How to Fit a Halter

Halter sizes are the same variety as bridles: pony, cob, full (sometimes called average horse) and oversize (sometimes called large horse). Draft halter sizes are available from specialty suppliers. To shop our entire collection of horse and pony halters online, click here.

Many halter manufacturers provide weight guidelines on their packaging labels to help you determine the halter sizes in their halter line that are most appropriate for your horse. In general, if your horse requires a full size bridle, he'll also require a full size halter.

Some challenges may exist based on your horse's conformation. For example, if your horse has a very narrow head, you may need to try halter sizes from several manufacturers to find the correct fit, or purchase a cob size halter to achieve a snug enough fit. In this instance, you'd need to be sure that the cheek pieces are long enough to accommodate the length of the horse's face.

To Fit Your Horse's Halter Properly:

1) Adjust the crownpiece, which will impact the placement of the noseband, the looseness of the throatlatch, and the angle of the cheek pieces against your horse's face. The crownpiece should fit over the horse's poll, close to the back of the horse's ears, but not press into them. Some halters have buckles on both sides of the crownpiece, and some have only one buckle on the left side. In the case of two buckles, try to use symmetrical holes for the crownpiece setting.

2) Check the noseband portion of the halter. It should sit about halfway between the horse's eyes and nostrils, lying under the horse's cheekbones so that the hardware joining the nose piece, chin strap and cheek piece does not press into the horse's cheek bone.

The noseband must be adjusted snugly enough that the horse cannot get a foot or another object caught in it, but loosely enough that he can open his mouth, chew and breathe freely. Use two to three fingers' width between the noseband and your horse's face as a guideline. Some nosebands do not have buckles for adjustment. If this is the case of your halter, take extra care to be sure that you can obtain the optimum position of the noseband by raising or lowering the crownpiece with buckle, and that the noseband isn't too loose or too tight.

If the cheek pieces are too long or the crownpiece is adjusted too loosely, the noseband will sit too low on the horse's muzzle. In this case, it may impair the horse's breathing or in extreme cases, slip over the horse's nose.

3) Check the throatlatch, which should rest under the head where the neck meets the jowls. You should be able to fit three to four fingers into the throatlatch area to be sure that he can breathe and swallow, but this spacing will not enable your horse to get a foot caught in that strap if he lowers his head.

4) Check the cheek pieces. Ideally, they should sit parallel to the cheek bones. If the throatlatch is too short or too long, or the crownpiece is not adjusted correctly, then the cheek pieces will not be able to run parallel to the cheek bones.

Properly fitted halter—the horse can open his mouth and chew, and the straps are positioned in comfortable locations. The halter is not so loose that when being handled, buckles or rings could slip into the horse's eyes.



Poorly fitted halter—the horse could get a foot or other object caught in the loose straps. The halter will slip if the horse acts up while being handled with this halter.



Tip: Because leather can stretch slightly with time and conditioning, check the fit of your leather halter periodically to be sure it hasn't become too loose.

Types of Halters

• Leather halters are preferred for turnout and trucking by many people for leather's ability to break and free a horse before serious injury occurs if the halter catches on an object. Parts of leather halters, once broken, can sometimes be replaced or repaired.
  
  Leather halters are available in a wide range of leathers, from the most economical to expensive high grade leather that will develop a rich patina over time. Some leather halters have padding on crownpieces, cheek pieces and nosebands. Leather halters are attractive, come in a variety of colors to complement your horse, are easy to clean and can last for a long time. They can also be fitted with a monogrammed halter plate for a custom, personalized look.
  
  Note: Because leather can stretch slightly with time and conditioning, periodically check the fit of a leather halter to be sure it hasn't become too loose, and if so, make the proper adjustment.


• Breakaway halters are preferred for turnout by many people, again for the ability of the halter to break and free a horse. Breakaway halters are made of nylon or cotton-blend webbing and feature either a leather crownpiece or leather tabs that are designed to break if the halter becomes entangled with an object. Replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to find so the halter can be put back into service quickly. Fabric portions of breakaway halters can be cleaned with soapy water and gentle scrubbing with a soft brush.


• Nylon halters are fashioned of nylon webbing. They can last a long time, but are not considered to be ideal for turnout because if a horse were to become entangled, the webbing does not break, which places an entangled horse in danger of injury. Nylon halters can be cleaned by soaking in soapy water and scrubbing with a soft brush.


• Rope halters are crafted of rolled nylon rope. They are intended for ground work and horse handling, but are not considered suitable for use in shipping, cross-tying or turnout. Rope halters require a correct type of knot tying to secure the halter to the horse's head.


• Shipping halters are designed for trailering. A shipping halter may be made of either leather or nylon with a breakaway tab and is encased with soft sheepskin fleece to protect the delicate skin of a horse's face during transport. The sheepskin also helps to wick away moisture to help keep the horse comfortable. Sheepskin halter kits and synthetic halter fleeces allow you to turn your everyday or show halter into a shipping halter, click here to checkout our selection. The pieces attach to your halter with hook and loop closures and can be removed easily when not needed or for cleaning.


• Grooming halters are intended strictly to be worn with supervision during grooming. This type of halter intentionally lacks a throat latch and jaw piece to allow for easy cleaning of the jowl areas. Without these key pieces, however, this type of halter should not be used for turnout or shipping, as it could easily slip off or become caught on an object. For versatility, some leather halters, such as the Classic Combination Halter, have removable parts that enable you to convert your halter into a grooming halter. Grooming halters are available in nylon webbing or leather.

Helpful Tip for Refined Heads:

Most halters are fashioned of straps that are 1 inch wide. If you have a horse with a refined face, you may want to choose a halter with narrower, ¾-inch straps for a more appealing look.