New heights for headcollar safety
How safe is your horse’s headcollar? Equilibrium Products collaborated with Dr David Marlin to answer that very question
NO MATTER WHAT you do with your horse, the likelihood is that you use a headcollar. Come the warmer months, you might even start using it a bit more, whether that’s when your horse is turned out in the field, or when you’re out and about travelling and competing. A headcollar is a piece of equipment that’s used at least once daily by 88% of horse owners. For something that is in use so often, it’s surprising that it’s difficult to find any published research into headcollar safety, fit or design in the public domain.
No doubt we’ve all heard horror stories about horses who have pulled back and run off with what they were tied to, or those who’ve been turned out during the warmer months with a headcollar on and have managed to attach themselves to the fence or something in the field and panicked. As horse owners, we have a duty and a responsibility to care for our horses to the best of our ability — to give them access to food, water, shelter and to keep them safe from harm.
So why hasn’t headcollar safety been addressed in a scientific, measured and standardised way to help minimise the risk of accident and injury? Prioritising thorough research and testing before bringing a product to market, Equilibrium Products commissioned scientific and equine consultant Dr David Marlin to research headcollar safety.
Room for improvement
The current lack of any safety standards or testing protocol for headcollars, combined with the results from Dr Marlin’s research*, indicate that there is clearly room for improvement which has the potential to increase the safety and wellbeing of both horses and their handlers.
Headcollars on test
There are many different headcollar designs, materials and safety systems. However, there doesn’t appear to be any published research in which headcollars have been tested in a systematic way. With the help of Dr David Marlin, Equilibrium Products tested a variety of ‘typical’ headcollars made of webbing or leather, through to rope headcollars, foal slips and a variety of safety headcollars. Each headcollar was suspended and attached to a rig, which applied a downward force. This was incrementally increased and measured in kilograms until the headcollar broke or released. This process was repeated six times for each headcollar. When reusable safety headcollars were being tested, these were reused where possible.
The results showed a large variation, with some safety devices releasing at as low as 9kg of force. At the other end of the scale, some headcollars did not break until over 600kg of downward force was applied, meaning that the average-sized horse could be suspended from the headcollar without it breaking — a frightening thought!
Realistically, there needs to be a balance. The horse needs a low release point to help reduce the risk of injury, but for practicality and safe handling, the horse owner needs a higher release point so that they can maintain control of their horse while leading him and carrying out everyday activities.