A vital piece of equipment for any horse owner, the halter has a variety of uses. While everyone has a personal preference, some halters are more common, or suitable to a certain purpose, than others. Showing a horse in the wrong halter could knock them out of the ribbons, or even be a disqualification.
Leather Halters: Sometimes called stock halters, these are the halters being referred to in my post "Why every tackmaker Should Begin with Halters". This type of halter is used both at the barn and in showmanship classes. A plain halter could serve both purposes in the model showing, however if a nameplate is added the halter (one or both cheekpieces) it is no longer considered suitable in a show ring, but may be used in scene classes. Show halters tend to have more silver in western type horses, and thinner in design for hunter types.
Nylon Halters: Similar in design to leather halters. In the real horse world, some owners prefer nylon due to its wide variety of colors/patterns, and simpler upkeep than leather. I have seen ribbon used to mimic this type in the model world.
Breakaway Halters: A combination of nylon and leather halters, breakaway halters are still fairly simple in construction. It is equipped with a leather crownpiece that often buckles onto both sides. In the real horse world, this type is, as the name suggests, break under significant amounts of pressure, for the safety of the horse. I personally haven't seen any made in model scale, but assume the removable crownpiece could allow it to fit a wider variety of molds.
Cable Style Halters: This type is much less widely used, its main purpose in arabian shows. This halter has vastly different construction than those previously mentioned. As the name suggests, the core of this halter is thin cable, which may have leather or plastic over it. The main piece uses combined crown and cheek straps, and a noseband. Instead of a standard lead line, this halter uses a loop of chain on both cheek rings, and the lead attached to that. This halter type can be used in presentation sets, and can be simple or very elaborately decorated.
Rope Halters: Made from a single length of rope, this type has knots where hardware would be on a leather halter. It is adjustable by retying the knots in appropriate places. In the real horse world, this can be used as a barn or training halter. In the model world, I personally see two uses for this halter type. It can be excellent for practicing knot work (Maybe a bosal), or could be used in scene classes.
Shipping Halters: This is another halter with a very specific purpose. Made like a leather or nylon halter, the shipping halter has fleece or sheepskin covering each piece. These coverings protect the live horse while in transit. I imagine they could serve a similar purpose when transporting a model horse. Otherwise I see little use for one, especially with pony pouches widely available and not too complex to make. On the other hand, they sure look comfy, and cute!
What do you use different types of halters for? Live and model horse answers appreciated :)
Leather Halters: Sometimes called stock halters, these are the halters being referred to in my post "Why every tackmaker Should Begin with Halters". This type of halter is used both at the barn and in showmanship classes. A plain halter could serve both purposes in the model showing, however if a nameplate is added the halter (one or both cheekpieces) it is no longer considered suitable in a show ring, but may be used in scene classes. Show halters tend to have more silver in western type horses, and thinner in design for hunter types.
Nylon Halters: Similar in design to leather halters. In the real horse world, some owners prefer nylon due to its wide variety of colors/patterns, and simpler upkeep than leather. I have seen ribbon used to mimic this type in the model world.
Breakaway Halters: A combination of nylon and leather halters, breakaway halters are still fairly simple in construction. It is equipped with a leather crownpiece that often buckles onto both sides. In the real horse world, this type is, as the name suggests, break under significant amounts of pressure, for the safety of the horse. I personally haven't seen any made in model scale, but assume the removable crownpiece could allow it to fit a wider variety of molds.
Cable Style Halters: This type is much less widely used, its main purpose in arabian shows. This halter has vastly different construction than those previously mentioned. As the name suggests, the core of this halter is thin cable, which may have leather or plastic over it. The main piece uses combined crown and cheek straps, and a noseband. Instead of a standard lead line, this halter uses a loop of chain on both cheek rings, and the lead attached to that. This halter type can be used in presentation sets, and can be simple or very elaborately decorated.
Rope Halters: Made from a single length of rope, this type has knots where hardware would be on a leather halter. It is adjustable by retying the knots in appropriate places. In the real horse world, this can be used as a barn or training halter. In the model world, I personally see two uses for this halter type. It can be excellent for practicing knot work (Maybe a bosal), or could be used in scene classes.
Shipping Halters: This is another halter with a very specific purpose. Made like a leather or nylon halter, the shipping halter has fleece or sheepskin covering each piece. These coverings protect the live horse while in transit. I imagine they could serve a similar purpose when transporting a model horse. Otherwise I see little use for one, especially with pony pouches widely available and not too complex to make. On the other hand, they sure look comfy, and cute!
Comments
Post a Comment