Dually vs eskadron control head collar

Supertrooper

Supertrooper

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Experiences of both pls, specifically for a large horses that shoot off sideways when leading them/lunging as I think I'm right in saying you can lunge in dually??
 
How strong do you find it as in would it break easily. He weighs 800kg and is very strong when he goes. He will also go on the lunge hence why i'm thinking dually xx
 
The rings on the chain are designed to break under real load. I'v never had one go other than times when he's stepped on the rope. You can buy replacements that snap together. I never tie up by the chain part but the headcollar is good and robust and he hasn't broken it yet. And he's tried more than once!
 
Duallys are fab but need some education to use to best advantage, then they are liteally priceless- I wouldn't handle a difficult horse without one and have seen them improve many many horses now. It doesn't take long to learn to fit an use one correctly but there is more to it than just putting it on and doing what you were doing before.
 
Dually I have found to be great, even on the draught mare.
However I found the chain on the Eskadron broke almost immediately, even before pressure was applied.
 
When she was younger she was in a black (medium).. but only just. The blue one fits her now, and fits comfortably on a 'draught' head, but have found it does come up fairly big on a usually 'full' (non draught) sized head. If that makes any sense at all! :confused:
 
Thanks, he takes an ex-full head collar. Still not sure what to do but will have a think as it depends what his other owners want to do also. He's lovely to ride it's just the in hand stuff/lunging and i know he's been the same in previous homes so it's not a new problem!!
 
Mine has been a b*gger to lead ever since I got him (although got worse at college and they used stallion chains to lead him to and from the field!). I found the eskadron headcollar and it seemed to make sense for him and I have to say it's worked brilliantly. 99% of the time he is fine to lead but sometimes - mostly in the summer months - he just decides he's off and without the eskadron on there is not a lot you can do!

He has got a bit wise though and knows if I have that headcollar when I go catch him and occasionally he'll decide he's not going to let me get him. Thankfully he's very food-orientated though so can't resist if he thinks you have a treat on you!
 
We've decided to get a chain leadrope first to see if it makes a difference first. Like yours it's more at certain times of the year xx
 
I hav a yearing whos very bargy and rears wen asked to do somthing he doesnt want..iv tried parrelli rope halter with NO effect watsoever..which is the next best one to try..as theyr both quite expensive and I dont want to waste money..eskadron or dually??
 
I like the dually, comes with a cd to help you to learn how to use it which is how it becomes a very effective tool. Id rather not be using chains personally but there we go.

With ground work its a matter of being consistent all the time about where your space is, and what you expect from the horse. Usually in these cases its the owners/staff not being consistent with their approach and a confused horse who then throws their toys out of the pram.
 
I made my own version of the eskadron by buying a dog choke chain and attaching to my headcollar, worked well for a horse who had no respect for headcollar or bridle when leading.

ETA it cost about £4 copared with the £25 the real thing does
 
I don't rate the Dually, except for maybe starting young horses on long reins. I haven't used an eskadron, so can't comment.

The thing is, it's not about the halter as much as how it is used. No halter is going to improve any horse's behaviour if it is used inappropriately.

I work with a lot of horses which present challenges to their owners, and I favour the Be-Nice halter every time. I know there will be those who will jump down my throat saying that these halters created more problems than they cured when used on their horses, but if the halter is used correctly it is the best as far as I'm concerned. It puts pressure in the correct places and, if that pressure is managed to avoid resistance in the horse, bad behaviour can be dramatically improved upon very quickly.

The biggest mistake made with any kind of pressure halter is to view it as a 'control' halter. I see people jerking furiously on halters and using them to reprimand horses, and this sort of use of any head set is bound to cause horses to be fearful and react accordingly. Pressure halters are training aids, and horses must be introduced to their effects sensibly and with compassion.

I worked with a young horse recently who had developed the habit of turning away and threatening to kick when approached with a halter (a Be-Nice, actually) in her box. This horse had been a bit exuberant coming in from the field, and someone had given her a bit of a yanking here and there. It didn't help that the halter was too small, so wasn't releasing the pressure as it should, so the horse had been forced to refuse to be haltered.

I worked with the horse for about three hours over two days, and taught her to face the front of the box when a person entered. I did this by just yielding her quarters round then leaving her alone when she faced the door. Then I put a rope over her neck and taught her to yield to poll pressure, so I could move her around the box. She then allowed me to work the Be-Nice halter (one which fitted) up and down her face and, once she was cool with that, I left her to think about it overnight.

Next morning, I went over the same things and then haltered her without any trouble. At that point I took her into the indoor school and taught her how the halter worked. This was whilst there was a big show going on in three rings around the yard, with all the associated goings on from that. Ten minutes in the school was enough to get her paying attention and going quietly in-hand, then she went back to her box for a wee while.

When I went back later, the mare put her head over the door and stuck her muzzle into the halter as I presented it to her. I took her out into the stable yard, demonstrated how the mare now walked on, stayed close, stopped started, backed and turned, all on a slack rope, and was attentive and compliant of her own free will. I explained to her owner how the change had been brought about, and how the halter should be fitted and used to get the best results.

A horse is controlled through its mind. Once it has been taught to yield to pressure and can choose to be comfortable, and that its handler is not causing pain or distress, the horse becomes compliant and trusting.

Conversely, a horse which has experienced rough handling, and has learned to use its strength and weight against the handler will always be a pain to handle.
 
Thanks for all your replies, the initial post I did was 2012 though and the horse mentioned has since been PTS as he developed uveitis.

Before that happened though I did use a Be Nice halter, it basically taught him to rear and I wished I'd never got it in the first place!
 
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