“My formerly wild mustang has had a 4-yr nightmare with halters since she was captured. Through LISTENING to her deeply, she will now wear a halter willingly and softly. It is time for a lead rope and I can’t find any without a heavy buckle! Do you have any ideas?”
Fantastic! And yes, I do have a better option. You actually don’t need a lead rope with a buckle – and yes, all of them are hella heavy.
Here’s what I do with all of my wildies, but I learned this from Audelina, who had an absolute terror of ropes in any form when she first came to me.
Go buy some soft light rope from Home Depot, about 1/4″ thick (it’s used for boats so super light because it floats)
Cut a length of rope about 20 feet long, and use a lighter to burn both the ends to seal it so it doesn’t fray.
Pass one end through the loop on the rope halter, so you are now holding a 10-foot lead rope (double strand) that weighs virtually nothing.
But the GREAT thing about it, is if the horse needs to bolt – she can! That lead rope will just pull through the halter loop if yanked out of your hand, or if she steps on it. No injuries, no stress. I would also wear gloves, so if she does need to bolt, your hands don’t get damaged since our instinct is to clutch and hold on.
Aude used to regularly bolt about 20-50 feet away from me (out on the road!) then wait for me to pick up the discarded rope, walk over to her, and thread it through again. The day she was able to contain her terror and not bolt, but circle around me, was a great day indeed.
You can also use this same rope to make your own soft, light rope halters
I have never bought another lead rope with a buckle or clip again! Every horse in my herd (wild, semi-feral, domestic) prefers to have the lightest halter and lead rope possible. Rope halters are just fine IF you don’t pull on them.
If you don’t want to make your own halter, then Kasia Kines prefers this rope halter for all her horses, including her wild mustang rescue. She says: “FYI- this is the best, softest, least invasive rope halter – I got one in a different color for each of my girls.”
If it’s a vet visit then for sure, put on a flat halter. But for training and ongoing use, you don’t want to pull on their head anyway.
Jini Patel Thompson is a natural health writer and Lazer Tapping instructor. She began riding at age 2 in Kenya, and got her first horse at age 8 in Alberta, and so continues a life-long journey and love affair with these amazing creatures.
