Safety shouldn’t be a choice horse owners need to make. With Stellar™, there is no compromise.
As a piece of everyday equipment, we should be able to trust our horses’ head collars to be fit for purpose, but also to release in the situation of a serious incident.
Stellar™ has a specially designed headpiece with adjustable press-stud fasteners and keepers on both sides of the head collar. The headpiece releases when needed to prevent injury to the soft tissue and nerves on the face, poll and neck.
This Patent Pending Safety Release System has been independently tested to provide measurable and consistent results – safety that horse owners can really rely on. Thorough testing in both laboratory conditions, as well as everyday practical situations, provides the necessary balance between safe handling and horse safety.
For over 10 years, the Field Relief Muzzle Protector has been an essential part of our UV and Fly Protection range. We have always recommended that horse owners use the Muzzle Protector with a field-safe head collar. So we decided to look at head collars, and really question how we knew they were safe. For a piece of equipment we normally use every day, whether it’s in the field, to lead and tie up or to travel with, shouldn’t they all be ‘safe’?
So we decided to create our own, one that could have everything you’d want in a first-class head collar, but it’s been scientifically tested too!
Introducing Stellar™
Tested in laboratory & field trials
Re-usable release system
Adjustable for a great fit
Durable and weatherproof
Long-lasting stainless steel fittings
Comfortable padding at nose and poll
Smart leather-look synthetic material with low maintenance
Patented Release System
As a piece of everyday equipment, we should be able to trust our horses’ head collars to be fit for purpose, but also to release in the situation of a serious incident.
Stellar™ has a specially designed headpiece with adjustable press-stud fasteners and keepers on both sides of the head collar. The headpiece releases when needed to prevent injury to the soft tissue and nerves on the face, poll, and neck. By moving the keeper, the force it takes for the head collar to release changes. In laboratory conditions, in position a, the head collar consistently released on average between 50-60kg. For position b, it was between 80-90kg.
This patent-pending Safety Release System has been scientifically tested to provide measurable and consistent results. Thorough testing in both laboratory conditions, as well as everyday practical situations, provides the necessary balance between safe handling and horse safety.
Materials
Stellar™ is made from PVC which gives it its durable and weatherproof qualities. Neoprene padding on the headpiece and nosepiece aid comfort, especially if worn for long periods of time – please note: it is not suitable for horses with a neoprene allergy.
Testing
Before we began questioning whether we should make a head collar, we approached Dr. David Marlin to find out if there was any information already out there on head collars. After searching, he couldn’t find anything in the scientific literature – which considering a head collar is used by many horse owners on a daily basis, is quite surprising.
Survey
Dr. David Marlin started some research by conducting a large survey of 5615 horse owners/handlers to find out their experience with using head collars, how often they use them and the problems they have had associated with them.
Again, the results were surprising.
31% experienced a horse being injured as a result of a head collar.
15% of people had injured in a head collar related incident.
There were 167 horse fatalities as a result of a head collar.
Looking closer into the 30% of injured horses, it didn’t seem to matter if they used a standard head collar, safety head collar or a safety device, however, baler twine was associated with a higher risk of injury.
These results demonstrated that perhaps, head collars should be looked into in more depth…
Laboratory Testing
There are a lot of different head collar designs, materials and safety systems. However, none of them appear to have been studied in any kind of systematic way.
For the next stage of testing, Dr. David Marlin constructed a testing rig, to measure at what load the different head collars broke or released at.
Firstly, typical head collars were identified – webbing, synthetic, rope, leather, safety.
Each head collar was tested in a standardized way which was repeatable. They were tested 6 times. For head collars which broke, there was a new one tested each time. For safety head collars that released, they were re-used if possible.
The results showed that some broke incredibly easily, while others were so strong that they could suspend more than an average horses weight without breaking.
Based on this research, it appears that there is a need for standardization or an appropriate load for head collars to release at, especially if they are a safety head collar.
Field Testing
When handling horses, we can’t afford for a head collar to release at too low a weight (for example, 10kg), because it’s not practical to use. However, if the head collar doesn’t open at all or at a high load, it increases the risk of injury and, as we’ve seen from the survey results, the injury could even be fatal.
Stellar™ has been independently field-tested by Writtle University College on their yard by a variety of people and horses for all general horse handling.
Care
While the Stellar Head Collar may have a ‘leather-look’, it does not need the same care as leather head collars.
To clean it, simply wipe down with warm water and hang to dry. No soaps or oils needed.
Patented Release System
