How to Put Together Horse Halters

Halters are an essential part of the horse owner's equipment and are used for tying up and leading. Several online retailers now sell halter kits so that you can put together your own halter. Halters fall into two main groups: rope and webbing. Rope halters are easy to assemble, as they are made from a continuous piece of rope knotted into shape. Webbing, or leather halters, are made from straps and metal buckles and require more assembly and some sewing.

Things You'll Need

  • Rope or webbing halter kit
  • Table
  • Sewing machine
  • Strong thread
  • Scissors
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Instructions

  1. Basic Rope Halter

    • 1

      Lay out the rope on a table and tie a small loop in one end. Bend the rope around on itself to make a loop and feed the spare end through the loop to make another, larger loop.

    • 2

      Lay the loop flat on the table. Take the spare end of the rope and bend it around in a semi-circle. This will be the head stall of the halter. Run the rope back to the nose band and attach it with a loose knot.

    • 3

      Fit the halter onto the horse and adjust it by slipping and re-tying the knots. Once the halter is the correct size, tie the knots firmly into position. The spare end of the rope will become the lead rope; tie a knot in the end to stop it unravelling.

    Webbing Halter

    • 4

      Lay out the pieces of the kit on a table. You should have two square metal rings, three round metal rings and one buckle. You should also have one long webbing strap punched with holes (headstall), one short strap with a hole punched in the center (buckle strap), six other straps of different lengths (front nose band, cheek piece, throat lash and two short, rear nose band pieces) and one short strap with a loop at one ends (jaw strap).

    • 5

      Sew the front nose band strap onto a metal square at each end, then sew each rear nose band strap to the opposite side of the square so that the whole thing makes a straight line when laid out flat. Sew each spare end onto the same round ring to make a loop.

    • 6

      Stitch the cheek piece onto the top of the right hand square ring so that it sits at right angles to the nose band. Attach a round ring to the other end, then sew the head stall to this round ring using two rows of stitching for strength. Attach the punched buckle strap to the other square ring in the same way.

    • 7

      Slip the looped end of the jaw strap over the throat lash and sew the throat lash to both round rings to stabilize the halter. Sew the other end of the jaw strap to the ring at the back of the nose band.

    • 8

      Finish the halter by threading the buckle through the buckle strap and stitching the end into place. Tie off all the loose ends and make sure the stitching is strong.