Ready for Rope Halters

One piece of rope has many different uses.

- BY MEGAN ARSZMAN

If you watch many horse training videos, you might notice that the trainers use rope halters a lot. A rope halter is a simple halter created with one solid piece of braided cot- ton, nylon, or polyester rope. Instead of buckles or adjustable straps, rope halters are shaped by strategically placed knots, with a loop under the chin for a lead rope.

So, why do some horse trainers prefer to use rope halters instead of flat nylon or leather halters?

"There is nothing 'wrong' with using a standard nylon or leather halter—they all have their uses that they are effective for," says Michael Gascon, head trainer and owner of GetHorseHelp.com. “From a training perspec- tive, we only use rope halters in our program for multiple reasons.”

Maddie Hofmeister, a trainer and Extreme Mustang Makeover competitor, finds correc- tional value for horses that are getting a bit too lax or complacent in their training.

“I choose a rope halter when I am dealing with a horse who leans into the flat webbing of a standard halter,” she says. “Oftentimes, I find myself switching to rope with a horse who is in training for pushy behaviors and walking through you, and pullback horses who resist walking forward from poll pressure.”

THE TRAINING HALTER

The construction of a rope halter is a preferred choice for trainers of young horses and horses that might have issues with pressure.