Should I wash my horse training ropes?

Good question. 

It depends.

If your rope isn't visibly dirty, it probably doesn't matter.

If your rope has gotten drug through the dirt or mud, then that dirt will decrease the abrasion resistance of the rope and lead eventually to fuzziness and if you tie your horse could even lead to failure.

Most importantly, when you do wash your rope, keep some best practices in mind.

• Don't clean your ropes with anything that "brightens colors" or has any bleach content. Warm water and a very gentle detergent is best.
• It is best to soak the rope for 5 minutes or so in a warm detergent bath to loosen the maximum amount of grime.
• It is not recommended to put your rope in the washing machine - this is a bucket job.
• Most importantly, DO NOT use the rope while it is drying. Physical stress to the rope whilst it is drying could damage its long term strength. 
• Do NOT mechanically dry the rope with any sort of heat - dryer, radiator, hair dryer, etc. These are all a no-no.

Sometimes people will comment that "old ropes" feel different than new ropes. What they mean usually is fatter or fully bodied feeling. The reason for this is dirt making its way through the cover of the rope, sort of like a mattress amassing skin cells and dirt over the years (ewww, gross I know). That full bodied feeling is just dirt - it is not the rope construction being different "in the good old days" unless the maker has changed the rope construction. What you do want to be on the look out for is fuzziness of the rope's outer core with older ropes, as this could mean the rope will fail in time.

At HEC, all of our ropes have used the same construction, material and spinning specifications for things like breaking strength, diameter and stretch since we started making products in 2013. Coatings help the rope resist the effect of grime.

Yachting braid nylon rope in horse lead ropes, lungeing ropes and riding reins is  very durable if cared for properly - which is pretty easy to do as it is sturdy and low maintenance. It is good practice to also survey the stitching regularly to make sure rot or mildew has not had an effect from storage in your tack room.

If you happen to accidentally snag a yachting braid rope, you can repair it before a snag turns into a run by using a lighter to singe the snag and stop it in its track. Smooth it over with some flat metal surface - a butter knife or the back of a spoon works just fine.

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Adjustable Horse Halter

The Hybrid Horse Halter from The Horse Education Company Offers Quick and Easy Adjustment for Greater Horse Training Control

Most horse halters don't provide leverage, or do so unpredictably, either because they shift around too much on the horse's face (as with a rope horse halter), or because they are made of flat material that is easy for the horse to push on (which is the case with nylon halters and leather halters). The fit of these horse halters is hit or miss and cannot be adjusted for greater control.

The patented design of the Hybrid Horse Halter from The Horse Education Company however ensures both a precise fit and the ability to quickly adjust for greater control of the horse's head. Simply by adjusting the fit of the halter's poll strap, you have all you need to adjust the training results of the Hybrid Horse Halter. 

By adjusting the fit of the halter up or down your horse's nose, you can can more leverage on different parts of the horse's face. A higher fit will give you more leverage on the horse's jaw (which can be helpful for a horse that wants to pull backward), while unbuckling the halter's poll strap and letting it hang farther down the nose will give you more leverage on the horse's nose and more body control.

The Hybrid Halter includes a sliding ring on the chin which stabilizes the halter from shifting and a rope noseband with pressure knots that makes it mildly uncomfortable for the horse to push on. These features provide the Hybrid Horse Halter with a variety of practical advantages over other horse halters, including trailering and crosstying safety, lungeing convenience and greater training control.

Granted an official design patent in 2016, the Hybrid Halter is available exclusively through The Horse Education Company and authorized retailers. Styles available include a nylon halter, a leather halter, as well as personalized halter options. For more information, visit The Horse Education Company online or call (888) 762-5701.