Trail Riding With Headstall Safety in Mind
How many times have you been away from your trailer on a challenging ride with great friends when you stop for lunch or sightseeing? Then you realize that you forgot your halter at the trailer. You can choose to tie your horse up with headstall and reins leaving the bit in your horses mouth or sit or stand holding your horse while everyone else has a relaxing lunch with a beautiful view. That is no fun. When you choose to tie up with your reins, new horses, new people, the stage is set for disaster. Your horse spooks sets back and POP goes your reins or your bridle if they are leather. When this happens most likely you have bruised the bars of your horses mouth. This can cause problems down the road when you want to bridle him later. If you have ever been in this situation you probably have watched your horse disappear down the trail you just rode up. Now you are faced with walking back to the trail head or hoping that someone will catch your mount and come looking for you. Been there? I have. Not a pleasant experience at best.
If you use leather tack you are faced with having to clean frequently, watch for dry rot, and it breaks and tears. I have used both nylon and leather tack. At one time you could not give me nylon horse equipment, leather was the only tack I owned. At the time I had purchased what I thought was good nylon tack, it turned out to be a poly material with nickel plate hardware. Needless to say after 6 months of hard riding every day the hardware rusted and the poly wore through. It was not a pretty site and expensive at a cost of $80 for a breast collar and headstall.That was about 18 years ago. The experience turned me off of nylon for several years. I used a Parker Trail Bridle on a dare. It is nylon with stainless steel buckles and ring on the halter nose. I was amazed at the versatility and durability of the tack, I have since used most of the Parker products that go with Trail Riding in the Arkansas Ozarks at one time or another.
When I was teaching young people to ride in the 90s. It was a requirement that they have at least a Parker Trail Bridle. I did not have to worry if the halter was at the trailer or it the headstall was left at home in the rush to load the horse. The bridle was there. The bit and reins were the easy part, they were in the saddle bags. When we got to a spot for lunch or a swim on the Buffalo River, a lead was snapped to the halter ring, bits were unsnapped and tied to the saddle horn. Very easy solution to a worrisome problem.
The kids were thrilled that they could have the color they wanted and decorate it with a futurity knot brow, Aztec design overlay, or a different color overlay. There was a size to fit the smallest pony, or mustang and the best Quarter Horse. They come in Mini to Draft sizes and with a selection of reins too.
The Parker Trail Bridle has a unique feature in the back jaws that come up the horses jaw line to behind the ears. There is a slide to adjust the length of the jaw strap. You just have to see it on a horse to know that it is the best fitting trail/halter bridle for any type of riding that you could do.
Northwest Arkansas is where I have called home since 1989. I have the Buffalo River National Park in my back yard. It is one of the most exciting riding areas in the United States. I have gotten to product test several of the new pieces of equipment developed by Parker Enterprises. That means that I get to ride the easy trails and go where it is rugged and rough. Bud light customer service