What Are the Parts of a Horse Halter?

The halter, or headstall, is a piece of horse tack that fits over the head of the horse. It is either a simple twist of rope over the horse's nose and behind his ears or a complex web of leather straps and metal rings exactly fitted to that particular horse.

  1. Function

    • The horse halter is the basic headpiece a horse handler needs. The halter is used to hold, catch, lead and tie horses and ponies.

    Types

    • Most often, horse halters are made of cotton rope, nylon strapping or leather. But you can make your own out of a length of rope. In Mongolia, you can even find halters made of braided camel hair.

    Features

    • The parts of a horse bridle are labeled as the crown strap with buckle, throat latch, cheek piece, attachment ring (or tie ring) and noseband (nosepiece plus chinpiece). The straps are connected to each other with metal rings and work as articulation points.

    Size

    • Halters are adjusted to fit the individual animal in length and muzzle circumference.

    Warning

    • Do not leave a halter on an unsupervised horse. They can become entangled easily and injure themselves. Alternately, you could use a breakaway design halter that will detach from the animal in an emergency.

    Expert Insight

    • Nylon strap halters with cheek snaps may be difficult to use on horses who do not like their ears touched.