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Eye Splicing
This shows up on 12 and 22 foot leads and training strings (aka savvy or progress strings). A cheater splice is a very fast way of making an eye splice in a double braided rope. It's also very weak compared to a true eye splice and it's low strength depends largely on how long the splice is and how well and where you stitch the splice. Poorly done, a cheater splice will completely come undone if your haltered horse steps on the lead and jerks it's head up - this happened to a lady we know through our Parelli Study Group - and it was a well known name brand lead (although we haven't heard of it happening since). The grey (used to be white) rope at left is cheater spliced, the black is properly spliced. Both ropes at left are made from the same thickness of rope. Notice how the white rope is thin and concave as it passes through the eye while the black is thick and convex. Notice how much thicker the black rope is below the bull clip and how the angle of the braiding changes as the black splice tapers down the length of the splice, while the braiding angle and thickness is constant on the white. |
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Backsplicing
Again, this shows up on 12 and 22 foot leads and training strings. The pictures at left are both the same diameter of rope. The black one looks much thicker because it is spliced properly. A properly spliced end will be thicker and then taper farther up the rope. Backsplicing takes time and adds weight to the rope end. It's much quicker and simpler to melt the end of the rope and not have to bother with stitching it. However, the problem is that the core can also slide up inside the outer cover, leaving a weaker limp spot in the rope, it doesn't twirl as easily as a backspliced line and if your horse steps on the melted end, it can crack and fray, often with sharp edges that irritate your hands and snag on ropes that touch it. Poppers A leather popper not only adds a traditional finished touch to a rope end, but also adds a loud snap that gets a horse's attention. Try getting a loud sound out of a rope popper by smacking it against your hand - you'll get a sore hand first. Some equipment suppliers will either provide no popper at all or charge extra to put one on. |
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Halter Knots
It's very simple and quick to tie a halter with regular overhand knots - but it rarely hangs evenly to make it easy to put on a horse's head. The red and white pair of ropes on the far left show the natural bend of a regular overhand knot - this is why it won't hang evenly. If you straighten a regular overhand knot, (the blue line at left) you get a flat spot on the knot that won't apply pressure as precisely. Even worse, if the other side of the knot is in contact with the horse's face, the natural bend in the knot will continue to apply pressure to the horse's face even when the horse has yielded to the halter. Mathew Walker knots (in solid red at left; aka blood knots, double overhand knots or rose knots) can be confusing to tie - and adding to the confusion, a common diagram for tying them induces a twist in one of the lines. However, the Mathew Walker knot is perfect for the job: it is naturally straight and very symmetrical in shape allowing it to provide discomfort under pressure, yet release and rest lightly when yielded to . |
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Fiador knots
OK, this is really just cosmetic, but I have to describe the black knot as what it is: a big old ugly overhand knot - but at least this time it doesn't reduce the effectiveness of the halter. If Matthew Walker knots are confusing to tie, the Fiador seems next to impossible: the typical first three hours of attempting this one knot seem to require five or six hands... the following three hours, maybe only four hands... but once again, it is the perfect knot for the job: neat, even, compact and very pleasing to the eye. Note the stitching in white sailmaker's twine on the bottom of the red loops; an unstitched Fiador can turn into a mess if you throw it in the wash to clean it. |
Some other shortcuts we have seen many natural horsemanship equipment manufacturers using when making their equipment:
-use lighter weight rope in mecates, 12 and 22 foot leads that costs less to start with and doesn't give as precise/accurate cues to the horse.-use a very short whipping of less than an inch to attach the leather tip on training sticks.
-many do not make training sticks at all.
-use plated steel rings and carabiners instead of stainless steel on 22 foot lines. We offer cast stainless steel bullclips on our 12 foots as an upgrade offered at our cost - cast stainless steel is very expensive compared to plated steel.
-use rubber hose instead of proper golf club grips on training sticks. The grips look better and are safer as they are designed to cushion the hand and slip less when using them.
Some of these shortcuts are cosmetic, but
most
will make the product less durable and more likely to break.
Regardless of whether you are buying from us or other manufacturers, carefully
check over the equipment or photos of it before you buy and don't be afraid
to ask questions on the above details!
The bitter taste of poor quality stays long
after the sweetness of a low price has faded.