caught, whatever horse. Is NOT getting untied, nor is a buckle, hasp, or latch getting undone.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Dustbunny (Oct 22, 2012)

http://www.sears.com/search=craftsman handi cut?.
We keep one of these tools (Craftsman Handi-Cut) in the truck when we are hauling, one in the barn and one in the house in case we have to race out the door with no time to go to the barn. Yes...I am paranoid! It cuts just about anything...rope, halter, latigo, severe case of nose hairs... without having to use a knife.
Personally I prefer the flat web halters for most things other than ground work.
And we do use the Blocker tie-rings. A startled horse can jump back without taking the rail with him or completely going into a panic and hurting himself or someone standing close.
It's a good thing we all have choices and can use what works for us. : )


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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Phly said:


> From my experiences, any knot that's under the load of a scared, hurt, caught, whatever horse. Is NOT getting untied, nor is a buckle, hasp, or latch getting undone.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Just as a "for what it's worth," I've had a horse break a 2" bull snap on its lead rope when it sat back hard. I was grooming a huge 17.2hh TB gelding who was built like a draft horse. Groomed his left side with no issues. Moved to his right side, touched his neck with the (soft) brush, and he absolutely freaked out. The bull snap broke on the top solid hook part clean through. Caught him by surprise, he went down on his hocks, and nearly took me down as he flailed to keep from going over. It all happened within five to ten seconds...not nearly enough time to even think, much less whip out a knife and cut him loose.

On the blocker tie ring...if used correctly, they are invaluable. My gelding didn't know how to stand tied when I got him. I strung his lead rope through the blocker ring and wrapped it around the hitching rail a couple of times. First time he sat back, it fed out a couple of feet (a few steps for him), but once the pressure was released, he stopped. Hard tying a horse that doesn't know how to tie or is prone to sitting back can be dangerous, IME, because if they're sitting back, they're most likely panicking, which means they aren't going to be "thinking" about "Oh, hey. If I step forward, the pressure from the halter will go away" (not literally thinking, of course, but I think you get what I mean). Instead they're thinking "I need to get away and this thing (the halter/pressure) is preventing that, so I must fight it to get away." The blocker ring provides an almost immediate release, so the horse doesn't actually get far before the pressure is released and they feel "safe" again.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

DraftyAiresMum said:


> Just as a "for what it's worth," I've had a horse break a 2" bull snap on its lead rope when it sat back hard. I was grooming a huge 17.2hh TB gelding who was built like a draft horse. Groomed his left side with no issues. Moved to his right side, touched his neck with the (soft) brush, and he absolutely freaked out. The bull snap broke on the top solid hook part clean through. Caught him by surprise, he went down on his hocks, and nearly took me down as he flailed to keep from going over. It all happened within five to ten seconds...not nearly enough time to even think, much less whip out a knife and cut him loose.
> 
> 
> I agree that hardware breaks. I'd almost rather that. But if in that situation, had nothing broken, what would you have done? It's very real and happens. Even with broke horses. I cut a lead last weekend. Let my colt go in the open (in a field, he was probly happy to eat grass) to jump in the trailer cut a lead rope that was tied with a quick release knot that got set and couldn't be pulled free. All while our 1100 lbs gelding trying to rip the wall off the trailer. I reamed my loving wife for not having her knife ON her.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

I always use a halter with a breakaway strap/piece/etc., or a leather halter. Mudpie is a valuable athlete and teammate, and if he spooks or pulls back or becomes caught on something, I'll always prefer the equipment to break rather than my horse. I also try to always tie to twine if there are no crossties available.

I use the blocker tie rings when trailering, but not so much elsewhere. Were I you, I would stick to a nylon breakaway or a leather halter, or be very careful about making sure that you don't hard tie.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> The correct knot still tightens rather than loosens. Know of a stud turned out in a rope halter who got one of his hinds through during the night. He had to be cut free when they found him in the morning. Not that a nylon halter would have broken without more leverage/momentum than he could have possibly produced in such a position... But a correctly tied rope halter does not, in my limited experience, come undone without strong fingers!


Of course it will tighten, and of course there is no knot in the world that could be undone while under the load of a horse pulling back!

But the CORRECT knot, as shown in an earlier post, can be undone after the fact, no matter how tight it is pulled. I have very small hands and they are not particularly strong, yet I have undone knots on rope halters a few times that have had the full weight of a horse setting back.

