Padded Halters

[TomE]

Made a padded halter for a sales horse from Hermann Oak Havana bridle leather.  Liked it well enough that I made the same design with 3/4" straps for a special pony.  Now it's got me thinking that matching halters for broodmares and foals could be "a thing" at foal inspections sponsored by breed registries.

[Klara]

Beautiful! And matching halters seems such an obvious idea to me that I wonder whether it's not done yet. But I'm not a breeder or visiting breed shows.

[Mulesaw]

Really nice work!

I just checked the rules regarding foal inspections for Danish Warmblood (In Denmark). Those rules state that the mare shall be presented in a regular bridle. But the foal should be in a halter.

Now those rules may easily differ for the different registers, so I think you should talk to some of the local breeders and ask them if there are any specific rules. 

Brgds
Jonas

[Klara]

If the mare is to be presented in a bridle, one could still make matching sets: Bridle and halter from the same leather, similar hardware (same colour), same style. 

But the idea to ask breeders what they need/want is a good one.

[TomE]

1 hour ago, Mulesaw said:

Really nice work!

I just checked the rules regarding foal inspections for Danish Warmblood (In Denmark). Those rules state that the mare shall be presented in a regular bridle. But the foal should be in a halter.

Now those rules may easily differ for the different registers, so I think you should talk to some of the local breeders and ask them if there are any specific rules. 

Brgds
Jonas

Thank you!

1 hour ago, Klara said:

If the mare is to be presented in a bridle, one could still make matching sets: Bridle and halter from the same leather, similar hardware (same colour), same style. 

But the idea to ask breeders what they need/want is a good one.

Thanks!  We breed sport horses for several registeries in the USA (Dutch Warmblood, Westfalen, Hanoverian). http://www.maefieldfarm.com I began making halters as a way of saying thank you to our clients but it's becoming a bad habit.    Our mares are typically presented in a halter with foal at their side.  The foal halters and slips tend to be a primitive affair made of oil tanned leather with rough edges and rivet fasteners.  I think I can do better based on some designs in Steinke's book "Bridlework.".  The required halter size varies, depending on when the foal was born, but I think 2 or 3 different sizes would cover the range.

[Mulesaw]

I think it sounds like a very good "bad habit" 

And I will be the first to agree that it looks great when the mare and the foal have matching gear on. 

https://katrinelund.dk/GB.aspx

This is the local stallion central where we live. Our son takes some jumping lessons there once a week, and I have managed to get the job of repairing the stable sheets for them, I am always impressed and amazed with how efficiently young stallions can destroy a nice new blanket. 

 

[TomE]

3 hours ago, Mulesaw said:

 

https://katrinelund.dk/GB.aspx

This is the local stallion central where we live. Our son takes some jumping lessons there once a week, and I have managed to get the job of repairing the stable sheets for them, I am always impressed and amazed with how efficiently young stallions can destroy a nice new blanket. 

 

Of course, Donkey Boy is a well known sire - a rock star!  How fortunate that your son can learn horsemanship from top notch professionals.    

[Minnesota]

That halter is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. Just curious, what you used as padding and liner?

[TomE]

On 7/29/2021 at 2:59 PM, Minnesota said:

That halter is a gorgeous piece of craftsmanship. Just curious, what you used as padding and liner?

Sorry for the delay.  I wrote a reply but it didn't post.  The padding is 1/8" neoprene and the liner is cowhide tanned to resemble deerskin.

[Minnesota]

On 8/3/2021 at 8:28 PM, TomE said:

Sorry for the delay.  I wrote a reply but it didn't post.  The padding is 1/8" neoprene and the liner is cowhide tanned to resemble deerskin.

It just goes to show that with a little imagination and ingenuity, an ordinary object or design can be taken to taken to another level. I want to try my hand at your design. I am extremely impressed with the way it turned out.