Shetland foal headcollar help

MrsElle

MrsElle

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2008
Messages
6,183
Location
Back Where My Heart Is :)
Visit site
We have a seven month old mini Shetland who I am going to have to get a headcollar on.

Up to now I have been rather lazy about it as she is fab. She comes to call, stands when asked, you can do her feet, groom her, look at teeth etc, and she won't move until I tell her she can do so. She is like a dog!

Because she is so easy to handle, and because I haven't needed to lead her anywhere but in the yard where she walks next to me loose, I haven't introduced her being lead.

Ok, so two problems. I have approached her with a head collar to see if it fits, but it is the one time she doesn't do as she is told. She sees it and she off! This is probably due to the fact her dam is a sod to catch and legs it as soon as a head collar is produced :D

Problem two is that while she is very good and very easy to handle she is still a foal and therefore does lots of foaly running about and shoving her head into hedges to have a nosy at what is happening on the other side! I ideally want a safety headcollar but the only one I can find is a Dinky one that fits a pony 30" up. She is around 24/25 inches at the moment and does have quite a small head. The Dinky headcollar does look as if it has a lot of adjustment in it, but does anyone know if it would go as small as I need it?

I want to leave the head collar on her (once I manage to get it on!) and I would only be happy to leave a safety one on her at this stage.

Any advice anyone?
 
Could you cut some of the straps and sew them back together loosely to create breaking points or get hold of some of the field safe rubber rings and sew those in perhaps?
 
I shall check for you shortly when I go up to ride, we had one for ours as a youngster. She's a minix but very fine, at 5 a normal pony headcollar would go nowhere near fitting, her headcollars & bridle are mini size. So I imagine whatever brand fitted her would fit yours. But, it wasn't a safety one, she was so light she wouldn't have snapped one anyway. For leading at first we used a leadrope wrapped loosely over nose then over head. Took the clip off, threaded one end through the other like a noose for round nose, then over poll & tied with a slipknot. Excess rope cut off. To lead, we threaded a longer rope through back of noseband & held both ends, so it didn't put pressure on like a rope halter. But, didn't leave on in field, but design meant if something did happen, it would have slipped off easily. I shall check brand for you after, you can always do as Welsh d says & make your own break point.
 
I got a mini shetland sized foal headcollar from IVhorse a few years back, not sure if they still do them but perhaps worth a look?
 
I can source mini Shetland headcollars, even in foal size, but want a safety one as I want to leave her out with it on for a while. She has a habit of scratching the side of her head on the top of one of the leccy fence posts, and I do worry it would catch on the headcollar and she would panic. Although when she got stuck in a bramble hedge she just stood there and waited for us to de-tangle her and was good as gold!

I will ring Dinky tomorrow and see if their safety head collar will fit her, and if not look at cobbling together one of my own :)

Thanks for the suggestions x
 
I've also got two 7 months old minis, at the moment they have normal head collars on but are only out when I'm around. I'm currently looking for old leather ones on ebay that will snap if caught!

One of mine was a sod to get a head collar on to start with, the only way I could get one on him to start with was to pounce on him! Then he got scratched and fussed everythime it went on and now he practically puts his head in for you! :rolleyes:

Could you buy the safety one and adjust it by putting in more holes and re-sowing it at all?
 
I think getting the safety one and adjusting it might be the best option, if won't fit.

I don't think she will get into too much trouble, and last time she got stuck in the hedge she was there at least half an hour (saw her with her head in when I drove past, was still there when I got back!), and didn't panic so is quite sensible really. Just don't want to risk it though!

We are getting very good at Shetland pony wrestling! One came to us last summer with a rug on and was sweating like a pig. Trouble was, she was very timid and wouldn't let us near her, so we had to corner her and OH had to jump on her and pin her down to get the ruddy rug off. We wouldn't have done it if she was scared, obviously, she was just a bit wary. Then we had a stallion who escaped a few years back, after an hour of trying to catch him OH had had enough, and as pony galloped past OH just flung himself at the stally and pinned him to the ground while I ran up with his headcollar! Foals dam is a stubborn moo, when I finally get a head collar on her she just refuses to move. The only way we got her loaded when we moved was because the foal just followed me straight up the ramp so her mum followed her!

Got to love a Shetland!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top