Using a carabiner

[Birker2020]

My 'O' ring has broken on my leather headcollar where the throat strap joins the noseband. Its a really nice, heavy duty headcollar which is hung in the field on the gate whilst my horse is turned out but has lasted me many years. Unfortunately my horse got caught up on her stable door the other day when I was at work and the ring snapped. I'm trying to replace the ring but can't find anything strong enough so thought about going to Go Outdoors on my way home from work and buying a carabiner and getting either a snap one like this: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/mammut-crag-key-lock-straight-gate-p336994

or a screw one http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/maillon-rapide-long-opening-p108124

I'm guessing this would be cheaper than a repair and stronger because they support a weight of a climber. Also if you have to repair it the leather will require unpicking and re-stitching and probably won't be so strong.

Thoughts?

 

[Spottyappy]

Personally, I would it repaired properly because if a horse were to get caught on the hook/latch of those, it would possibly injure itself quite badly.

 

[Nasicus]

Can't see the harm in using a tightly done screw up one. Wouldn't go near the spring one though.

 

[Keith_Beef]

My 'O' ring has broken on my leather headcollar where the throat strap joins the noseband.

I'm having trouble seeing where there would be a ring joining a throat strap to a noseband.

I'm guessing this would be cheaper than a repair and stronger because they support a weight of a climber. Also if you have to repair it the leather will require unpicking and re-stitching and probably won't be so strong.

The two bits of hardware you linked to are able to support many times more than the weight of a climber. I'm not sure that a gate lock carabiner is a great choice, as if the horse rubs that against its leg, the gate light open and either allow the headcollar to come undone, or snag on something.

A split ring would be just as easy to fit, though it wouldn't be as strong.

If you unpick the stitching, fit a new solid ring, and stitch it up again, there's no reason why your stitching should be any weaker. You halter may have been machine stitched, the thread has probably weakened from exposure to damp and UV light. New thread, hand stitched, should be stronger.

 

[Birker2020]

Its the tie ring I meant.

 

[Nasicus]

I'm having trouble seeing where there would be a ring joining a throat strap to a noseband.

Some have a tie ring that's connected vertically to the noseband, as opposed to like the photo you posted:

 

[Birker2020]

Some have a tie ring that's connected vertically to the noseband, as opposed to like the photo you posted:

Yes this is the same headcollar design as mine. So all I need is the ring. The headcollar is serviceable at the moment as we are using the side rings where the nosepiece goes onto the chinpiece but its not ideal. I don't like nylon headcollars (I've heard you can tow a car with one as they are that strong) and as its only one that is dragged in the mud and left out in the rain I don't really want to buy a new one, but don't mind paying a fiver for a clip so its serviceable again.

 

[meleeka]

Can't see the harm in using a tightly done screw up one. Wouldn't go near the spring one though.

This. Look for the screw up type which don’t allow the clip to undo unless you inscrew it. I used these for haynet rings too.

 

[Keith_Beef]

A marine shackle, in 316 stainless, would do, as well. These are available in a load of different sizes.

Put a dab of thread locking compound (or failing that, a dab of super glue) on the screw thread before screwing it tightly shut.

 

[Hack4fun]

If it is just a ring, try places that sell chain and fasteners - all sorts of rings are out there. I would not use a karabiner.

 

[Gloi]

I have all sort of stuff fastened up with carabiners

 

[MagicMelon]

I'm guessing this would be cheaper than a repair and stronger because they support a weight of a climber. Also if you have to repair it the leather will require unpicking and re-stitching and probably won't be so strong.

Thoughts?

Personally I wouldnt want a headcollar to be THAT strong. Imagine if the ring hadnt given way when your horse got caught up on her stable door? Ive had a horse who managed to hook the ring where the leadrope connects to onto a trailer ramp spring. He was wearing a normal material headcollar and not a leather one - He pulled the spring off the top in a panic and his entire weight was pulling in absolute panic by this damn spring. His headcollar didnt give way and I wish it had! I had to get a knife and hack through his headcollar thus letting him free to take off round the showground. It was very scary so no Id rather not have a super strong headcollar!

 

[phizz4]

A maillon rapide will do the job as it has a screw fastening, not an opening snap gate. Tighten it with a spanner or glue with threadlock. The ones at Go Outdoors will be too large for what you want, you need something like a triangular 5, 6 or 7 mm. http://www.ukairsports.com/triangular_delta_maillon_rapide Stainless steel won't rust but don't like being opened and closed a lot but that shouldn't be a problem in your application.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Personally I wouldnt want a headcollar to be THAT strong. Imagine if the ring hadnt given way when your horse got caught up on her stable door? Ive had a horse who managed to hook the ring where the leadrope connects to onto a trailer ramp spring. He was wearing a normal material headcollar and not a leather one - He pulled the spring off the top in a panic and his entire weight was pulling in absolute panic by this damn spring. His headcollar didnt give way and I wish it had! I had to get a knife and hack through his headcollar thus letting him free to take off round the showground. It was very scary so no Id rather not have a super strong headcollar!

