Not All Rope Is the Same: Choosing Quality for Halters and Lead Ropes

Why We Use Double Braid Polyester (Yacht Rope) Instead of Nylon

When it comes to rope halters and lead ropes, not all rope is created equal. At first glance, many materials may look similar — but how they perform, feel, and last over time is very different.

That’s why I choose to make my halters and leads from double braid polyester, often referred to as marine or yacht rope, instead of nylon or lower-cost alternatives.

This choice is intentional — and it’s one of the biggest reasons my products feel different in your hands and last for years, not months.

What Is Double Braid Polyester Rope?

Double braid polyester rope has:

A strong braided core
A protective braided outer sheath

This construction creates a rope that is:

Extremely durable
Shape-holding
Comfortable in hand
Resistant to stretch, weather, and wear

It’s the same style of rope trusted in marine, sailing, and yacht applications, where failure is not an option.

Polyester vs. Nylon: What’s the Difference?

Nylon Rope (Common in Cheaper Halters)

Nylon is often used because it’s inexpensive — but it comes with trade-offs.

Cons of nylon rope:

Stretches under pressure
Loses shape over time
Absorbs water and stiffens when wet as well as shrinks over time
Can feel slippery or harsh in hand
Breaks down faster with UV exposure

For horse equipment, stretch and inconsistency can lead to unclear communication and a shorter lifespan.

Double Braid Polyester Rope (What I Use)

Polyester is chosen for performance and longevity, not price.

Benefits of double braid polyester:

Minimal stretch for clear, consistent feel
Holds its shape even with daily use
Weather-resistant and UV-stable
Comfortable, balanced feel in the hand
Long-lasting and reliable over time

This means your halter or lead rope works the same today as it will months — or years — from now.

Why Rope Quality Matters for Horses

A rope halter or lead rope is a communication tool.
The quality of the rope directly affects how that communication feels.

With double braid polyester:

Pressure is clear and consistent
The rope doesn’t “give” unexpectedly
The halter stays balanced and properly positioned
The lead feels secure without being harsh

This results in better feedback, better handling, and a more professional feel overall.

Comfort for the Handler Matters Too

Cheaper rope often:

Feels rough or plasticky
Develops hard spots over time
Burns or bites into the hand

Double braid polyester offers a smooth, controlled grip that’s comfortable for everyday handling, training, and long sessions on the lead.

Why Premium Rope Costs More — and Why It’s Worth It

High-quality rope costs more to source — there’s no way around that.
But it also means:

Longer product lifespan
Better performance
Fewer replacements
More consistent handling

Instead of replacing a halter or lead every season, you’re investing in one that’s made to last.

Handmade + Premium Materials = Long-Term Value

Every halter and lead rope I make is:

Hand-tied or hand-spliced
Crafted from marine-grade double braid polyester
Designed for durability, performance, and daily use

I don’t choose materials based on the cheapest option — I choose what I’d trust on my own horses.

The Bottom Line

Double braid polyester (yacht rope) isn’t about being fancy — it’s about function, durability, and reliability.

If you’re looking for:

Clear communication
Consistent feel
Long-lasting equipment
Handmade quality you can feel

That’s why my halters and lead ropes are built the way they are.

2025 So Far

It has been a crazy year already and we are just getting started!

Our first major news is that we are expecting not only 4 legged babies, but also our second child. They are due at the end of June which is coming up very quickly! So much to do and so little time it always seems like. We are very excited and Waylon is super excited to be a big brother.

On that note, we do not expect to be attending many trade shows this year. We had to cancel the spring Stony Plain Tack Sale and The Horse Expo due to some pregnancy complications. We may still attend the fall Stony Plain Tack Sale and possibly the Western Makers Market. Follow Facebook or Instagram for those updates!

We are full swing into foaling and breeding season now. There are 3 foals on the ground with 1 more on the way. We have had 1 mare come up open and one mare we had to put down her foal due to a bladder rupture. So that has been very unfortunate. But looking forward we are breeding 7 mares so cross your fingers for us! Great line up coming for next year!

