CHECK OUT SELLERS:  HORSEAROUNDTACK

                                              TAMMY'S ROPE HALTERS

                                              LHOOVES

EACH DO QUALITY WORK WITH CORRECT ROPE AND CONSTRUCTION!!

ON TO THE REASONS WHY:

The DIAMETER  of the rope and the TYPE of rope used to make halters and lead ropes is critical for effective communication.      Most of your professional Natural Horsemen, and you know who they are, use 1/4 inch or smaller rope for their halters. The Larger 5/16 and 3/8 width rope make the knots so large that communication is less effective and you will find yourself wiggling your arms off trying to get that pushy horse out of your space.       

The material from which the halter is made should be double-braid polyester marine rope. This is also referred to as yacht braid or yacht rope. The best-known manufacturer of this rope in the U.S. are probably Samson and New England Ropes. There are other brands made both here and abroad, and as long as you are assured by the maker that it is a double braided polyester marine rope of 1/4, 7/32, or 3/16 inch diameter you will have a quality rope that will meet your training needs. The metric equivalents of the above sizes are 6, 5 and 4mm. You may find that more sensitive horses will be easier to train in the 1/4 inch size and less sensitive, cold-blooded or extremely pushy types will respond more quickly to a 3/16 inch because the smaller knots have a little more bite and get them paying attention more easily.

Some people use nylon double-braid instead of polyester double-braid for their rope tack.  Although nylon is just as strong as polyester I find it less suitable because it tends to become "fuzzy" with age and picks up debris such as hay and shavings and tends to stick to your velcro.  Even my oldest polyester tack doesn't do that, so I prefer polyester.

The next thing to consider is the knot construction. Whether you choose the two-knot or four-knot noseband is your own personal preference; both types do a good job in communicating. The facial knots of a rope halter are commonly called blood-knots and this type of knot is essential because it makes it possible for you to customize the fit to each horse's facial contours by changing the distance between the knots.

The Knot used under the chin should be the fiador knot. This knot is much more adjustable than an overhand knot and also looks much nicer. Adjustability is crucial here below the chin as you do not want the halter to fit sloppily over the horse's nose. I've had a horse on line pick up a hind foot to scratch his cheek and get it hung up in a too-big rope halter. After we cut the halter off we adjusted the next one up to where it should've been by moving the fiador knot up.

The throatlatch knots need to sit at the throatlatch and not across the jawbone. This way the horse is encouraged to move away from those knots by feeling pressure in a slightly more sensitive area.

Next consideration is the rope for the 12 to 14 foot lead. Again double-braid yacht rope but, now you want 5/8 diameter or larger. The secret of this rope is that it is HEAVY. Heavy rope sends a wave of energy down the rope without loosing any of that energy along the way. Soft cotton ropes are lightweight and have lots of air pockets that dissipate the energy long before it reaches the horse. I found a source on Ebay for 3/4 inch rope and my favorite training lead is made from this. I can wiggle a little and get more response with this rope than I can a 5/8 rope.

Then we have choice of snap. The reason the big pros use the snaps with the rotating collar is all because of balance. The snap doesn't pull any more to one side of the rope than it does the other. Bull snaps and other snaps are not made to be balanced and have the same weight to each side of them. They tend to put a slightly different pull on the rope depending upon how they are positioned on the rope at the moment. I have several different snaps and do like the snaps with the rotating collar. Remember: all snaps will open up under the right circumstances; all are equal in this.

Lastly, be sure you have a good quality leather popper made of latigo, harness, or skirting leather because this popper is going to be literally dragged through the dirt and will wear out in no time if not made of quality materials. Actually, the best thing for your new lead rope is to throw it in the dirt and get it nice and dirty before you use it. Two reasoins: 1.) You will quit worrying about getting it dirty while you are playing with your horse, and 2.) Dirt adds weight to the rope and makes it even more efficient at carrying a wave of energy.  I hope this information will be helpful when you select your rope training tack.