How to Halter a Horse

For those of you that don't know, a halter is a leather, or rope, harness that attaches around a horses head. Together with a lead rope, halters are used for leading, tying, restraining, and otherwise training horses. A halter and lead rope are two of the most basic tools in horsemanship. They function as your primary means of controlling the animal and one of your best avenues for communication with the horse. Therefore learning to halter a horse is indispensable for anyone with aspirations of learning how to train a horse.

In this article we will present to you the proper technique for haltering a horse or pony with a standard leather or rope halter. Note, however, that if you are a child or have very little experience with horses you may want to attempt this the first time in the presence of an experienced horseman for safety's sake. Working with horses is a dangerous occupation and even the smallest mistake can result in fatal injury to both the animal and it's handler.

Step 1a: Check your equipment

Before you do anything, make sure that your tack is in working order. A good halter is an essential part of horse tack. I would suggest a nylon horse halter and lead rope, as these tend to be very strong and not prone to the least breakage.

Step 1: Approach the Horse

Firstly, if possible try to have the horse be contained in some kind of a corral. Even if you are in a large paddock, at least herd the horse into a corner before beginning to halter it. This will give the horse less space to move away and make haltering easier. If this is a horse you don't know you need to assess it first to see how broke it is.

To do this ask the horse to move off. 'Moving off' is kind of like herding it a few steps in different directions. You do this either by applying pressure on the horse on the opposite side of the animal that you want it to move. To apply pressure, make clicking noises, wave your arms, or stomp your feet. The horse should move away from you. Depending on how responsive it is you can gauge how cooperative the horse will be in being haltered.

If an animal is extremely unruly you should not attempt to halter it as it may be dangerous.

Step 2: Prep the Halter

Unbuckle the halter and position it in your left hand so that you can easily grab the right strap with your right hand without looking. Basically you want to be holding the left and right straps in your hand, with the nosepiece dangling underneath.

Step 3: Halter that Horse!

Once it's safe to approach the horse, stand to the left of it's right shoulder. This is the safest place to be around a horse (except far away). Throw your right arm around the horse's neck. With your right hand, grab the right strap of the halter (which should be in your left hand as per Step 2). Continue holding the left strap in your left hand. Slowly guide the nosepiece over the horse's muzzle. Once the halter is in place, tighten the strap so that it fits snugly on the horses face and buckle it in. Attach a lead rope to the tie ring, and that's it, your done!