Dually Halters - are they any good?

arwenplusone

arwenplusone

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Right - I don't want to get into the ins and outs of Monty Roberts/NH and the cost of these darn things, but would be grateful if anyone could give me a decent idea of whether they actually work.

I have a big lump of a ned who occasionally protests about loading on his own. He is not scared, he's just obstinate & he's learned over the years to throw his weight around.
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Fine if I have a groom with me but not if I am on my own.

Last week I was at my instructors & she used one to load him and it did sort of work. It might however also have been a coincidence because most times he WILL go in eventually.

Anyway- anyone use one? thoughts? ta.
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We have a dually and a controller on the yard. The dually makes the more sensative horse go up, and I'm not sure what the controller is supposed to do. Not much I suspect.

We have some big horses on the yard, and if we need something extra - they go in the stallion chain.

And if loading is a problem - a bridle.

Personally I wouldn't waste my money.......
 
I've heard very good things from someone I consider very experienced and knows what she's talking about. Seen it in action too and very impressive.
 
we have some like the dually halters, but they are rope halters and we got them from south africa.

They are fantastic - the rope halter helped get a rather annoyed large yearling loaded.

There are better rope halters out there with out the big brand name!
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We have a dually and a controller on the yard. The dually makes the more sensative horse go up, and I'm not sure what the controller is supposed to do. Not much I suspect.

We have some big horses on the yard, and if we need something extra - they go in the stallion chain.

And if loading is a problem - a bridle.

Personally I wouldn't waste my money.......

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Should have said!
Tried bridle.
Tried stallion chain.
He goes up whatever he is in.
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The dually is aimed to work on pressure and release - which he understands actually (probably because it's simple & he's not very bright
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).

I kind of am in your camp though - I just need to find a way to make him easier when I'm at comps alone....
 
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we have some like the dually halters, but they are rope halters and we got them from south africa.

They are fantastic - the rope halter helped get a rather annoyed large yearling loaded.

There are better rope halters out there with out the big brand name!
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Hmm. do you mean the ones made of yachting rope & knots? I have had some good success with these on yearlings myself (and on a nappy mare). Not tried loading the boy in it though - might be worth a shot.
 
I bought one as i was having difficulty leading my flighty beast in the wind. I love it and it stopped all of her unruly behaviour. I rarely use the controller bit now - only when i'm doing something she doesn't like 'just so she knows i'm in control'. Not sure how much of it is down to me being reassured I had a bit of extra control but it worked for me. Yes they are expensive but it will last for years and I uses it as a normal headcollar everyday!
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yes, those are the ones
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You could really see it working - the yearling tried to evade it by rearing, and her jaw was crossing and resisting. Soon after she gave in and loaded fine!
 
I have one and dont really rate it..... .I bought it from a demo where they used merlin (unsuccessfully) for a clipping demonstration
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It makes no difference to him whether you are pulling on a normal headcollar or the nosepiece of the dually.... he still stays stock still at the bottom of the ramp and then slowly goes backwards, dragging you with him!!

He also does this in a chifney.....
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well i have a cob that likes to barge around-had a dually to control him and it worked where a chain had not!!have recently been transporting a large freisian who has pushed his luck and the dually plus a lunge ,line has made him load immediately with no probs so would def recommend!!
 
I have found my old type monty roberts pressure halter a lifesaver, you have to do flat work with it before you try and load, so the horse learns to move forwards to release the pressure instead of its natural instinct which is to lean into it into it.

Have never known it to fail yet, before I used it bridle certainly did not work, horse pulled against it. horse now loads fine without the pressure halter although recently had to use it when loading into a horsebox for the first time (usually travels in a trailer ).

certainly worth the money just adds piece of mind because with it I always know he will load, and in doing so I have never fallen out with him because it is the halter and not myself that exherts the pressure.
 
ive not read all the replies.. but heres my experiance.

i had a bad loader that i took to a mr demo.. i expresed to MR i did not under any circamstances want the hors eto be put in the position where it may rear (it reared often and used rearing as a way to get out of things)

MR put so much pressue on the horse reared, i was really miffed, took the horse home, next day went to load it and first thing it done was rear.

2nd horse.

is a recent lad that was a sod to load would go in but then shoot off, thought id try the dually, first sign of pressure horse went up,.

soooo

personally if you have a hors ethat may go up dont use it, in my experaince once a horse has gone up one it will do it again.
 