I've thought about this quite a lot over the past few months.

I made a headcollar a couple of years ago, and made it really strong. We were told in our very first riding lessons to tie up to a loop of bailing twine tied to an iron ring set in the wall, never to the ring itself. Well, one day, the horse I was preparing decided to jerk his head up, the bailing twine did not break, neither did the leather nor my stitching, but the cast brass D-ring in the headcollar broke.

So I tried a couple of things.

The first was to not tie up to the whole of the bailing twine, but separate out about two thirds of the strands and tie up to that.

The second was to attach the snap fastener to the end of the lead rope in a different way. I took a piece of rawhide lace about 10cm (4") long and put this through the bail of the snap fastener. I laid the two ends of the lace along the manila rope, and using a piece of leather lace I bound the rawhide to the rope, then threaded the lace between the strands of the rope. The idea being that the lace and rawhide would come away from the rope if the horse pulled too hard. Well, that bit worked.

But I think that ideally, I would have a break-away piece made from material with a known breaking strength somewhere:; this material would either be a loop that I would attach to the iron ring, or would be a replaceable piece joining the snap ring to the lead rope...

But to be able to choose the material, I'd need to know what's considered an appropriate breaking strength.

Decathlon's lead ropes are stated to have a breaking strength of 100kg.

But this doesn't solve the problem of a horse who somehow manages to catch a headcollar on a piece of door hardware or a trailer tailgate spring... So maybe there could be a break-away piece with a slightly higher breaking strength, maybe 120kg, in the headpiece.

Perhaps that's not a good idea for all horses and situations, though. Maybe you don't want you horse to be able to break free in a panic; you want to be able to try to calm him down and set him free after putting a loop of webbing or rope over his neck...

If you ever need to cut a headcollar off a trapped horse, though, I think a proper safety cutter would be better than a knife. There are ways to hold an ordinary knife to minimise the risk of injury, but a safety cutter like the Gerber Safety Box/Strap Cutter is easier and quicker.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’d go for the screw type.
Carabiners are brilliant for broken leg straps though!

 

[Batgirl]

Get a chain link 'quick link' - you can get them for a couple of quid at B&Q or online and in different sizes/colours (though usually in galvanised steel)

 

[sport horse]

I suspect the cost of a proper repair with a suitable new ring will be far cheaper than the vets bill for putting your horse back together if the headcollar does not break. Moral - do not leave your horse unattended in a stable/field with its headcollar on.

 

[Birker2020]

I suspect the cost of a proper repair with a suitable new ring will be far cheaper than the vets bill for putting your horse back together if the headcollar does not break. Moral - do not leave your horse unattended in a stable/field with its headcollar on.

She wasn't unattended with her headcollar on in the stable. She was tied up outside thank you.

 

[Birker2020]

Get a chain link 'quick link' - you can get them for a couple of quid at B&Q or online and in different sizes/colours (though usually in galvanised steel)

Thanks that's a brilliant idea.

 

[sport horse]

She wasn't unattended with her headcollar on in the stable. She was tied up outside thank you.

Sorry my mistake I read that your horse got caught up on the stable door and assumed, wrongly, that she was unattended. However she should not have been tied up close enough to the door to allow the headcollar to get caught. As you were at work I guess someone else was in charge? Anyway, better the headcollar broke than your horse and/or the door.

 

[Birker2020]

A maillon rapide will do the job as it has a screw fastening, not an opening snap gate. Tighten it with a spanner or glue with threadlock. The ones at Go Outdoors will be too large for what you want, you need something like a triangular 5, 6 or 7 mm. http://www.ukairsports.com/triangular_delta_maillon_rapide Stainless steel won't rust but don't like being opened and closed a lot but that shouldn't be a problem in your application.

Thanks for that. That is the type of thing I need I think. Its easier just to fix something onto the headcollar to replace the tie ring than it is to send it off for repair and wait for it to come back.

 

[Birker2020]

Sorry my mistake I read that your horse got caught up on the stable door and assumed, wrongly, that she was unattended. However she should not have been tied up close enough to the door to allow the headcollar to get caught. As you were at work I guess someone else was in charge? Anyway, better the headcollar broke than your horse and/or the door.

Yes she was tied up outside having her rug changed by staff prior to turn out. Accidents happen I know and headcollars are easy to get caught up on doors and things. As I wasn't there I can't comment. Was more worried about her neck but doesn't seem to be any lasting damage thank goodness.

 

[claret09]

I might have what you need. I will look at home

 

[Birker2020]

I might have what you need. I will look at home

Thank you.

