When I was 13 years old I fell through a plate glass window beside the glass doors at the entrance of my grandfather's home. This severed every nerve, tendon and blood vessel at my wrist and cracked the bones. They had to reach to my elbow to retrieve the tendons to reattach them and I lost so much blood I had to be transfused for hours before my surgery. Surgeons did an amazing job reconnecting things and, in time, my arm healed and my hand started working - little by little. But it was never totally strong or agile again. My other hand (the right one) had to do double duty and it stayed strained and often cramped just like the left hand.
I was a rider. Horses were my life. As a competitor, I struggled to keep horses even. They always knew one hand was very weak - but often, they worked to help me! As a trainer, I had much frustration trying to hold onto young horses that were simply fresh or got spooked. Chains were awkward and inappropriate; ordinary rope halters didn't work; longeing in a bridle put pressure on young mouths... I was desperate for a way to enhance my strength without hurting the horses. I started trying different techniques of using a smooth, soft rope like a "war bridle" but without anything in the mouth. I created a "Peace Bridle" and later, the "Boundary halter". It is simple (we like simple!) and it gave me the leverage I needed in many situations.
This halter helped many clients keep hold of their horses at times when a loose horse could have meant tragedy. It wasn't meant to be left on a loose horses nor for tying - but as a training tool for in-hand work, it finally helped me become "stronger" and no longer were my hands aching at night, swollen and twisted by a simple jerk from the horse on a line!
The photo is of a horse being longed in the simple Boundary Halter.
