**Warning** turning out in nylon headcollars can kill.

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splash30

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I have just had the most horrendous job of just cutting a dead foal free that killed herself by getting her nylon headcollar caught and breaking her neck as the headcollar would not break.

It was not one of our horses but a neighbours 4 month old filly that I saw over the fence, stuck on the field shelter.

Please please do not turn your horses out with nylon headcollars left on, whether they are old or young, I would not recommend the sight or having to deal with it, I feel that image will stay with me for a while.

Needless to say the owner has now gone out a brought leather headcollars but its all a little bit too late.

Please think, its so quick to happen
 
I know of a horse that also broke its neck when its nylon headcoller did not break when it got caught on a fence post. I always travel my horse and turn out in leather for this very reason. What a terrible shame.
 
Leather ones are pretty hard to break as well as proved when one of the horses at our yard got caught on the gate post and it didnt break. Dont know how good the field safe ones are!
 
I don't wanna be seen as "advertising" or promoting, but Libby's do a field turnout headcollar which has velcroe fastening, so if it does get caught on something it will pull apart.

You do need to order a size up tho' - my boy is usually OK with a cob size, but needed a full size one with theirs.

Mine can be daft and run back so if I'm tying him up I'll use the Libbys one for safety - works out cheaper than buying endless gadgets which come apart!!! Plus he respects it better.
 
Yup it's horrendous and it's horrid for you to have had to deal with it but I doubt a foal would break a leather headcollar either.

Personally I don't turn out with headcollars on - all of mine are easy to catch apart from my Welsh and he is so clever that he won't let you get within arm's reach of a headcollar. If you leave him with a rope on the headcollar he won't let you get within arm's reach of the end of the rope, so it's safer for him not to be wearing a headcollar
 
Never travel in them either, actually I never use them unless my leather one breaks and I use it temporaryily (SP) until I get a new one! So sad but its a shame the owner had to learn this the hard way :(
 
RIP little foal :( it's very sad that the foal had to pay the price. I never have and never will turnout in a headcollar, nylon or leather. I'm a real worrier when it comes to my horses, even though I can see them from my window, but I wouldn't be able to leave them out in any headcollar. Such a shame that some people still don't see the dangers :(
 
I am the same, after a really nasty event with my first horse, rather than pony, which could have ended in disaster - luckily the leather headcollar broke and Ihave never used anything else since.

On the rare occasions that I turnout in a headcollar it is one of those fieldsafe ones. I cringe when I see a horse turned out in a nylon headcollar but if I say anything I just get a funny look.
 
My horse has a pink nose and sensitive eyes to flies. She was in a full mask, but she learnt she could push the electric fence over. So now when it is very hot, she wears a fly fringe and a nose net on a headcollar, but it is a field safe headcollar. I wouldnt use anything else.

Very sad story.
 
Oh that is awful, poor little filly and such a shame that you have had to witness and deal with it too.

I never turn out in headcollars, the couple of occasions I have had to (because of a naughty young horse) I used the Aerborn fieldsafe with the rubber rings, yes it snaps, yes you may have to repair it with glue or buy new rings but that little bit effort is easier than results like this today, so sad, RIP Little filly.
 
Oh nno poor little baby. Rip xx. On last livery yard the yo always turned out for me in morning and insisted on leaving headcollers on i tried 2 different field safe headcollars but they just came off with playing and rubbing. So in the end i bought a really cheap nasty leather headcollar and cut it in a few places so that it was weakened quite severely. Thankfully now i dont need to turn out with one on at all..
 
What a tragic accident.

I also never turn out in headcollars. I turn out in a grazing muzzle that does have velcro, but even that worries me as I think it will be pretty hard to get it to give way. It needs to be secure too as on a laminitic, so daren't make it any weaker.

I also never leave headcollars on in the stable after one pony tried to hang himself on the stable door after just having one put on, ironically while waiting for the vet and trying to be organised. Luckily he was unharmed, but it could have been much worse.
 
Very sad and a hard way to learn a lesson, it always seems to fall on deaf ears, I've forgotten how many times I have said this before and as someone before said, others just look at you as if you're barking mad so they'll just have to learn the hard way, sadly for their horses
FTR, yes, a foal can break a leather headcollar, it happened to me when one was having a real paddy and turning himself inside out; I was glad I never use anything else anyway, I'd rather it break than their necks. If mine are coming in daily then they will always be turned out in leather headcollars, no matter what age they are; they're only bare when they've been turned away for the summer grazing. I will never leave one on in a stable unless it is tied up, too many accidents happen that way and I'll only ever use nylon headcollar if I'm holding the animal for vet or blacksmith, never at any other time.
 
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I've always been wary of even leather headcollars - have been there when a big 16.3 CBx got caught up on a gate and the leather headcollar did not break. He was alive but suffered bad tension burns to his face, jaw and poll plus had poll damage which took physio's months to correct.

I travel in a leather headcollar but it does not have a double stitched headpeice (so has a thinner/weaker area) to allow it to break or be very easily cut in an emergency.

My cob wears a fly mask plus home made sun-screen net which need a headcollar. He breaks the field safe headcollars too easily so he wears a nylon one which I have cut *almost* through at several points so it would break easily should he get caught up somehow.
 
There are headcollars with quiock release on them,so if they get stuck the headcollar will release itself.
I would never leave a headcollar on a foal anyway.
 
Jesus not another one - do people not realise that one of the first rules with a foal is NOT to turn our in nylon headcollars! Actually you should not turn ANYTHING out in a nylon headcollar - it just makes me really angry, I could slap the owners :mad:

What a waste of a young life, poor little foal, I hope her mother is OK:(
 
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