For my style of training, a good rope halter with a long lead is essential. But if you have ever looked for one in a local tack shop, you probably know it’s tough to find anything better than those thick, stiff ones with the cheap 6 or 8 foot poly lead rope tied on. And if you have ever tried to use a poly rope to lunge or work on the ground manners of a young horse you have probably also experienced the rope burn that these buggers can cause!
I will confess that I used the cheapo rope halters up until about six months ago. I was never thrilled with them but just didn’t want to put out the money to order a nice one until I was working a friend’s horse and she introduced me to “Handcrafted Jewels” rope halters. I was impressed, and ordered two right away. Handcrafted Jewel’s halters are made of thin rope that lays comfortably on the horse’s head but is actually a lot more effective because the thin rope means more direct pressure. I also love the 12’ lead that you can purchase with the halters. This is the perfect length for leading and groundwork as well as lunging. It has a nice little leather popper on the end when you need to use it, and the rope is lightweight so it’s easy to swing around to get a pushy horse out of your space. Trust me, once you try out a quality lead rope, you are going to despise those poly ropes and cheap cotton ones everybody uses. Handcrafted Jewels actually makes their halters out of marine rope, so it is stronger and more durable than what you find in most tack shops.
Another one of my favorite parts about Handcrafted Jewels – they come in a ton of cool colors! Forty-four colors to be exact in their standard horse halter. Now here is my only warning, their website desperately needs updating and honestly makes ordering a little confusing because of all the different options that they offer. Here is what I have and am very happy with – the regular “soft” horse halter, with the 12’ lead rope size ½”. What kind of snap you want is totally personal preference. If I am going to be riding in the halter, I just get the loop (no snap). The diameter of rope is personal preference as well, if you have bigger hands you may want a thicker rope.
I made the video below to tell you a little more about why I love rope halters and also to show you how to tie a rope halter if you aren’t familiar with them. Take a look and then the link to order the halter is right below the video!
I hope you found this video helpful! In the comments, let me know if you use rope halters and if you have any other brand you use and love!
Then head on over to http://www.handcraftedjewls.com/Handcrafted%20Jewels/Regular%20Rope%20Halters.htm to order your own Handcrafted Jewels halter.
