Dually and Be nice halters - pros and cons

[xrobinx]

Hello there,

I've recently moved to university after having worked in a professional riding yard for several years. Now I'm exercising private horses locally and have realised how much can go wrong with horses when they are inconsistently handled! Where I used to work we had both Be Nice halters and Dually halters and a bunch of polite, willing horses. Now I'm a poor student and have to decide which halter is the better for me, despite having found both effective in the past.

So, I thought it might be interesting to get some feedback on the pros and cons of these two halters. The following evaluations are just off the top of my head, are certainly not exhaustive and are of course subjective to a point - let me know what you think.

Dually:
Pros - comfortable wide strapping, versatile (training rings and standard tying up ring), you can ride with it
Cons - twists when one training ring is used (I've seen this happen several times at Monty's demostrations and it just seems rather unavoidable)

Be Nice:
Pros - Doesn't twist, more balanced feel when training on the ground
Cons - Thin rope (some might argue it's less comfortable for the horse), no tying ring (not safe for tying up), can't ride with it,

P.S. I did search for threads about these halters, but couldn't find any - hope this is in the right section.

[zack&buffysmum]

My personal preference is the dually, having used both ( or at least a rope 'control' halter) found I had much more control in the dually.

[Deleted]

I think I'd have the same list as you. I find my dually only twists if either you really pull on it (think horse bolting) or if it's not fitted snug enough. In all normal handling, long lining and riding it stays central.

I think horses who can't tolerate poll pressure react better to the Dually. A friend of mine has a horse like this and she had a rope halter and when she tried a dually it was a complete revelation, her horse is much happier in it.

[xrobinx]

One other factor to take into account is owner issues - sometimes seems quite awkward to say "I'd like to use this dually/be nice halter instead of the chifney you've been using to bring your horse back to the field" - I suppose it is how you 'sell' the idea of a dually or be nice.

[katylou]

About the twisting of the dually halter, in the DVD that comes with it, Monty says that it's supposed to twist, and it's this action that the horse teaches himself to avoid by not resisting. Have I got it wrong? I've bought a Dually for Millie, but haven't used it yet because I've got an RA coming to visit us tomorrow, and I was planning to ask him to leave me with some tips to bring on the training after he's gone.

[xrobinx]

I guess if it is meant to twist then fair enough, but it's just a bit awkward having to worry about it getting in the way of the off-side eye - though this only seems to happen in extreme situations i.e. demonstrations and challenging horses, and I if it is happening often then something isn't right with the progress of the horse/owner.

I've opted for a dually this time anyway, the sheer versatility makes it the best choice I reckon.

[mags]

I've found the Dually really works for my horse that occasionally plants and won't move foreward. He will just hang himself into most headcollars (including rope headcollars), but he learned very quickly how to release himself from pressure with the Dually, and move forward. Maybe it's pressure around the face vs. pressure on the poll, I don't know.

[Zoe RA]

I would be very surprised if Monty or anybody else had said that a Dually was supposed to twist If it is fitted correctly then it will twist on the face a lot less than any other sort of head collar or halter that I have ever used!

I would go for the Dually every time. I used to use a Be Nice, but decided that it was waayyyyyy too harsh. Even when used with soft hands, if a horse were to rear or pull sharply back, the nasty bits on the top would be very unforgiving.

[emma]

I have both, I've got one that just doesn't respect the dually one bit so she's got a be nice and leads like a lamb in it. The other pony has a dually and only needs the slightest bit of pressure to respond. If I could only have one halter I'd have the be nice, you can turn the headpiece round so the studs are on the top and not in contact with the horse

[Yann]

If you do need to use something like that then my preference would always be for the dually, I think poll pressure, especially severe poll pressure causes as many problems as it solves. The dually is much more versatile too, it's great for long lining.

[petethebee]

WE've used both over the years. The Dually wins hands down. The horse must be trained to it though. Watch the video that comes with the Dually carefully. It has to be fitted correctly. This is just snug against the skin. The top part of the nose-band needs to be on the same hole as the bottom part, this is why there are two buckles.
It does turn in use but not greatly. A gentle elastic pressure with soft hands is required. Horses learn extremely quickly. They can also learn the wrong things very quickly too.

[Zoe RA]

Dec 12, 2010 17:22:16 GMT 1 petethebee said:

The top part of the nose-band needs to be on the same hole as the bottom part, this is why there are two buckles.

Sorry Pete, I have to disagree with you on that! Horses faces come in all shapes and sizes, and to make sure that the rope part is the right length (not tight so that it doesn't release freely, and not to lose so that it dangles on to the soft part of the nose)I find that the buckle under the jaw is very rarely on the same hole as the one over nose.

[lassiesuca]

Myself and I believe others have said this too, have found that it doesn't release pressure quick enough.

[Mellymoo]

I have a be nice and a rope halter - tried Jos in the dually and he basically ignored it. I used the rope halter to teach him not to bog off when being led, and it worked well. He only bogs off on special occasions now!

[gambler]

sorry lassiesuca but which halter are you referring to?