Custom orders are still open. We have not decided if/when we will close them due to the baby. Seeing as I started this adventure on my last maternity leave! Due to the possible Canada Post strike, please ensure you do not include box numbers so we can still mail your orders.

That’s a quick and dirty update for now!

Fall Trade Show Schedule & Christmas Orders

Fall is right around the corner and so we have a little update with our fall schedule. We will be taking pre-orders for our remaining trade shows we will be attending. Shows are as follows:

CBHI October 10-13, Ponoka AB
- Order deadline: Oct 5th
Stony Plain Tack Sale October 19, Stony Plain AB
- Order deadline: Oct 5th
Western Makers Market Nov 29, Tofield AB
- Order deadline: Nov 16th

With Christmas coming up, we will be taking a limited number of orders. The last day to order will be November 16th. This will allow us to have them delivered in the first week of December. The number of orders we will take will depend on the type of orders we receive. If we receive more braided orders, the fewer we will be able to take. So its best to order early to make sure you get your spot! Also remember, you get free shipping on orders over $200. If you are in the Tofield area, The Western Makers Market is a great pick up spot for your Christmas orders.

Once all of our Christmas orders are shipped out, we will update our Ready to Ship page with in stock items that are in stock for all the last minute gift ideas. Customs will open back up in the new year, usually the second week of January.

Hope to see you down the road, happy holidays, and see you in the new year!

2023 So Far…

It’s almost been a whole year since we wrote an update. I’m not even sure where the time has gone!

It has been an incredibly busy year, with a few changes.

The most recent is that we are launching an online shop! This is exciting for us, but it also comes with some hurdles. We hope you can be patient with us as we figure out any technical issues!

We have added a new mare to the band, a red Dun daughter of Holidoc. She is so sweet and can’t wait to see what she produces. On the flip side, we saw Kip leave to a new pasture. She produced 3 amazing foals for us, and we can’t wait to see what she does in her new program with Betts Quarter Horses.

Christmas order deadline is November 10th. This is also the cutoff for the Tofield Western Makers Christmas Market pre order for pick up Dec 2. Make sure you get those orders in!

Christmas

2022 is nearing its end. Christmas is coming quicker than we know. Closely followed by New Years and 2023 will be here in just a few short weeks.

It’s been a crazy year that’s for sure. Between our first little one, new additions to the herd, and launching the braiding side of things, it’s been a little hectic! Not to mention I am back working full time an hour away due to my local branch closing. There’s been a lot of adjustment to our lives.

We are so thankful for all our supporters. Especially on the braiding side. It’s not easy to take something and make it big. There’s doubts, set backs, successes, lessons learned. But I feel we have some good footing to start off on for 2023.

We have updated some pricing on our pages. We will keep continuing to update these pages as best we can. This has been a tough year to try and start things up. Rope prices from the beginning of the year to now have changed in some cases by 20% or 30%, not to mention shipping.

We have updated our ready to ship page. If you are in need of some last minute Christmas gifts we can definitely help you out! Our Christmas orders are done with just a few stragglers to be paid and shipped. Make sure you follow along in January on Facebook and Instagram to see the Christmas reveals. We had some beautiful sets go out!

Spring & Summer 2022

Where has the time gone?!

We have had a very busy couple of months here at JS Performance Horses. Between babies, horses and custom work it has been a whirlwind!

We had 2 foals this spring. The first was out of Kip (Dually Knotted) who arrived April 26, 2022. A big sorrel colt with another striking blaze and lots of rabicano roaning. He is sold to Denim Fletcher from Wainwright AB. We are excited to see what they accomplish in the roping pen!

The second was a beautiful buckskin filly out of Cosmo (Smart Lil Catolena). Born May 26, 2022 she is absolutely breath taking. We had a lot of interest in this filly, but happy to say she has found a good home with Cheryl Norleen and her kids in southern Saskatchewan. We know they will have many happy memories to come!

