Lead ropes 🤷‍♀️

Local tack shop usually. You could always keep the ropes and buy new clips at a farm shop or hardware store. You can get strong ones quite cheaply.
 
We like flat lead ropes & also like them fairly long & these come at a premium which we aren't prepared to ,pay. I buy the clips off Ebay, together with a role of webbing. My wife, who was a bridle stitcher by trade then makes then lead rope up to thew size we want.
 
I only use the type of hooks where the horse can't get a lip/nose caught. I also only use ones that will release under load, for safety.

I therefore either have the pull to quick release type, or the brass swivel quick release type.

I also have a longer than standard rope, so if the horse messes about I can avoid being under it. A rope is usually around £25 to £30 from eBay, but to out that in perspective, I have just replaced one that is well over 10 years old, used daily, and then only because the clip is now a bit wobbly so I am replacing as a precautionary measure, not because it has broken. It is now a spare.
 
Know how you feel. I got out a new one the other day only for the clip to break immediately. Annoyingly I bought a few from the same online shop as I was making up the order to get free postage 🙁
 
It's just so wasteful. I have 20 yr old ones and ones that last two days. The trigger clips stop working. I have rubbish fingers and prefer the old style spring clips.
 
I generally only buy ones with brass coloured clips, not sure if they are brass or not but they seem to last better than the silver coloured ones. I don't like the clips they can get a lip stuck on (they can also clip themselves to haynets etc :eek:).
Last one I got was a KM elite one I think, just googled and the fittings are brass. it's 10ft long which has been handy with a fresh horse! I really only ever buy a new one when I get a new horse and need to increase the numbers, I haven't had one break in years.
 
I've made my own. A few years ago I bought a drum of hemp rope, so I take a length of that, put a whipping on each end, then attach a brass or stainless steel clip of some sort to one end. Ship chandlers are a very good source for very strong stainless steel clips. I'd expect to pay around €10 for good quality (Wichard or similar).

If I'm feeling lazy, I just tie the clip with a bowline. If I have more time, I might do a neat splice. But quicker than that, and just as nice looking, is a piece of strong leather thinned and narrowed down a little to go through the eye of the clip, stitched along the edges to itself and along the centre line through the rope.
 
My mare has a technique for breaking the ones that have a pin attaching the clip to the part of the clip that goes through the rope.
I got her a shires one from Go Outdoors because it was a different design and its lasting really well. 2 years +
 
Red-1 said:
I only use the type of hooks where the horse can't get a lip/nose caught. I also only use ones that will release under load, for safety.

I therefore either have the pull to quick release type, or the brass swivel quick release type.

I also have a longer than standard rope, so if the horse messes about I can avoid being under it. A rope is usually around £25 to £30 from eBay, but to out that in perspective, I have just replaced one that is well over 10 years old, used daily, and then only because the clip is now a bit wobbly so I am replacing as a precautionary measure, not because it has broken. It is now a spare.
Click to expand...
Because of the poor quality, I've just bought for £30 a 30 metre length of cotton braided rope that I can cut into different lengths. Then add whatever clips I want. With a large number of horses, it's much more cost effective.
 
I bought some length of rope and made my own knotted halter. It took me a whole weekend to master that fiador knot!
I have two black lead reins in daily use (I think that they are only cottage craft) that are about 10 years old at least - they must have made better quality ones then!
 
mule said:
BeholdView attachment 38922
Click to expand...
E

Eek!! I'd be really worried about using one like this - I've got one for my keys (to attach to my rucksack) and its bitten me several times, I would hate to see one like this near a horse, especially as the rope will be near its mouth! the normal ones aren't very expensive and the really nice swivel ones with a slide clip are only about £2.
Given the cost of vets bills if the horse gets this caught I'd strongly prefer to buy a decent clip for under £2!
 
I rate cottage craft smart lead ropes. have yet to have a clip break and much prefer the material of the rope, much longer lasting and when left in the rain don't seem to get as sodden wet
 
1574775441223.pngI used to use the safety lead rope but when you have staff that don't know how to use them or don't realise and somehow release them ahead of time it can be tricky when your horse is loose galloping about the place. :) At the one yard I was at the YO was always releasing my horse ahead of time so she told me I couldn't use the lead rope anymore and replace it which I did.

So I have one which stays permanently tied in my trailer so i can release quickly if necessary.
 
I spent a happy hour or so with one of my daughters going through and fitting new clips to ropes this summer. I had about 20 where the clip had broken but there was nothing wrong with the rope itself. Felt like an old sailor, sitting there with a marlin spike :)
 
mule said:
Behold

View attachment 38922
Click to expand...
These uses to be used to hold the doors open for goat pens at a place I worked.
They stopped using them when a young male goat was found by a friend who had (luckily) popped in to say hi, the goat had somehow managed to pierce the side of his mouth with the clip and was attached to the building screaming.
I also know of a horse that pierced it's nostril with one, it ripped it's nostril open in its panic.
The parrelli type lines are great, strong, long, durable and the clips are great too.
 
hopscotch bandit said:
View attachment 38934I used to use the safety lead rope but when you have staff that don't know how to use them or don't realise and somehow release them ahead of time it can be tricky when your horse is loose galloping about the place. :) At the one yard I was at the YO was always releasing my horse ahead of time so she told me I couldn't use the lead rope anymore and replace it which I did.

So I have one which stays permanently tied in my trailer so i can release quickly if necessary.
Click to expand...
I can't stand those! Like you, have watched horse disappear into the distance because the clip had released.
 
I like the ropes that feel alive...

I realise that sounds barking, but I hate the ropes that just feel like a dead weight, so I'll pay more for the ones I like. The last two were from the P that usually isn't named on here (it's a long story) and I love them - they're long enough to not end up under any waving hooves and yet 'alive' enough that they can be quickly and easily looped up. The clips are the quick release type. Nobody has released a horse by mistake that I remember.

I need to get a couple more. Need to go source.
 
Here's one.
IMG-6333-12pc.jpg


The rope is thick, heavy and a bit rough. It won't slip out of your hands without you knowing it, and it's a bit stiff to do the chain sinnet tie-up. I know some people hate this kind of rope and won't touch it with bare hands...

Oh, and it's a bit long, too, so I wouldn't use it to lead in-hand without hanking up a portion of it.

But being rough, I can take a bight, push it through my belt, and there's enough resistance that the horse feels tied up, yet if something goes wrong the rope can slip out of my belt and the horse is free. I hope that's clearly explained... it might need pictures.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top