SantaVera
Well-Known Member
Does anyone use one of these? I'm thinking of buying one but as they are quite expensive I would like to hear some reviews.
Richard Maxwell halter
- Thread starter SantaVera
- Start date
tatty_v
Well-Known Member
I’ve got one, I use it for loading and groundwork. It came recommended by the lady who came to help me with our loading issues. The one tip I have is to use a rubber martingale stop to prevent the noseband becoming really loose and slipping off (not too tight so pressure and release still works).
Skib
Well-Known Member
The Richard Maxwell halter has a slip-through on the nose rope so it tightens if the horse pulls. There is a similar effect with one setting on the Monty Roberts head collar.
Whether you like this or not depends on who has taught you to handle horses and whether you need it for a particularly difficult horse. I like rope halters but the ones I use do not have a slip knot. They are Double Diamond.
They are made of hard firm rope and a touch of the knot is enough to signal to the horse. However, unless the YM is keen on them, they are not loved on UK yards as one has to tie them on at the side of the face each time one puts them on a horse. So at my current yard I only use one with my share when doing ground work in the school.
The pic is OH in 2012 with my old share mare towards the end of her life.
I see one can now buy them in the UK from www.totalhorsemanship.co.uk
Whether you like this or not depends on who has taught you to handle horses and whether you need it for a particularly difficult horse. I like rope halters but the ones I use do not have a slip knot. They are Double Diamond.
They are made of hard firm rope and a touch of the knot is enough to signal to the horse. However, unless the YM is keen on them, they are not loved on UK yards as one has to tie them on at the side of the face each time one puts them on a horse. So at my current yard I only use one with my share when doing ground work in the school.
The pic is OH in 2012 with my old share mare towards the end of her life.
I see one can now buy them in the UK from www.totalhorsemanship.co.uk
Fjord
Well-Known Member
I bought one for Angel but will admit I've been too scared to use it. I don't really know how, and know they can be harsh in the wrong hands. I'm worried if she pulls back or spooks that I'm going to cause a disaster.
SEL
Well-Known Member
I've got a "be nice" which belongs to my Appy and I think they are a similar design. She was pulling back and p'ing off loading and it just made her stop and engage brain.
Harsh in wrong hands definitely, but I lent it to a freelancer who was having to turn out a very unpleasant horse and she said it made a big difference
Harsh in wrong hands definitely, but I lent it to a freelancer who was having to turn out a very unpleasant horse and she said it made a big difference
Marigold4
Well-Known Member
I have one and it is a game-changer for loading a difficult horse. It takes time and patience to teach the horse that there really is no way out of loading but with this RM halter you can hold your own against the strength of a horse who is determined not to load. I agree it could be harsh in the wrong hands. It comes with a DVD on how to use it properly and without being harsh. It took me 3 hours to load a difficult horse with it the first time I used it - I'm not sure who was more tired, me or the horse. But once I had "won", that same horse went in every single time afterwards. All I had to do was put the RM halter on, and it was game over.
Barlow
Well-Known Member
It’s been a game changer for me and my horse who pre-halter work didn’t have much in the way of manners, and loading / travelling was a complete no no. Now he is easy as pie, one of the best to load and is generally much safer to be around. I did have Richard out to help me with it and I made sure I did my homework afterwards, I knew I had one chance to get it right. Now I can go months without using it and just pop it on to load and he practically loads himself. I cannot recommend it enough and I prefer to something like a dually which seems blunter.
millitiger
Well-Known Member
I have one and it is superb.
It came with a little DVD on how to use it which was easy to follow.
Bought for a mare I had 10+ years ago, as she'd decided she didn't want to load anymore.
We did some groundwork for a few days before going near the trailer.
It worked brilliantly.
I now use it very occasionally - if I get something a bit brutish, it goes on for a week or so while we establish I don't like to be dragged around.
It now lives in my lorry, mainly for the walking around after a xc round - my horse can still be quite on his toes and difficult to manage while the adrenalin dissipates! He doesn't need to be pulled around, just slipping this over his headcollar is enough.
It came with a little DVD on how to use it which was easy to follow.
Bought for a mare I had 10+ years ago, as she'd decided she didn't want to load anymore.
We did some groundwork for a few days before going near the trailer.
It worked brilliantly.
I now use it very occasionally - if I get something a bit brutish, it goes on for a week or so while we establish I don't like to be dragged around.
It now lives in my lorry, mainly for the walking around after a xc round - my horse can still be quite on his toes and difficult to manage while the adrenalin dissipates! He doesn't need to be pulled around, just slipping this over his headcollar is enough.
Red-1
I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
I had one and didn't like it as, if the horse is quiet and compliant, as you would hope, it can become loose and slip off the nose.
With one tricky horse I simply used a quality rope halter. When I was teaching I had a Be Nice one. That was against trade descriptions imo, as they are anything but nice
but, by the time I would see the horses, they were invariably well set in their unwanted/unhelpful ways and had usually had a couple of other trainers show then new and exciting ways to resist. The Be Nice halter was secure, sharp and effective. A couple of sessions in one and the horse could go back into a normal one, happy that they knew what was required and where the release is.
When I got Rigsby, he was a bullish cob. I got him a Dually. Most of the time, it could be used as a normal halter and even tied up with it. When walking over grass, it was easy to clip onto the nose ring. Simple. That was in 2020, because it is also a normal halter, he has worn it as such daily ever since. Can't remember when I last used it on the controller ring. I suspect not since a few months after he came in 2020. Still going strong! It lives outside too, in the sun and rain, so well made.
With one tricky horse I simply used a quality rope halter. When I was teaching I had a Be Nice one. That was against trade descriptions imo, as they are anything but nice
but, by the time I would see the horses, they were invariably well set in their unwanted/unhelpful ways and had usually had a couple of other trainers show then new and exciting ways to resist. The Be Nice halter was secure, sharp and effective. A couple of sessions in one and the horse could go back into a normal one, happy that they knew what was required and where the release is. When I got Rigsby, he was a bullish cob. I got him a Dually. Most of the time, it could be used as a normal halter and even tied up with it. When walking over grass, it was easy to clip onto the nose ring. Simple. That was in 2020, because it is also a normal halter, he has worn it as such daily ever since. Can't remember when I last used it on the controller ring. I suspect not since a few months after he came in 2020. Still going strong! It lives outside too, in the sun and rain, so well made.