There are two measurements that you will need to take when determining your horse’s proper rope halter size. In order to measure your horse you will need a fabric measuring tape or simply a piece of string or rope.

The first measurement you will take is the noseband measurement. For this measurement you will start at the facial crest and cross over the nose to the other facial crest. That measurement will give you your Noseband size.

Measuring from Facial Crest Point to Facial Crest Point

The next measurement is the cheek piece. For this, you will start at the base of the facial crest and measure along the cheek to the groove behind the jaw. You will add an inch to that measurement to get your cheek piece size. So if your measurement is 9 inches, you add an inch and your cheek piece size is actually 10 inches.

Point of Facial Crest to Groove behind Jaw line

Most of the time the noseband and cheek piece measurements are the same so do not be surprised or think you did something wrong if that is the case.

This is how you would measure for a HRC Halter or Hackamore. We offer standard training halters as well as our custom fancy halters with trim. To see what size those measurements fit, go to: http://www.horseropeconnection.com/pages/Rope-Halter-Sizing.html

A lot of horses are easily able to fit into one of our standard sizes.  If you find that your horse does not fall into any of these categories or you simply want a perfect custom fit, you can email us at info@horseropeconnection.com and we will instruct you on how to measure further for a custom fit.

There are two types of rope halters that horsemen tend to prefer. One style is the Firm, Stiff feeling Halter Cord rope and the other is the Softer, Yacht Braid style. Both serve the same purpose in being an effective aid in communication between you and your horse. You will find that most halters are made from 1/4″ diameter rope and either style is available in a variety of color choices! The firm Halter Cord style is used by Clinton Anderson fans while the softer Yacht Braid rope is preferred by Parelli fans. The yacht braid rope is also spliceable which makes it popular for Mecates, Reins, Lead Ropes and Training Lines. The Halter Cord rope is not spliceable.

I tried these recipes and my horses loved them! Fun to do with the kids if you have a riding school or even with your own. Both recipes where taken from About.com.:)

Molasses Cookie Horse Treats

Your horse will love the sweet crunchiness of these cookies. They keep well in an air-tight container.

Never feed too many treats too often.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup bran
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup grated carrot or apple

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Oil two cookie sheets

Put aside a small bowl of white sugar and a drinking glass with a flat bottom.
In a large bowl mix all the ingredients thoroughly. The mixture shouldn’t be too wet, and should stick together. Add more flour to make the mixture firmer and hold together if necessary. Drop by teaspoonfuls, about 1 ½ inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Grease the bottom of the glass, dip it in the sugar, and stamp the cookies to flatten them slightly. Bake for about 10 minutes. This makes about 25 cookies, depending on the size. Store in an air-tight container or bag.

http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/r/molassescookies.htm

Oat ‘N Apple Chewies

http://horses.about.com/od/basiccare/r/oatchewies.htm

Happy Trails!

No doubt if you are like me you have a lot of “Horse Owner Friends”. Each year when the holidays come around I try to get creative in my gift giving ideas. Knowing what to get everyone can be tough, but it doesn’t have to be! Here is a list of ideas for all your horsey friends. Remember – most tack stores, online and local, have specials and sales for the holidays so take advantage of the BOGO offers and maybe treat yourself as well!

Horse Owner Gift Ideas:

Brushes – You can never have enough!

Grooming Kits

Tailbags or Tailsocks – There are even ones with BLING out there now!

Halters – Rope or Nylon – You can buy custom engraved Nylon and even custom designed Rope halters now too!

Horsemanship kits – buy them a starter kit including halter, lead rope, training stick and string!

Books and Movies – You can buy them training DVD’s but don’t forget things like the Black Stallion or Chicken Soup for the Horse Lover’s Soul!

Small Bucket filled with Goodies! – Treats, hoof polish, Shampoo etc

Magazine subscriptions

Calendars

Keychains – you can even have one made from their own horse’s hair

Christmas Ornaments

Horse Blankets and Sheets – You can also personalize these and have their horse’s name embroidered on them

Photo Frames

Helmets

License Plate Frames or Window Decals

Leg Wraps or Boots

Fly Masks – Yes it’s winter time but you always need them for the summer – and you might find some great deals!

Hopefully this will help you get started with your gift ideas for your horse friends. Don’t forget there are a lot of specialty gift stores for horse owners and horse lover’s that also include things like home furnishings, clothing, tableware and sheet sets. You can find specialty jewelry, hats, belts and accessories too. Enjoy your holiday shopping and don’t forget the Candy Canes for the horses!

Happy Holidays!

A pony is a childhood dream, a horse is an adulthood treasure. ~ Rebecca Carrol

The following video shows Clinton Anderson riding Diez bridleless. In my opinion this is a fantastic display of trust and communication between horse and rider. The cues are very subtle and Diez is completely relaxed and confident. Imagine riding your horse this way! Clinton is a very talented trainer and while this type of communication and level of training did not happen overnight, it is completely attainable.

How soft is your horse? How subtle can you be? How secure does your horse feel with you? How secure do you feel with him?

Dressage (pronounced /ˈdrɛsɑːʒ/ or /drɨˈsɑːʒ/) (a French term, most commonly translated to mean “training”) is a path and destination of competitive horse training, with competitions held at all levels from amateur to the Olympics. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse’s natural athletic ability and willingness to perform, thereby maximizing its potential as a riding horse.

Source: Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dressage

Grand Prix Freestyle Video

Horsenality – The first time I heard this phrase was from Pat Parelli. I love this. Simply put this is a system put together by Pat which helps you understand horses through their basic personality traits. This is one of the things that I love about not only Pat Parelli, but all horseman who utilize principles of reading the horse. It is so basic but something so easily overlooked. I enjoy learning as much as I can from experienced clinicians as well as some very talented non-celebrity friends, but my most important and influential teachers have been my horses.

I have two horses currently and using Pat’s system I have found that I have a Left Brained Extrovert and a Right Brained Introvert. They could not be more different in personality even though they do share some basic traits. Each has their own way of learning, and understanding which is not only fascinating and fun but also challenging. I found this to be a fun tool to use and you may feel the same! Check it out and decide for yourself!

You can discover more about your horse and the Horsenality system that Pat developed by going to the Savvy Club.

Photo: http://eventingakhaltekes.blogspot.com/2010/02/helm-magnificent-akhal-teke-stallion.html