Help required Rope Halter for Shire foal

LodgeRopes

New Member
Sep 8, 2004
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australia
www.lodgeropes.com
G'day all.

I have been asked to make a special padded rope halter for a shire foal, the owner wants the foal used to a training halter from the start so I am making a regular rope halter but with tube padding on the nose and poll straps to spread the pressure and make the expericed as comfortable as possible for the baby.
One slight problem, I have no idea of the sizing for a shire foal???

Can anyone help out with suggested sizing or have a shire youngster and would be willing to measure up the baby?

I have made many halters for mature shires but never a foal.
Thank you in advance.

cheers all
Rob
LodgeRopes
 
There are quite a few on ebay and parelli do them (if you wanted an idea)

Shire foals take pony sizes h/c's but if you are making to size i would make it pony size with a bit more rope on the head piece where you do it up.

they have quite long heads.
 
if you look for one ebay that can be made to measure, just look and see where they're telling people to measure, and ask the person you are making it for to measure their horse in the places that they ebay one's tell you to:)If that makes sense lol!:p
 
Hi Rob, I think you're looking at something around a normal cob-full sized halter, but I think it would be safer to make it to measurements. I've visited a variety of Shires at the Whitbread Hop Farm near here, and the head sizes and shapes do vary a bit.
The only problem is that the proportions of the halter need to be right (Rob knows a lot about this). If you just make the halter with just longer rope on the headpiece the knots may end up in the wrong place, which would be bad news, particularly for a foal. The proportions of the Parelli halters are arguably not the best, because of the position of the knots on the cheek muscle....
 
Thank you for the input, most appreciated :)

Normally we would make to measurements but in this case case, the shire mare is a resue case in foal and due soon, the customer/owner wants the halter to be a part of their 'imprinting' of the foal (Not the full imprinting as per Dr Bob but a softer version and the mare is very receptive to human touch)
Sometimes it seems we get far too involved with our customers...lol, but it all adds to our experience.
Thank you Jenny, shian and CF.....and I let the reff to Parelli halters go thru to the keeper without offering a shot...lol :D

cheers all
Rob
 
You could make the measuring part of the imprinting...........particularly as you're going to have to re-size frequently as the foal grows.

I'm not sure about the merits of halter training from day one though, unless it was a one-off experience as part of the imprinting.........in which case it could be done with a soft rope made into a 'war bridle'.
 
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we have some clydies in the fields around the village, but not sure any of them would submit to measurement ! They give me weird looks when I run past (training for a 10k) :)
 
Rob, do you think it's a good idea to be using a halter on a new-born? I thought it was best to avoid anything on the head for a while, and certainly not to use a headcollar or halter to lead... I thought it was towel round the bum to ease them forward. Just a thought. They could do lots of around the face stuff, probably helped with gentle scratches which foals tend to love, in preparation for halter-measuring sessions. :D
p.s. Rob - you are good - very restrained. LOL!
 
Hello

I breed shire horses and I would go for pony sized if i was you beacuse thats the size of head collars we use on ours but they will only last about 6 months if you use that but are they not ajustable (s)? is so it would probably be worth making it cob size.

Have you got any photos of the haulters you make because if they are any good we could always do with a few. PM me with some delails!

Rob, do you think it's a good idea to be using a halter on a new-born? I thought it was best to avoid anything on the head for a while, and certainly not to use a headcollar or halter to lead... I thought it was towel round the bum to ease them forward. Just a thought. They could do lots of around the face stuff, probably helped with gentle scratches which foals tend to love, in preparation for halter-measuring sessions. :D
p.s. Rob - you are good - very restrained. LOL!

Shire foals are to big really to put a towel round and are shown diffrently to other breeds and they are shown in haulters. I know shires when they are being taught to lead go through a stage called swinging I don't know if this is done with other breed, but basically what it is, is tug of war with the foal untill it is follows you and from there on in you would train the foal to walk with you.
 
I know shires when they are being taught to lead go through a stage called swinging I don't know if this is done with other breed, but basically what it is, is tug of war with the foal untill it is follows you and from there on in you would train the foal to walk with you.

