CJ, who I have previously known for working with him and his horse, dropped me an e-mail asking about the 'properness' of riding with a halter under the headstall so he would of course have method to lead his horse on the ground without using his reins. He rides with split reins and a broken bit with shanks, sometimes called an Argentine snaffle.
I wrote CJ back with pretty much the following: I don't know the properness of riding with a halter underneath your bridle but of course I have seen it done many times. In fact, about 15-20 years ago I was riding in a competition where a young lady carrying a clip board was going around to each competitor and asking them if they carried a halter and lead with them. I was sitting on my horse and riding in a hackamore and mecate reins, so I replied "No Ma'am, I don't need to carry a halter and lead as I have a built in lead rope" lifting the lead portion of my mecate up so she could see. She continued "So you don't have a halter and lead?" I gave her the same response a second time. She walked off and apparently I did not get 'extra points' for having the foresight to carry a halter and lead.
The photo above is my horse Hays with the snaffle bit outfit with slobber straps and mecate reins. The lead end of the mecate, as you can see is drapped around the saddle horn until I tuck a bit of it underneath my belt so it's readily accessible when I dismount. If I come off the horse unintentionally (always a possibility) I have a chance to grab that lead tucked under my belt before a horse has a chance of running off. By the way, I sometimes free lunge my horse or put him in a pen while saddled and bridled up, by tying the lead end of the mecate around the saddle horn using a clove hitch. Go to this previous article to see how I tie up up the mecate lead using a clove hitch.
You likely have a bigger chance of seeing that (halter under the headstall) with recreational trail riders and even competitive trail events. I do not have a negative opinion of it, it's just unnecesary for me as I ride in hackamore or snaffle bits with slobber straps and always mecate reins. Mecate reins are, of course, a continious rein usually 22 foot long, but I have ridden with as short as 19 feet on short necked and smaller horses. The mecate is connected to the right side of the bosal heel knot or snaffle/slobber strap then goes around the horses neck, coming back through the left side and continuing on to provide a 8-10 foot lead rope that the rider secures to his/her saddle or loops the end through their belt loop or a ring on their leggings. When I dismount or otherwise lead my horse on the ground I can use the trailing or lead end of the mecate just like a halter lead rope. I also sometimes tie up the snaffle bit and slobber straps so there is no chance of having the snaffle bit banging on the horse's mouth, with is the reason that riders will ride with a halter underneath the bridle, so they can dismount and lead the horse without having to lead with the reins and exposing the chance of banging the bit around the horse's mouth. By the way, something I do have a negative opinion on is hard tying your horse with a bit by using the reins. If a horse pulls back, the bit can cut his mouth or damage his teeth.
If I was going to ride in anything other than hackamore or snaffle with a mecate, say using rommel reins, or with one piece roper or split reins, I would use a small diameter bosal, called a bosalito, with a smaller diameter (maybe 1/4 inch) lead rope as a get down rope. If had no other option then maybe a 1/4 inch halter under the headstall, I've just never ridden with halter under a bridle as I have always had a bosalito with a small diameter lead available.
The photo above shows a bosalito using a hanger (think saddle string) connected to a 10 foot 1/4 inch diameter paracord or other rope, as a lead or get down rope. You can use any smaller diamter rope. Having having placed this on my horse, I could now bridle him. Another, option is to take a section of paracord r other smaller diameter rope, maybe 10-12 feet, and tie a bowline around the horse's neck behind the poll and secure the running end of the paracord to your saddle or tuck it in your belt as you would a mecate. And lastly, if you do use a separate get down rope to lead your bridled horse from the ground, make sure you tie the reins up so they won't get loose, drop on the ground where your horse could step on them and have the bit cut up his mouth or damage his teeth, and potentialy tear up your gear which is a secondary consideration to the horse in my view.
Go to his previous article to see how to tie a bowline (same link as the one above).
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