Safety . Field Safe head collars?

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Darkwater

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After an incident on the yard today, I am on the lookout for a safety type head collar. I don't often turn out in head collars but just in case another accident like this happens again, I want something that will break in an emergency, but that the ponies can be led and tied up in. I wont go into too many details but it was a well fitting leather head collar that was involved and it didn't break. I use leather head collars (not particularly good quality ones) because I've always been told they will break in an emergency but I don't trust this advice any more.

Does anybody have any experience, good or bad, or the field safe type head collars? Many thanks in advance
 
You can get them on ebay, there are ones with velcro but they can be just as dangerous Ive heard the best are ones with like a string or bit of rubber.
 
Yeah my Welsh A had a leather one and for a small pony and a thick headcollar there's no chance it would break, the aerborn ones with rubber rings are the best but they don't do the right size for wee ponies! The velcro ones work on a sideways pull so may depend on how they get caught :-/
 
I had a field safe one - with the rubber rings. Only thing is when horse was being a bit naughty and pulled back - rings broke - so IMO not that safe, as horse could then run off!
After that mine turned out in just 'normal' headcollar (although now turned out without) and didn't have an issue. She has, in her time, snapped head collars, ropes, bailing twine and pulled rings out of walls - so have the full experience!
 
I've got the one with the rubber rings. It's not a great design because when a ring breaks you have to cut the replacement ring, put it through the various bits of the headcollar and use superglue to stick it back together. It does work - my mare breaks the rings regularly, so it does its job. But I am forever trying to find the headcollar in the field, taking it home to find we have no superglue left, going to the shop to get more etc.....and they only give you 3 spares so you have to buy more fairly quickly.
 
Thanks for all the advice everyone - I've seen the velcro ones before and always thought they still seemed too strong. The rubber ones might be better but if they're not strong enough for leading or tying up they're still not really what i'm after.. I need something that they can be tied up in, particularly in the trailer.

Somebody on my yard mentioned that these cheap ones are good because they are not fastened with buckles so they will slide undone in an emergency? http://www.rideaway.co.uk/cottage-craft-economy-headcollar Does anyone have any thoughts on that? Thanks again
 
http://www.rideaway.co.uk/cottage-craft-economy-headcollar
I had an awful accident with one of these :( ok a freak one but I spent a week in hospital and nearly lost my finger.
I was a child and was turning my bombproof pony out who for some reason decided on that day to 'do one' as I was undoing the headcollar, somehow my index finger got caught in the clasp and I got dragged down the field until the headcollar slipped off her nose, seems funny now imagining it but had to have an operation and my finger pinned together.
It was at the time the film ET was out and I got some stick at scholl turning up with a finger made extra long by the cork on the end holding the pin in place :)
 
Louby said:
http://www.rideaway.co.uk/cottage-craft-economy-headcollar
I had an awful accident with one of these :( ok a freak one but I spent a week in hospital and nearly lost my finger.
I was a child and was turning my bombproof pony out who for some reason decided on that day to 'do one' as I was undoing the headcollar, somehow my index finger got caught in the clasp and I got dragged down the field until the headcollar slipped off her nose, seems funny now imagining it but had to have an operation and my finger pinned together.
It was at the time the film ET was out and I got some stick at scholl turning up with a finger made extra long by the cork on the end holding the pin in place :)
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Oh gosh that sounds awful! Maybe I won't be trying one of those then!
 
You can't tie a horse up with a genuinely field safe head collar, it would be impossible to get one which was safe and also could be used to tie up.

Do not use the velcro ones, I did, and my horse towed a metal ring feeder around the field for several circuits before the metal rings on the head collar broke, the velcro did NOT break apart under extreme stress and think about it, velcro won't, it's very strong stuff in actual fact, unless its ripped apart which it won't be when used in the manner of a horse getting its head collar stuck on something. Unfortunately I didn't think about it until this happened and the horse was lucky not to break its legs.
 
Echo what Ffion Winnie said-I have a field safe Aerborne on my mare(the one with the rubber rings) but would never use to lead in. Once caught,I put a normal headcollar over the top 😀
 
If you need the safety aspect for tying up, you could use a regular headcollar and an idolo tether tie or a blocker tie ring to tie to. You'll need the right type of rope but both allow a horse to pull back safely without getting loose and nothing needs to snap or break.
 