I love mine(minus the price tag
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) , makes me feel liek i have more control so im more confident at leading the beasty into his box! he still rears but its easy to hold him than a normal halter.
i think they are very good quality but you could perhaps make your own just to try first or borrow one?
Hope you find something that suits!
X

Edited to say tried other things but they generally broke
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including a bridle or two ...or three
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I have one for my cob - I use it everyday instead of a 'normal' headcollar as when it suits she will try and tank off. They do work but like everything you have to use it properly and practise with it. Also have one to load the ponies - one used to go up all the time now she knows as soon as the dually goes on, occaisionally puts up a small protest but usually the kids just load her first time.
 
I swear by mine and love it - however I did borrow one until I could get one second hand as I didnt want to spend that much money on one as im stingy with my pennies!!
 
I purchased one last week after my my new loaner was dragged down the lane twice by my boy, second time he ended up in the duck pond!. Put it on and walked like a baby since. Not sure if its the dually or positive mental attitude on her part but it was worth the money to me putting my mind and hers at rest. If you don't like it, sell it, they seem to hold their price.
 
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my friend has one on her cob x tb who was just being an ignorant pig to load! he doesnt think twice when hes got his dually on!
 
I don't like Dually halters, the most I will use is a simple knotted halter (that doesn't close). Having said that, I think that normally the Dually can make a difference, if the person using it understands what they are doing. If they don't then it's a waste of time. It does work on a pressure and release principle, but if the timing of the release isn't correct then you're wasting your time.
I too have had a horse rear up when being worked in a Dually, up and straight over on her back. That was when being worked with an IH trainer, so it may explain why I personally would never use one.
To be fair to Mr Roberts, if your horse normally uses rearing as an evasion, then he can hardly be expected to guarantee that it won't rear when he starts to work with it. The horse is obviously going to resort to it's normal pattern of behaviour. It's how the trainer handles that situation that counts surely, and that they keep your horse safe. I've dealt with rearing horses when I was younger and fitter, and yes of course they reared with me, but by the time I'd finished working with them they had generally changed that pattern.
Desperate times may call for desperate measures I guess.
 

I'm not bothered about my horse rearing, I just want the brute to go in the flippin wagon! lol.

Thanks for all the advice though everyone. Food for thought. Might see if I can borrow one...
 
Mayflower, I have both, a Dually which I bought for Rosie and a MR rope halter with knots which I have borrowed from friend for Weasel. I didn't really get on with the Dually but find the halter indispensible. Weasel really got the pressure and release thing and loading was a complete doddle.

I also find that with her, big and strong, that she is totally controllable in the halter, which I use with quite a long line.
 
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Mayflower, I have both, a Dually which I bought for Rosie and a MR rope halter with knots which I have borrowed from friend for Weasel. I didn't really get on with the Dually but find the halter indispensible. Weasel really got the pressure and release thing and loading was a complete doddle.

I also find that with her, big and strong, that she is totally controllable in the halter, which I use with quite a long line.

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Thanks - another vote for the rope halter then. I do have one so will give that a whirl too then.
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I used a stallion chain when I was being barged about by a bolshy cob - with great effect. I now have one of the Eskadron controller head collers which is brilliant.

http://www.dressagedeluxe.co.uk/Shop.asp?viewmode=ViewProduct&productid=218

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I saw these at Bramham and wondered if they are any good. Stallion chain doesn't work on the boy though so I wasn't sure about these. Good to hear a success story!
 
we used to have big problems leading our 12.2hh
only burley men could do it because he just used to b***er off bought a dually halter and have never looked back and he has now been lead by a 4yo
 
Please please please get a Richard Maxwell pressure halter. They are amazing. I got my unloadable mare loading after 40 minutes groundwork. They come with a DVD and mine is absoloutely worth its weight in gold. She used to rear and throw herself on the ground (no kidding), after 40 mins of groundwork she walked on like a lamb. I also got another horse who was pissing about on in 20 minutes.

My girl who really was unloadable, and would try every single trick in the book to the point of danger is now what I would describe as a good loader. She goes on any trailer we've tried, never ever rears and doesn't even hesitate. I honestly cannot rate these things enough. Whoever said that they are "a waste of money" obviously either hasn't used one, or has not used it properly. I did practise with her every day for 3 months after, but it was so so so so worth every penny. I just can't get across how amazing I find these!!!!!!!
 
i understand what your saying, but especially on loding th ehorse had never previosly reared, he read a the demo die to the shere amount of pressue put on the dually.

in the join up and ground work MR commented himself on how good the horses ground work was,. imo the amount of pressure used was nothing more than brute force.
 
I have one I think their good. I think it depends how you use them though and also helps to do ground work before using it to load. My pony goes in fine with pressure halter. Tried her in normal headcollar today and she totally took advantage an tried to leg it back to field! Put dually on and she went straight in. They aren't as severe as rope halters but they give you the necessary control.
 
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