DIY Dexter Calf Halter
I made my first Dexter calf halter out of desperation! Waiting for my calves to fit into traditional calf halters took longer than I wanted to wait for halter training, and none of the halters fit quite right. Making my own DIY Dexter calf halters has been the best solution for our homestead.
Cost: $2.25
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Equipment
- tape measure
- torch or lighter to melt rope
- heat safe gloves
- Scissors
Ingredients
Instructions
- Measure a length of twisted poly braid rope. 5 to 6 feet is a good length to start. You can always cut it shorter if it's too long.
- Using heat-safe gloves, melt the ends of the rope. Twist the melted ends in the same direction the rope twists to secure the end. Allow the ends to cool before continuing.
- Measure 15", mark the rope. This is the length of the brow band. This can be adjusted to fit your calves. 12" is a good length for newborns, while older calves may need slightly longer. (Please be aware, if watching the video, I start with a longer length and end up taking the entire halter apart to adjust.)
- At the brow band mark you measured, untwist the rope so that you have one large opening. Take the rope's starting end of the brow band (the shorter end) and put it through the opening. Pull through until it creates a loop. Don't pull this through too tightly; leave it so you can work with it later.
- Next to the loop you just created, on the brow band side of the rope (the shorter end), untwist the rope and open one of the openings. This time, take the lead rope end (the long rope and feed it through. Secure tightly.
- On the starting end of the brow band (the shorter length), untwist the rope to create three separate loops. Line the loops up. Take the end of the lead rope (the long rope) and feed it through the three loops. This is making an adjustable slide loop that allows you to adjust the fit to your calf.
- Take the end of the lead rope (the long end) and feed it through the very first loop we created with steps 4 and 5. This creates the rope that secures and tightens under the calf's chin.
Video
