IGNORANT HEADED HORSES

by

John O'Leary
Horseman
©2003

28/9/06

"I have never felt a light headed, responsive headed horse that normally wears a webbing halter."

Webbing halters cause ignorant headed horses.

Every day of my working life, I take hold and lead, horses that arrive for breaking or re-education. Still, 15 years after I introduced rope halters to the Saddlery Shops of Adelaide, I meet only about 30% of horses that wear them.

Of those 70% of horses that wear webbing halters, 100% of them are heavy and ignorant in the head. I have never met one that is truly light. The reasons:

• People who use webbing halters have rarely heard about Natural Horsemanship.

• People who use webbing halters rarely own a rope halter.

• People who use webbing halters rarely know how to ask for lightness in a horse on the ground.

• People who use webbing halters almost always have been taught to lead horses 'Pony Club Style' or as I call it, "by the beard", thus causing the ignorant horse and a constant fight which the handler must lose.

• Webbing halters are too wide, too comfortable, too stretchy, don't put pressure on pressure points and never cause a horse to give to pressure if asked.

• Webbing halters cause horses to resist them, they cause fights of ignorance.

• If you tie a horse up in one and the horse pulls back, the halter will break, training the horse to not tie up and to become more ignorant.

• Webbing halter people are normally, 'twine people'. Twine horses are ignorant to start with.

• People who use webbing halters almost always have a 6 feet long cotton lead rope which makes up the package.

• Cotton lead ropes are 6 feet too short.

• Cotton lead ropes are too light, fluffy, elastic, do not send signals down to a halter and break when a horse sneezes.

• Cotton lead ropes cannot be swung through the air, they cannot send signals, they do not allow horses to get out of your space.

Ignorant headed horses have ignorant minds. Ignorant minded horses have an ignorant attitude. Ignorant attitude can diminish the quality of the mouth.

Given that webbing, leather and plastic halters promote the learning of ignorance in the horse, it is the root cause for the commencement of most of the normal vices that end with the 'problem horse' and the failed owner, many of whom leave the Horse Industry. What you get on the ground so you inherrit under saddle. It comes with attitude and a heavy brain equals an ignorant horse.

WARNING:

If you have not been educated on the use and dangers of 'Rope Halters' or 'Horseman's Halters', read the relevant articles on this site. Tying up of horses, halter breaking, etc.

The Monty Robert's 'Dually Halter' can be dangerous and acts like a 'War Bridle' Monty Robert's use of this halter caused a horse to rear completely over backwards in the Adelaide Show. I recommend that no amateur uses one. Sure it lightens them up but without serious experience, dangers await.

FURTHER ARTICLES

http://www.horseproblems.com.au/has_your_horse_got_bad_ground_ma.htm

http://www.horseproblems.com.au/leading_the_horse.htm

http://www.horseproblems.com.au/Breaking%20in%20Equipment.htm

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