What Actually Goes Into A Custom Headcollar

You have seen the word 'custom' on a headcollar and wondered what it actually buys you. A different colour? A little logo? The honest answer, at least here, is rather a lot more than that. A custom BioThane and rope headcollar is made from scratch for one specific horse, in one specific set of colours, by one pair of hands. So let me take you behind the bench and show you exactly what goes into one.

So what does 'custom' actually mean?

It is one of those words that gets used rather loosely, so here is what it means when I say it. Your headcollar is built to your specification: your colours, your combination, and your horse's actual measurements, not a rough Small, Medium or Large plucked off a shelf. Nothing is pre-made and sitting in a box waiting. I start making it once you have ordered, which is why no two that leave my bench are ever quite the same. That is the real difference between a colourful custom headcollar and a mass-produced one that just happens to come in a few colours.

The materials, and why they earn their place

This one is the best of both worlds, which is where its name comes from. It brings together genuine 16mm BioThane BETA, a coated webbing that feels close to leather but shrugs off everything leather cannot: it wipes clean, it will not soak up sweat or rain, and it does not stiffen or crack through a wet British winter, and 10mm Premium PPM rope, for a touch of softness and a lot of colour. It all sits on heavy-duty buckles, rings and Chicago screws, chosen to outlast the weather rather than just survive the photo. It is custom BioThane horse tack built for the muck, not the shelf. (If you want the full lowdown on the material itself, I wrote What Is BioThane Horse Tack? over on the blog.)

Made by hand, one at a time

Here is the part people do not always see. Every headcollar is measured, cut, punched, screwed and hand-finished at my own bench in East Sussex. The rope is threaded and worked by hand, the hardware set piece by piece, and the whole thing checked over before it is ever boxed. It is not a fast process, and it is not meant to be. When you buy custom horse tack, you are not simply paying for materials, you are paying for the time and the care of a real person making something to fit your horse, and no one else's.

Custom does not mean a colour swap. It means made to measure, for your horse, by hand.

Fit that actually fits

A headcollar that only nearly fits is a daily little annoyance: too loose and it slips, too snug and it rubs. So this one comes in everything from Small Pony to Extra Full, adjusts at both the crown and the chin, and can be made to any size in between at no extra cost. There is a quick-release clip on the throatlash too, so tacking up, clipping and grooming stop being a two-handed wrestle. If your horse is between sizes or an unusual shape, that is exactly what made to measure is for. Just send me the measurements and I will take it from there.

Every headcollar starts with your horse's own measurements, not a rough small, medium or large.

And then, the colour

This is the fun part, and honestly the reason so many people end up ordering one. With 21 or more BioThane shades and 18 or more rope colours, there are over 300 ways to put one together, our Endless Colour at its most literal, so you can match your yard, your rugs, your cross-country colours, or simply your horse. And if you would like to see a shade in the flesh before you commit, just ask and I will send you a photo of the real material. A colourful custom headcollar should look exactly the way you pictured it in your head.

Over 300 ways to put one together, our Endless Colour at its most literal.

So that is what goes into a custom headcollar: honest materials, a proper fit, a rainbow of colour, and a pair of hands that genuinely cares how it turns out. Made for your horse, and only yours.