Cottage Craft Padded Leather Headcollar > Reviews > Safe travelling in Leather.

Author's product rating:   

Quality	Good
Style	Excellent
Durability	Good
Fit	Excellent
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	Looks nice .
Disadvantages:	A bit more expensive .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I have already written a review about Cottage Craft Headcollars, but the webbing version. I also have a leather one, a Cottage Craft Padded Leather Headcollar. My other review explains what a headcollar is usually used for, this review is to discuss why use leather.

Cottage Craft Padded Leather Headcollar.
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The Cottage Craft Padded Leather Headcollar is leather available in black or havana. I have a black one. It has a bit of padding over the crown and nose. Leather headcollars are made fairly thick, thicker than bridles, so they can be quite stiff. The padding is for the horses comfort. It is a smart looking headcollar, priced at £19.99 and has brass fittings. There is a clip on the right hand side attaching the throat piece to the headpiece which looks smart and may come in handy. The headcollar is available in pony, cob or full size.

Why Leather?
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In my other review I explained how I use a webbing headcollar for day to day use, bringing in from the field and tying up in the yard. So, why would I need a leather one aswell? Well leather ones look nice don`t they, so it is nice to have one for when you are at a show. You have an everyday, funtional headcollar and one that you get out for best.

The real reason I have a leather headcollar is not for cosmetic purposes. It is suposed to be safer when travelling. This is because webbing is very unlikely to break, the fittings may break or it may break eventually, but by then the horse could be in trouble. Leather is more likely to break, which is why people are advised to use a leather headcollar when their horse is travelling.

I also use a trailer tie. This is a tie that you leave in the trailer. When you load the horse, you unclip the leadrope and attach the trailer tie (which is already hanging up) to the headcollar. The purpose of the trailer tie is, if the horse falls in the trailer (it does happen but luckily not very often and never to me), the trailer tie releases so that the horse does not get hung up if they lose their balance. I have found the trailer tie undone once. One of the horses didn`t travel very well around corners and he used to lose his balance (but not fall), even when doing what seemed like 0 mile an hour. We actually found that he travels better in a wider trailer, so that he can stand with his legs wider, so we use that one now. It is still nice to know that they won`t be hung up if they do fall.

A combination of the trailer tie and the leather headcollar makes me feel that my horses are safe should anything happen.

It is not essential to travel is a leather headcollar. The majority of the time there are no problems at all. I have heard a few stories though. A few weeks ago my friend had to overtake a man towing a trailerand stop him. The horse had fallen over and the man was unaware and its head was up so it was still tied up. They had to help release the horse, which was OK, but it may not have been had they not alerted the owner.

Can a Leather Headcollar be used everyday?
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A leather one can be used everyday if you wish. Of course it will not look as good if it is just used for best. Also it will need more cleaning and oiling to keep it supple and in good condition.

When turning out a horse in the field in a headcollar, it is safer to either use a fieldsafe headcollar with breakable rubber rings should the horse get caught or a leather headcollar. This is because the leather is more likely to break than a webbing headcollar. Of course it is better not to turn out a horse in a headcollar at all if possible. There are some who need one on though or they will not be caught. One of the horses at the yard wouldn`t be caught without a headcollar. He belonged to someone else, but he didn`t like men catching him either (his owner was a man) so he would often ask me to catch him. You could not get near him if he didn`t have a headcollar on, if he did, he just stood there while you clippped the lead rope on (usually).

Is the Headcollar Cost Effective?
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I think £19.99 seems to be an average sort of price for a leather headcollar. The clip on mine broke pretty soon, I have seen this before so maybe it is a weakness. I have a piece of yellow tape on mine now. It is still functional but doesn`t look quite so good at shows. Maybe I should have found some black tape.

Do I recommend the Cottage Craft Padded Leather Headcollar?
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I think the headcollar is quite good and value for money. It would have been better if the clip hadn`t broken, but I have had it a few years. The padding on it makes it comfortable, I have seen other leather headcollars without padding and they are not as good. I will continue to use this headcollar for travelling. I would not use it everyday. The webbing ones are easier to clean.