HALT Before You Make That Halter Choice

If you have a horse or pony, you definitely own a halter or two. Halters are probably the most used piece of equipment that horse owners employ.  And the MOST IMPORTANT feature of any halter is safety. So, let’s think together about halter choices.  Basically, there are three types of halters: nylon, leather, or rope.   

I well remember using nylon cob and horse halters at the beginning of my horse adventures. Relatively inexpensive and in glorious colors, they are tempting to many horse owners. I remember my first encounter with a nylon halter that had a leather crown piece.  My first thought was that it had broken and been repaired with leather.  WRONG!!! I was told that it was not just on purpose but desirable as a safety feature. With time and experience, I came to halt the use of nylon halters unless they had breakaway features. 

Nylon is also used for trailer ties and cross ties, but each of these also include a safety latch where the tie is secured to trailer or stall. This allows for a quick and safe release of the horse if necessary. So perhaps with this information you can quickly see that if you are using nylon, you need to provide a way for it to “breakaway” under pressure, or release in the case of ties.

I am happy to say I have not had to use the breakaway feature of a halter, but I well remember rescuing a stray cat that caught its nylon collar on my deck furniture. Helplessly held against its will, that cat was not just unhappy, but in peril. Of course, I rescued the cat (which shortly then became MY cat), but I will never forget the panic in the eyes of an animal, even a small one, that is trapped by a piece of nylon that will not break. 

Nylon can be a good choice for a horse halter IF it has breakaway features. The advantages of this type of halter include lower cost, more sizes, choice of many colors, and low maintenance.  Such halters last a long time and can be appropriate for daily use.  However, they are generally not used for showing.   

In truth, I now much prefer leather halters.  Appropriate for daily AND show use, they are also safe in that a leather halter will break.  Providing a classy look, they usually carry an engraved nameplate so there is no dispute about halter ownership. They do, however, take care and appropriate storage. Like any leather, they need regular cleaning and should be checked to be sure they are ready for use. Leather, as you may well guess, is more expensive than nylon, but the look and safety make them my first choice. 

If you are a Western rider, you may also consider a rope halter, but that is not my area of expertise and is not usually a choice for Hunters, Dressage, or Jumpers. While rope halters have a purpose, often involving training, they should never be used for turnout or for trailering. 

There are many other types of halters. This article covers more halter types and goes into the specific use of halters for trailering, Haltering for Safety – A How to Guide, with the conclusion that a leather halter is always the safest choice. 

The Tack and Habit Shoppe carries a variety of leather halters and breakaway nylon halters. You can find the whole collection here. The choice is yours, but the recommendation about halters is always SAFETY FIRST!