I can't really explain in text, but the way the knot is tied means you just have to push the top loop back a bit to loosen - You don't have to pull anything or feed anything through.


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## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

wild_spot said:


> Of course it will tighten, and of course there is no knot in the world that could be undone while under the load of a horse pulling back!
> 
> But the CORRECT knot, as shown in an earlier post, can be undone after the fact, no matter how tight it is pulled. I have very small hands and they are not particularly strong, yet I have undone knots on rope halters a few times that have had the full weight of a horse setting back.
> 
> I can't really explain in text, but the way the knot is tied means you just have to push the top loop back a bit to loosen - You don't have to pull anything or feed anything through.


And after the fact, is too late.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## peppersgirl (Aug 24, 2012)

when tying, if you loop the rope twice before knotting, it takes a lot of stress off the knot if the horse were to pull back. Also if I am dealing with a horse that may be prone to pulling back I will loop around the pole they are standing in front of and then tie to the next pole down (if I am tying to a fence.) 

A mare I used to own had a bad pulling problem from a lead breaking when she was young. Takes one time to instill a habit like that, there for I prefer that my equipment not break.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

> And after the fact, is too late.


Why?

It should be well known that rope halters do NOT break. Therefore they should only be used when you want something that will not break, and in such a situation, you would make it as safe as you can and/or have a knife on hand. 

Why on earth would you want to be undoing a knot while a horse is pulling back i beyond me. You want it to hold so the horse doesn't learn to break equipment to get free, and if things go so pear shaped you need to free the horse, you should have a knife on hand so you can cut the ROPE, not try to get close enough to the head of a panicking horse to untie a knot.

I think after the fact is the most appropriate time to undo a knot, myself.


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## ropenride (Jun 6, 2013)

The type of rope that I like to make my rope tack with is PNW Select Rope. There is a reason why the professional horsemen use it, just as a carpenter uses high quality tools, they do not want their "tools" to break, fatigue, etc while in the middle of a job.
True, rope halters do not break...unless, you are using the cheaper types from China, such as a lower quality fiber...like the ones you get at the hardware stores. Their utility ropes break at 400 - 600 lbs. They also do not hold up to UV rays (which horses are always exposed to the outdoors) or to the weather (rain, snow etc). Which breaks down the fibers...I've been doing a lot of research on this...
When I have asked several of the professional trainers, why they like the polyester over the other fibers...they kind of gave me a funny look...the majority responded with: "It lasts longer, more resistant to the sun and weather, withstands uric acid (urine), will not absorb water or urine as much as nylon (nylon absorbs 15 - 30% moisture, which in time creates a stiff rope) polyester only absorbs 5 - 12% moisture. Also, polyester will not stain and can be washed".

Nylon Stretches, absorbs moisture, etc. While polyester has low stretch, extremely low moisture absorption and is more resistant to all the elements the horse industry can throw its way.

So, again, the professionals are correct...I contacted PNW Select Rope to see if the guys/gals were right...once again...science supported the pro's statements.

I found PNW Select Rope (in 17 different colors) through their dealers. If you want to buy it in cut lengths, it is available through Mountain Supply, or if you want it in bulk, there is Sunset Halters, Many Miles Designs or Hardware Sales.

Again, true about the rope halters that do not break. However, if you have tied the appropriate safety knot on your lead rope, you would be saving your horse from a wreck...Rope halter or webbed halter.

Oh, and by the way...I've seen just as many horse deaths from horses wearing a webbed halter too. Horses should not be turned out with any halter. The last horse I saw that died, was scratching her jowl with her hind leg...her hoof got caught up in the webbed halter...she fought and fought, fell over, broke her neck and spine...and still could not get near her to help. They had to shoot her.

Therefore...if you are using good judgement on your tack and take any safety advice the professionals tell you, you should be Good to GO


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## Janna (Apr 19, 2012)

You can use a little loop
Of bailing twine from the snap to the halter.

Usually a snap will break anyway if the horse freaks out.


I prefer a rope halter, with the rope directly tied to the halter, no metal. 

When I tie my horses, I don't want it going anywhere.. I mostly have studs though. So if I go anywhere ad tie that horse, it'll be tied good. Never had one pull back though. 

If it does freak one day, sorry buddy you're tied. Not letting him get loose and risking more horses getting hurt. I'll undo him when the fit is over if needed. 


Didn't read the other comments btw


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