HALTERS – Nylon or
Leather?
Horse owners are required
to make many choices as they care for their treasured equine friends. One of the most commonly purchased horse care
items is also one of the most used and essential items we own, the
halter. Choices available are nylon flat halters, nylon rope halters, and
leather halters. Halters are typically
paired with a horse to match the training development stage of the horse. Another
consideration in determining which type of halter is best, is choosing one that
suits the experience of the handler and of the horse. Of utmost importance is
the safety of both handler and horse.
Nylon rope halters are usually an economical choice, very strong and
offer a degree of greater control for horses with behavioral issues that may
need to be worked out. A flat web nylon halter is a classic choice. However, the durability of a nylon
halter also happens to be one of their main disadvantages. A horse that is tied
with a nylon halter can injure itself if the halter gets tangled or caught on
an obstacle, which makes for a potentially dangerous situation. So, while nylon
halters may be used for moving a horse from barn to pasture and back, the
possible danger of injury prohibits leaving a nylon halter on for an extended
period, especially overnight when a horse is unsupervised.
Leather halters can come
at a higher price, but are categorically much safer than nylon halters. Natural
leather halters can be considered breakaway halters and are designed to break
if a horse gets their halter tangled or caught on any obstacle. Leather halters are an excellent choice while
trailering, again because of the breakaway ability.
Unlike leather that breaks, nylon tears. This often
means that it will take multiple, very forceful events for a horse to free
themselves of their nylon halter once tangled or caught on an obstacle. It's not by accident that horse tack is made
of leather.
It is not uncommon to hear stories of horses who have been
severely injured trying to break loose from a caught halter. Stories abound of horses found with any
variety of items trailing behind them from which they have torn loose. Many a
horse has been inured running through a fence, getting caught in a gate
opening, etc., being afraid of something “chasing” behind them.
While we can’t always have every item of tack that we may
desire, when it comes to the health and safety of our equine friends, the
choice is no longer a desire but a need.
Having both types of halters in our barns is a must. Check out the selection of fine leather and nylon
halters at Buckaroo Leather. www.buckarooleather.com
