# Field turnout headcollars - which is best?



## LizGooch1 (28 July 2008)

Help! My little TB is very hard to catch, its not so much the going up to her its the putting the headcollar on (she is headshy). So I've resorted to having to leave headcollar on.

I want to buy a proper fieldsafe headcollar but which is best? Also being TB things tend to rub her head easily so are there any that dont rub as much? I guess the fewer buckles the better?!

Thankies for any suggestions!!


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## Maesfen (28 July 2008)

Leather is far better than anything else TBH.  You can get cheaper ones from £5 - 10 (some on ebay if you're not near a market) and these are plenty good and strong enough to turn out in.   At that price, if they do lose them or break it, in can either be fixed or replaced, it's not such a drama as using an expensive 'best' one!  I use them all the time and have never had any problems with them and I refuse point blank to let a nylon one of any description be left on one in my fields.  Nylon ones, however well they're made - and some aren't -  also can make them sweaty so that they rub and the next thing you know they're caught up on something.
I'd rather they broke a leather one than broke their neck if I'm honest!


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## RachelB (28 July 2008)

My horse has to wear a muzzle in the field, one of those Greenguard ones that has to be attached to a headcollar. I would NEVER put it on a nylon one because, as MFH says, nylon is not designed to break and the horse's neck would break first in most cases. My horse has a cheapie leather headcollar.
I tried using the Aerborn field headcollar with the rubber rings in but my pony, who was difficult to catch (hence the headcollar in field), kept breaking it off! She then learnt she could pull away when I had caught her and break loose before I got her leading headcollar on her so that was a wasted effort! You can now buy headcollars with the throat catch that attaches to one of two rings - they have a velcro one (attach clip to this one whilst horse is in field, headcollar then becomes "field safe") and a normal one (attach clip to this whilst leading). That way, if your horse is head-shy, you don't have to change headcollars to lead it back in. I think it was Cottage Craft who made them.
As for the rubbing, my horse rubs easily when she has her muzzle and headcollar on and I just bought some cheapie fluffy material and made some "tubes" to go over her headpiece and noseband etc.


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## Box_Of_Frogs (28 July 2008)

I'd swear by Aerborn simply because they do break apart so easily. Horses can kill themselves in headcollars that don't break - I have personal experience of a truly tragic case.


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## kerilli (28 July 2008)

i have one filly who is exactly the same as yours, and i break my "no headcollars in the field" rule for her. she's turned out in a very old and worn nylon headcollar, very soft, very weak (i know it would break in a trice). last time i took it off i managed to get her in with the other horses, and it took me 20 mins to catch her in the stable! she's had it on all year and it hasn't rubbed at all.


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## CrazyMare (28 July 2008)

Some horses learn to take them off too btw...My mare wears a very very old nylon one. She can take off leathers ones beacuse they are more supple, she can break fieldsafe ones etc.

I cover hers in soft fleece - cost me £2.99 per metre at the market.

I daren't turn her out without it. Last time it took me five days to catch her....


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## suzysparkle (29 July 2008)

A cheap leather one. The fieldsafe ones break with even a scratch against anther Horse. Leather brakes in an emergency. Buy one with a metal throatlash clip as the clips break easily as well. Mine broke an English leather one while tied to a loop of (new) string!


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