restraining contramptions....

[Ryan&Dizzy]

...for want of a better name...i couldnt think of one!

what i mean is ie headcollars, duallys,etc...

as you may know ive had a few 'issues' leading Otto. and at the min im leading him in his bridle everywhere because he well and truely knows he can drag me all over the place in a headcollar!

in his bridle he is a lamb but even if i try to lead a few metres in his headcollar he is dragging again.... in summer he is fine in just a head collar but in winter he gets hungry! now leading everywhere in a bridle gets a bit tiresome as i have to get a bit in his mouth when we have other horses trying to bite his bum and push me round etc and then i have to change into a headcollar to tye him up etc....

so i had thought of getting him a daully but do they actully give you that much more control than a normal headcollar? i have used a parelli halter with him a lot before and i am going to buy a new one (need one for uni) so which would you use for everyday leading of a very big bolshy brat?

we have done ground work till im blue in the face but he knows hes bigger than me and if he wants something he knows he can get it!

[mags]

Have you tried asking debbie and ruths advise sophie

[Ryan&Dizzy]

with being at uni ive not seen ruth for aaaages so no i havent. infact i may well send her a PM..im sure she will love me for that

[Cheryl Walmsley]

I don't have much experience with lots of horses and duallys but the two I work with both have much better manners generally on the dually than on a normal halter (and in some cases more than with a bit!).

[jes]

I have more control with a Dually than I do with a bridle, plus with a Dually you can use it as a normal headcollar for leading when he's being good then switch to a side ring if you need more control.

[Ryan&Dizzy]

at the risk of sounding dumb...how do the duallys actully work? i realise that they tighten around the horses nose but i wouldnt think that would be enough to have much impact on a horse that really wanted to get somewhere!

[Lesley from Kent (Floydsmum)]

You'll have LOADS more control in a Dually! People often advise that you wrap the lead rope round the horses nose if they pull right? Well that does work for sure but there is no release from the pressure by doing this so the horse isn't rewarded for doing the right thing (i.e. not pulling).

Basically the Dually has a rope bit which sits on the boney part of the nose and when they pull, the rope pulls tighter on the nose thus causing pressure. As soon as the horse stops pulling and you slacken the rope, the pressure is immediately released and the horse is rewarded.

You do need to use a longer lead rope with a Dually though so that you have time to step out at a 45 degree angle so that you can steady yourself so that as the horse barges passed you he isn't able to drag you - you have a few seconds for the horse to hit the end of the line and put pressure on itself!

Does this make sense? If you buy a Dually off here, you can also get the Video (or DVD) which explains how to use it.

I'd rather give a horse a good pull on the Dually rather than pulling them in the mouth with a bridle. They may be expensive but they are worth their weight in gold and you can use it as a normal headcollar too when not using it for training purposes.

Hope this helps?

[Ryan&Dizzy]

i dont mind the expensive thing too much as long as i dont get dragged all over the place! i dont like haveing to put his bridle on and actully i dont have to pull on him in it because he knows what happens so just doesnt pull when he has it on but i would prefer for him to have something a little nicer on! i always lead Otto on a long line any way ill be on my face for most of my life if not!

is the general consensous that people like the dually more than the rope halters?

[Lesley from Kent (Floydsmum)]

Sorry Otto, didn't mean to imply you pull your best mate around when you lead him in his bridle

Yep, I much prefer the Dually to a rope halter - the rope halters can dig in and I don't believe they release pressure as quickly as the Dually either. In my honest opinion, the rope halters tend to put too much pressure on the poll and nose.

You'll see Richard Maxwell uses a rope halter but he is an expert and knows exactly the right time to release the pressure - even though I've done all of the IH courses, I'm still an amateur and I can be a little slow at releasing the pressure - the Dually is far more forgiving in this situation and you tend not to get the violent reactions to it like you do with the rope halters.

If someone else handles your horse for you too, it is much better for them to use the Dually if they haven't been taught how to use a training halter properly too!

[Ryan&Dizzy]

hummm good plan! i did used to use a parelli halter on him when i first got him when his leading was really bad...as it he would canter threw me and then gallop round for hours! but then felt i didnt need it any more so went back to just a normal headcollar. i think that the thiong that has set him off is that ive moved to Uni and he doesnt cope well with change... even something as suttle as changing his rug can throw him into panick for days!

but we were sort of taking it in turns to have a weekend off (there are 3 of us at our yard) so we could spend time at home but as Otto was misbehaving for them (he started just doing it with the other girls) i put a stop to that and know only i do him but it is really difficult at times im used to my dad doing him if i need him to.

[Ryan&Dizzy]

oh and dont worry i didnt think were implying i pulled him round... im really bad at phaseing things sorry!

[em&ed]

At the risk of being slated... the dually did not work for me...

[Ryan&Dizzy]

wot were the reasons it did work? see i was a bit unsure as to weather my horse would lidten to it he can be very rude at times!

[em&ed]

You can pm me if you like... your boy sounds a bit like mine...lol...

[Ryan&Dizzy]

have done thanks!