I use a rope halter with an easy open clip. The rope that goes over the head is a loop and i held in place to the closure knot by tension alone. If the horse pulls forwards when leading the halter works as needed, if the horse pulls back then the piece over the poll lengthens and the horse can duck out of it. If a horse pulls back just tied up it doesn't come undone, just if a lot of pressure is exerted on them.
 
The field safe ones are a total waste of time. They break way too easily. I'd go for a middle of the road leather one. Leather is tough but will also break in an emergency. Not too easily but not needing a ridiculous amount of force either.
 
I run a livery stable and insist all the horses have the fieldsafe headcollars. We have never had any trouble with them. The collars have always given way on any horses that have panicked and i have never had an injury. The only horse that does not wear one is mine as he knows how to pull back with enough force to release the velcro and wander off towards the feed room!
 
Quote Originally Posted by lhotse
I have one of these.
http://www.cottagecraft.co.uk/catalo...fe-headcollar/
It has velcro on the nose and throat latch and the choice of attachments on the headpiece between a normal metal ring or a breakable plastic ring.

I also have one of those. The velcro is relatively hard to break (I have occasionally led the tuggy horse in it on the breakable attachment without it coming undone) but the velcro did release when she stood on the leadrope once.

I dont like the rubber ring ones as you cant really lead in them, and they are a bit single use.
 
FfionWinnie said:
You can't tie a horse up with a genuinely field safe head collar, it would be impossible to get one which was safe and also could be used to tie up.

Do not use the velcro ones, I did, and my horse towed a metal ring feeder around the field for several circuits before the metal rings on the head collar broke, the velcro did NOT break apart under extreme stress and think about it, velcro won't, it's very strong stuff in actual fact, unless its ripped apart which it won't be when used in the manner of a horse getting its head collar stuck on something. Unfortunately I didn't think about it until this happened and the horse was lucky not to break its legs.
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My field safe headcollar has Velcro (which I'm not convinced would give way) but also the ring you clip the strap that goes behind the ears to has a choice of either a metal ring ( making it a normal headcollar) or a plastic ring which I'm pretty sure would give way quite easily. There are 2 plastic rings, I guess one is a spare.
 
suzysparkle said:
The field safe ones are a total waste of time. They break way too easily. I'd go for a middle of the road leather one. Leather is tough but will also break in an emergency. Not too easily but not needing a ridiculous amount of force either.
Click to expand...

I use leather ones at the moment, but mine didn't break which is why I'm looking for something else.

The reason I want something that I can tie up in, is that my pony got her headcollar caught on the stable door hinge (I think she went to rub her face, it's not something she can get caught on easily and its never happened before) and she pulled back and panicked. I'm fairly sure the door would have broken before the headcollar did if I had not managed to get it off.. I've had my other pony do something very similar when tied up in a trailer a few years ago and i've used leather headcollars since in the hope they would break if something similar ever happened again. They are always tied to bailer band or those ping clips so normally these will come undone in an emergency but obviously not when it's the headcollar caught on something.

Having looked at all your suggestions I think the cottage craft one might be a good purchase. Thanks again everyone
 
Darkwater said:
After an incident on the yard today, I am on the lookout for a safety type head collar. I don't often turn out in head collars but just in case another accident like this happens again, I want something that will break in an emergency, but that the ponies can be led and tied up in. I wont go into too many details but it was a well fitting leather head collar that was involved and it didn't break. I use leather head collars (not particularly good quality ones) because I've always been told they will break in an emergency but I don't trust this advice any more.

Does anybody have any experience, good or bad, or the field safe type head collars? Many thanks in advance
Click to expand...
These are the best, no metal except the lead rope bit, 4 breakage vecro points good price too. Sandra is brillianrt even made a bespoke one for my connie who is in the middle between full and cob.

I find all the airborne etc ones still have too metal buckles around

www.ebay.co.uk

Extra Full size. "Westernway" field safe head collar. in 11 colours | eBay UK

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www.ebay.co.uk
 

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Highmileagecob said:
For any headcollar with a throatlash that fastens with a clip. Pass a cable tie through the headpiece, tighten into a reasonable loop and fasten the clip to the cable tie loop. Strong enough for day to day use, but will break if under strain.
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isn’t there still a risk headcollar stays on and doesn’t break? Throat lash not vital
 
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