SafeSwitch Buckle Nose Halter

SafeSwitch Halter

Safety with style

I first came up the idea of a buckle nose halter many years ago after seeing a horse running loose at a small local show. He was fully dressed except for headgear. It seemed obvious to me that he got loose while switching between halter and bridle. At the time I thought, that's what we need, a safety halter with a noseband that opens with buckles or snaps, so that you can get it on and off without removing the bridle first.

I have seen the buckle-nose halter that's in widespread use in England, but it hasn't been popular here in the United States. While it solves the loose horse problem, I think people here worry that the buckle will make sores on their horse's nose.

I came up with a stylish way to attach the noseband to the halter and still keep a smooth surface in contact with the horse's nose. I did a lot of reading and wrote and submitted my patent application. I did more research and found leather craftsmen to make prototypes and stock. This, by far, has been the hardest part.

It's taken years to make this buckle noseband halter available, but I feel the effort to make traveling to shows and other events safer for horses and less nerve-wracking for their owners is well worth it.

-Karen Bechtold