Ropehalters

What is the purpose of a rope halter?

Rope halters have long been popular among Western riders as a fine means of communication for giving precise impulses. Signals can be sent without being diluted and can be perceived by the horse, as the ropes are very light and immediately take the pressure off the bridge of the nose when the pull is released. The knot rope halter is not only used for groundwork, but also for training Western horses and schooling young horses. It can also be seen as a precursor to the bitless bridle for Western horses. Some Western riders also use it as an independent bitless bridle.
Another big plus is the infinitely variable adjustment of the halter. This means that it can be easily adapted to different horse head sizes.
In combination with the knot rope halter, a lead rope with a snap hook on one side and a leather flap on the other is recommended. If you find the snap hook annoying during ground work because it claps against the horse's jaw while moving, you can also find ropes with a loop for threading in our online shop.
At Kramer Equestrian you will find a large selection of knot rope halters for Western horses from STONEDEEK. Nosebands braided in contrasting colours as well as nosebands decorated with rawhide and sparkling stones not only make the knot rope halter a valuable training aid. They are also a beautiful accessory to successfully round off the outfit of a Western horse.

How does a rope halter fit correctly?

A rope halter is made up of a double rope that is between 3.5 and 8 mm thick and tied in a circular fashion. The halter is not closed by a buckle, but by a knot on the cheek.
A knot rope halter should fit correctly on the horse's head so that the signals reach the horse in a comprehensible way and there is no pressure on sensitive areas that can be damaged. If it is fastened and adjusted incorrectly, it can put painful pressure on the sensitive facial nerves. This is because the contact area of the ropes is very small compared to an ordinary Western halter. The pressure resulting from force per surface area is therefore higher. For this reason, you should not only be careful and sensitive when using the knot rope halter, it should also fit the horse's head properly:

• The knot with which you close the halter is on the left side of the horse's head.
• The knots on the left and right side of the nose bridge are two fingers below the cheek bone.
• The nose part lies on the broad bridge of the nose, not on the free nose bone.
• The diamond ring, in which the rope is hooked, hangs below the horse's chin. There should be about 4 finger widths of space between the lower jaw branches and the diamond knot.
• The rope halter fits tightly so that it does not slip.

How is the rope halter correctly fitted?

• Open the rope halter
• Place the headpiece over the neck
• Pull the noseband over the nose.
• Thread the rope through the loop of the cheekpiece, from inside to outside.
• Form a D and pull the end of the rope through from behind.
• Tighten the resulting knot towards the neck.