Have you ever had the perfect halter only to discover that you needed an extra hole or two to get it to fit your horse? We regularly have this situation with our burro halters and came up with this solution for adding holes to nylon horse halters. A small horse halter fits their muzzle great but the crown piece is always too long. This is how we add holes to help the halters fit.
Materials Needed
- Halter
- Long Nail
- Pliers or Vice Grips
- Gloves (recommended)
- Heat Source (we use a stove, you could use a lighter out in the field)
- 2 People recommended
Process:
- Use pliers or vice grips to hold the sharp end of a long nail over an open flame until hot.
- Have helper help to hold halter taught as you pierce the strap with the hot nail.
Note: Force shouldn’t really be needed here. The hot nail should melt the nylon strap and slide through with just a small amount of pressure. If you feel like you are having to push the nail through you should stop and heat it up again.
- Move nail back and forth or in a circle to get the desired length / width of hole that you need.
- Repeat for additional holes.
If your nail gets cool you can go back into the same hole several times until it is the way you need it. If you want your holes to be perfectly lined up or spaced out try marking the correct area with a sharpie first. You can use this technique for halters, bridles, latigos or any other tack item made out of nylon.
As one reviewer suggested, a drill might work too. The reason we have always liked to use the method with a nail is that by burning the nylon you prevent fraying which keeps the halter in better condition longer. I haven’t tried the method with the drill but I suppose its possible it also burns the edges.
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Spring Martelle
Thursday 10th of March 2016
I have an easier and safer way of adding holes to my mini mules halter, use a drill, plain and simple.