We don’t stock chiffneys, but do have an excellent and versatile Controller Headcollar Attachment. This solves the problem of strong young horses, and is ideal for safe handling of stallions. The advantage of a controller headcollar over a chiffney is that it cannot damage the equine’s mouth, but provides instant control.
The large metal ring goes around the horse’s nose, and a lead rope clips onto the back. It’s designed primarily for horses that are strong or difficult to lead in-hand. The Controller Headcollar Attachment is used as a valuable means of additional restraint, where necessary; it can be very helpful in facilitating the safe and effective handling of very fresh or unruly equines, or if you have a new horse to handle, and you are unsure of its temperament. It is intended to be used when leading the horse, never during travel, or when a horse is tied up.
The aim is for the horse to learn to respect the headcollar and cooperate with the handler. Any piece of tack or equipment can cause the horse pain or discomfort if used roughly or incorrectly!
The handler should lead the horse calmly, and avoid pulling or jerking on the lead rope. The nose ring should only come in to play if the horse pulls against it, e.g. it tries to rear or barge past you; the reward response is when you relax the tension on the lead rope as soon as the horse moves back towards you.
Most horses will realise this very quickly and become more cooperative and safer to handle. Chiffneys do have their place in training, however we feel that this product is more humane and has less risk in terms of damaging the equine’s mouth.
Chiffney mouthpieces are much narrower than usual bits, meaning there’s potentially a lot of force on the tongue and bars of the horse’s mouth! Contact us today to stock the Controller Headcollar Attachment.