Horse Halters

Nylon webbing that is flat or flat leather are two common designs for horse halters. These are attached by rings. A halter made of rope is usually joined by knots but otherwise made basically the same. A horse halter is used to tie up the animal or lead the animal from the ground. A horse is very seldom ridden with a halter because you do not have a lot of control. Halters are designed for nothing except leading or tying up the horse or catching and holding the horse. For tying up the horse a halter is safer than a bridle. The bridle can break and the bit hurt the horse's mouth.

The horse halter has a noseband and headstall that buckles around the horse's head. The lead rope is attached to the halter for easy handling. Some lead ropes have chains attached. The chain is placed under the jaw or over the nose of the horse for better control when leading the horse. This is used for horses that are hard to handle.

The halter is generally taken off when the horse is released into the pasture or put into the stall. Some people leave the halter on when they release the horse into the pasture but there is always a safety issue with doing this. The halter can catch on something and the horse can get injured. Of course, this makes the horse easier to catch.

When you approach your horse always approach from the front. Walk toward his shoulder and talk to him as you are approaching. Reach under the horse's neck with your left hand while holding the lead rope and change the lead rope to your right hand. You can then make a loop around his neck and while you halter, hold him. Make sure your halter is unbuckled. Place the noseband of the halter in position and buckle the halter, still having control of the horse with the loop around his neck. Remove the loop and you are ready to lead.

Make a loop around the horse's neck when you are ready to remove the halter, the same as you did when you were putting the halter on. Hold the loop, unbuckle the halter and slip it off the horse's nose. Hold onto the loop for a couple seconds so that the horse does not get into the habit of moving away as soon as he feels the halter come off.

While working with your horse in halter do not wrap the excess lead rope into a circular coil. Your hand could become entangled in the coil and you could get injured. Wrap the excess rope into a figure eight and hold the outside of the rope with your free hand. If the horse pulls away the rope will give one section at a time and you will not be injured. Never wrap the lead rope around your body at any time. Remember, the horse is much stronger than you are.

Usually, you are on the left side of the horse when you are leading him but a horse should be trained to lead from either side. Go take a quick look at thebest of horses.com for more information on halters.

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