 

[pansymouse]

It's pretty simple repair for a saddler to do, if it's a good quality headcollar it's worth getting done properly. I repair masses of headcollars, they are the piece of tack that most often seems to fall victim to general wear and tear.

 

[Birker2020]

It's pretty simple repair for a saddler to do, if it's a good quality headcollar it's worth getting done properly. I repair masses of headcollars, they are the piece of tack that most often seems to fall victim to general wear and tear.

Hi Pansymouse

So its a simple job to just unstitch and put a 'tie ring' and stitch back again? How much would it be? I like to fix things when I can, guess I've always got that off my Dad who has never thrown anything away if it can be repaired, and was often better than it was before.

I've lost count of the pounds he's saved me over the years. Now I'm Dad-less I'm doing it myself and taking after him I think. lol I quite like having to use my brain and find alternatives that can be used for reparing things. Dad was very analytical which is typical of engineers, and used to look at something, study it in great depth and then always find a solution whatever the situation. I miss him so much.

Someone had bought a new set of wheelbarrow wheels and the lug holding the wheel on had come off. I knew Dad would have made a part on his lathe down the shed in half an hour and fixed it for her.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Hi Pansymouse

So its a simple job to just unstitch and put a 'tie ring' and stitch back again?

Even if it was machine stitched at first, I don't know if a machine could stitch through the same holes, so it would need to be hand stitched.

In the headcollar in the picture, the buckle in the chinpiece makes me think that it could be completely removed, meaning that only the conneting strap from the throatlatch down to the ring would need to be unpicked and sewn up again. That's probably not more than about six inches long at the most. Even I can unpick and sew up a six inch length, especially as the holes don't need to be made, in under half an hour, and I am by no means an experienced saddler.

 

[pansymouse]

It's a simple job for a saddler who has thousands of pounds worth of training and tools! How much it would be depends on how much preparation and stitching is required. I hand stitch because it's more secure than machine stitching but obviously takes much longer. As a rule of thumb price wise and without seeing and handling the headcollar I would expect to charge between £10 and £25 for the repair. On headcollars I generally say if the repair is going to cost more than £25 it's not worth doing unless it's a very posh one.

Hi Pansymouse

So its a simple job to just unstitch and put a 'tie ring' and stitch back again? How much would it be? I like to fix things when I can, guess I've always got that off my Dad who has never thrown anything away if it can be repaired, and was often better than it was before.

I've lost count of the pounds he's saved me over the years. Now I'm Dad-less I'm doing it myself and taking after him I think. lol I quite like having to use my brain and find alternatives that can be used for reparing things. Dad was very analytical which is typical of engineers, and used to look at something, study it in great depth and then always find a solution whatever the situation. I miss him so much.

Someone had bought a new set of wheelbarrow wheels and the lug holding the wheel on had come off. I knew Dad would have made a part on his lathe down the shed in half an hour and fixed it for her.

 

[supsup]

On the topic of safely tying up - I use heavy-duty cable ties to make a loop (about the same size as the tie ring, cut off any extra) through the tie ring, and clip any leadrope into the cable tie loop for tying up. You have a choice of strengths with cable ties, so you can pick one that breaks when necessary, but doesn't snap the first time the horse tries to wander off. It doesn't solve the problem of a horse getting hung up with their headcollar directly, but is the best solution I've come across so far for safely tying up. Much better than baler twine, IMO.
I also like the fact that if my horse breaks loose, there is no trailing rope to get caught up/stepped on.

A strong cable tie might also be a quick-fix solution that costs pennies to replace the tie ring on the broken headcollar, though it's obviously not a particularly durable or pretty solution.

 

[Keith_Beef]

It's a simple job for a saddler who has thousands of pounds worth of training and tools! How much it would be depends on how much preparation and stitching is required. I hand stitch because it's more secure than machine stitching but obviously takes much longer. As a rule of thumb price wise and without seeing and handling the headcollar I would expect to charge between £10 and £25 for the repair. On headcollars I generally say if the repair is going to cost more than £25 it's not worth doing unless it's a very posh one.

We're discussing a repair where what's needed is to burst open a seam and re-stitch. The holes are already punched, the only things needed are two saddler's needles, a length of thread, and a bit of beeswax. A clamp would be useful, but at a push, a couple of battens and a little spring clamp would do.

To be able to stitch quickly and well takes practice, I agree, but if OP has plenty of time why not go for it?

On the other hand, I think that £10 to £25 is quite reasonable. I have a very similar headcollar, but with a second buckle on the headpiece to make it more adjustable; I got it for €40, which was half the normal price of €80.

To my mind, a repair cost of £10 to £25 on something that would cost £60 to replace, and that after repair could last another 15 to 20 years is a good deal.