I have worked with Clydesdale foals...........I use a halter I made myself (similar to a Be-Nice halter) and I've never found the need to get involved in a "tug of war".

In fact, I've found foals infinitely more responsive than older horses if treated gently and trained to yield to pressure while standing beside their mothers.

;)
 
Thank you for the input...

CVB, I have always thought clydies look like they know something you dont......:)

CF, I did raise that with the customer last time they got a foal halter made. the customer loves to play with the babies (and who doesn't) but before every scratch, rub or play session they put the halter on the foal. These early games do not involve any halter or lead training other than teaching the baby that good things happen when it is wearing the halter. They have been happy with the results with previous foals so see no reason to change for this foal and as she said, it is more important for this foal as it will quickly become a very large horse. All this does depend on the temprement of the mare post natal.

AengusOg, good point, we used to make foal halters out of some incredibly soft polyester cord to make the lesson as nice as possible...but with all the really soft rope we tried, they all picked up twigs, thorns, burrs etc etc.

I think the customer said they got the idea after reading John Lyons 'bringing Up Baby' and JL has a soft but firm approach to training.

again, thank you for the info.
cheers
Rob

CF: I did ask the guy that made all the parelli halters for this part of the world "why are the cheek & throat pieces so short on your halters?",
his reply astounded me,

It was just so obvious......

Keep with me on this...

He said....
"Dunno"
In this case, a correct translation of this Aussie abbreviation into English would be "Sorry old chap, i dont have the foggiest" :D
 
I have worked with Clydesdale foals...........I use a halter I made myself (similar to a Be-Nice halter) and I've never found the need to get involved in a "tug of war".

In fact, I've found foals infinitely more responsive than older horses if treated gently and trained to yield to pressure while standing beside their mothers.

;)

Well not actual tug of war lol, but that was the best way I could think of describing it. Basically you pull them and they respond by walking towards you releasing the preasure off there poll. It is as much a exercise to to teach the foal to be submisive as it is early leading lessons. I think its probably quite an old fashioned way of teaching them but it works and and it painless and effective.

In fact I knew someone (a very well known man in the 'shire job')who had brought a very big nearlly 18HH shire colt which would had never lead properly and would not move when they tried to turn him out, so one day he tied this colt to the back of the tractor and dragged (this is starting to sound like an rspca case lol) him for about 20-30 mins and from then on in this horse lead brilliantly.
 
In fact I knew someone (a very well known man in the 'shire job')who had brought a very big nearlly 18HH shire colt which would had never lead properly and would not move when they tried to turn him out, so one day he tied this colt to the back of the tractor and dragged (this is starting to sound like an rspca case lol) him for about 20-30 mins and from then on in this horse lead brilliantly.

Hmmm

I know some Clydesdale men up here who are not averse to using mechanical means to start horses.

The old ones of the heavy horse world do have a lot of queer ideas.
 
That makes sense Rob.
Thanks also to everyone else, I know it diverted the thread a bit, but was interesting. I know I've been told to avoid poll pressure on babies, but I don't know at what age. I think I'd use a "butt rope" and halter initially to get the moving forward. :)
 
Hmmm

I know some Clydesdale men up here who are not averse to using mechanical means to start horses.

The old ones of the heavy horse world do have a lot of queer ideas.


When needs must with a tone and a half of stuben young stallion your options are limited.

Well things change, what was once yesterdays methods when Natural Horsmanship DVDs and trianing aids wern't invented are todays "queer ideas".

People were once taught to ride with there knees gripping the saddle but now we are taught not to. So things do evolve but it doesn't mean that they were bad ideas.
 
hey

I know shires when they are being taught to lead go through a stage called swinging I don't know if this is done with other breed, but basically what it is, is tug of war with the foal untill it is follows you and from there on in you would train the foal to walk with you.

haha sounds like when I was trying to teach my belgian blue heifer on a halter - should have known not to bother when she nearly tore out a telegraph pole!!!
 
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