Next year we will be expecting 2 foals. The first is due May 7, 2023 and will be sired by Lenas Smokin Jac and out of Electric Boon. This could be a colorful cross on top of being talented! The second will be due May 12, 2023 and sired by Topsail Smoking Gun out of Dually Knotted. If you are looking for a cow horse prospect this will be a foal you will want to bring home! Unfortunately our third breeding for Miss (Gayla Going Big Time) didn’t take, but there is always next year!

On the tack side of things we have been very busy. Lots of fantastic custom pieces, new items and many trade shows have kept us on our toes. We have 2 more shows sheduled, the Stony Plain Tack Sale October 15, 2022 and the Western Makers Christmas Market November 26, 2022. Our Christmas order cut off date is November 12, 2022. This will fill up fast so please get your ideas to me early!

Excited to see where the next couple months takes us!

Next Sale

Hey all, just wanted to let you all know we are heading to the Athabasca Tack Sale. This is April 30 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Ag Arena.

If you’re planning on heading there and you have had your eye on something but don’t want to pay shipping, this is the perfect opportunity! I can have it made for you and waiting at the tack sale. So let me know!

Can’t wait to see you all there! Here’s some of the work I’ve been doing lately. And also Kip (Dually Knotted) is on foal watch! She is due April 27th

Stony Plain Tack Sale

We had a wonderful time at the sale in Stony Plain this weekend! It’s so awesome to see restrictions lifted and actually see people’s faces!

This was our first time going to a sale. In the past, we have done the halters as more of an as needed basis and for friends. But with our new baby and the local bank that I work for has closed and relocated us to almost an hour away, things are changing. So we have decided to expand and offer our tack to the big wide world and see where it takes us!

We got so many amazing compliments on the weekend, and I am so incredibly grateful for that. We literally decided just 2 weeks ago to come to the sale and we were working some late nights to get some awesome items ready for our table. Thank you to all of our buyers! We hope you love your items.

And for everyone we talked to about custom orders, don’t forget that you get 10% off if you order by March 19th!! So let us know what you want, and we will get it done. And remember that we can do lots more than what we have on the website here. Still a fairly new website, and we are still adding different items we can do!

Have a great week everyone!

I definitely didn’t think I would fill the table… Boy, I was wrong!

Super Stakes Auction

CBHI just finished up their stallion auction for Super Stakes. We are so pleased we were able to acquire a breeding to this highly sought-after auction. The resulting foals are eligible to run for over $100,000 of added moneys in the barrel racing.

We snagged a breeding to Fabs Fearless Rumohr! A Frenchmans Fabulous son out of a Dash Ta Fame daughter. This is one of the best magic crosses in the industry. This up and coming stallion is throwing beautiful foals and showing awesome in the barrel pen.

We are so excited to see what he throws for us next spring!

The results are in…

We sent away hair for genetic testing for both Queen (Electric Boon) and Miss (Gayla Going Big Time). We are so happy to have the results back!

Miss was DNA verified and 5 panel tested which came back negative across the board. Always happy to have that result!

Queen was also 5 panel tested and she is also negative across the board. So that makes all of our mares 5 panel negative. We also did a color test as Queen is registered as a red roan but has thrown very dun looking babies. So those results also came back and she is D/nd1 which means she is a Dun and also carries a copy of non-dun 1. Which means if she doesn’t throw her Dun gene (dilution) her foals will most likely have some primitive markings and a non dun dorsal stripe- some people call it counter shading. So she is officially a red Dun Roan! Very cool! There are lots of color opportunities with her having 2 color genes. She also tested AA so she could not have a black baby only bays or sorrels, same as Cosmo, actually!

Stay tuned as the next couple weeks, we have 2 stallion auctions finishing up, so we will be excited to announce if we snagged another breeding!