leather V nylon?

[riding_high]

i've always been told that it's safer to use a leather headcollar for travelling or for leaving on in the field than a nylon one.

i've always agreed with it but the more i think about it why is it safer?

a good quality leather one is hard to break and difficult to cut through (??) but i know that a nylon one will obviously 'cut' into the head of the horse if they get caught.

so can anyone tell me how/why a leather one is safer and is there anything to back that up?

 

[Squeak]

A nylon headcollar is basically impossible to break whereas even a good quality leather one will break if a horse panics sufficiently. I have seen first hand leather headcollars give way when the bailing twine should have and it has stopped a potential accident.

 

[Jesstickle]

Because a nylon one is impossible to break. A horse can snap even a good quality leather one reasonably easily (trust me, I have one that does it often!) but I've not yet seen a snapped nylon one (he does try)

 

[Tnavas]

If possible I don't leave a head collar on in the paddock at all.

When I do have to put my mares sun nose protector on I buy the cheapest least substancial head collar possible - the sort that if they pull on it all the stitching pops apart.

When a headcollar has to be worn in the paddock I double check that there is nothing they can get caught up on. A friends horse got caught up in branches and ripped great areas of skin of his face and poll - he was out of work for weeks while the bruising subsided and the raw patches healed.