Feel like a muppet for asking, but..

J

Jinx94

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The sprog is arriving in the first week of January and I'm torn about what to get for him headcollar-wise.

I'm not sure whether I want to get a leather or field safe slip and leave it on whilst he's settling in, or leave him without and just have something for once he's settled and comfortable with being caught. He will have been halter trained to an extent, but I'm not sure whether he'll forget this after being travelled for a couple of hours and brought to a completely new place with no one that he knows (equine, canine or human).

Thoughts? Am I being needlessly paranoid? I feel like I should know the answer to this, but each time I decide what I'm going to do about almost anything regarding him, I find myself questioning it :/ I just want to do the best that I can
 
If it was me.. he'd be wearing a loose leather (not too loose obviously) for the first week or so then when you need to go catch him you teach him to be caught.. if that makes sense.
 
I had old leather headcollars for my foalies when they came home - battered enough to break if they really needed to, but not so battered that they would give way when leading. They lasted them nearly 2 years!
 
Leather foal slip which or a small leather headcollar. I like the foal slip because they come with a small leather strap attached where you would clip a leadrope but isn't as heavy as a leadrope clip.

You don't want to fit it tight as their head grows more than you realise but you don't want it so loose that there is a risk of them catching a foot or something else in it.

Once I am confident that I can catch the foal I then take the slip off but it is very useful to have something you can grab until they learn to be caught.
 
Yes I kept a [cheap] slimline, breakable leather foalslip on all through dark days of winter when out during day. It had a reflective noseband cover, which was handy as she was black as coal. I never had to bother with a headcollar as she came in loose with her dam and pals, but if I had to lead her I would have put a proper strong headcollar on top, but having the foal slip meant I could catch her and hold her easily.
 
ditto using something made of old leather but one thing I would suggest is checking the size of his head before you buy if you have not seen him for a while (you say he has a 2 hour journey so may not be in pop in and visit distance) as they do grow fast and you may find his head is not going to fit a foal slip anymore. not sure what size he will make but our warmblood foals are in pony sized headcollars now to give you an idea but you can always plait a bit of bale string as a little grab strap if you want one :)
 
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