How to Properly Halter a Horse Introduction

Hi, my name is Jenna Loebs. Have you ever been on a farm or around horses? I’m here to show you how to properly halter a horse so you can handle them, lead them, and tie them up safely. I’m going to elaborate in 5 steps how to properly halter a horse. If the halter is too loose, the horse may accidentally get their hoof/leg stuck in the halter in they put their head down and take a step or step down. It could potentially possibly also get caught on something also, such as a fencepost. If the halter is too tight, it will cause irritation and rub on them and cause pain or injury and bad behavior from the discomfort

The supplies you will need for this task are a halter, a lead rope, and of course a horse! :)

First, approach the horse. Pet the horse gently. Horses often like to smell your hand and if you have something in your hands they like to smell that. I usually let the horse smell the halter while I'm petting him/her to he/she knows what it is. Make sure the halter and the lead rope are in your left hand. The lead rope should be attached to the tie ring which is located on the bottom of the halter. Stand on the left side of the horse by his/her head and neck.

Secondly, while still holding the halter and lead rope in the left hand. Place the loose end of the lead rope over his/her neck. DO NOT SWING OR THROW IT OVER. That could scare them or hit and hurt them. Now that the loose end of the lead rope is over his/her neck, gather the loose end of the lead rope with the other part of the lead rope that is on the left side into the right hand. Having the lead rope around his/her neck is there incase he/she tries to wander off while the halter is being put on.

Then, just let the lead rope hang over his/her neck but so it’s still easy to grab both ends if the horses tries to wander off. Do not let the loose end of the lead rope hang on the ground because they may be difficult to grab and have control if the horse tries wandering off and the horse may accidentally step on it if they take a step or step down.

Now, while still standing on the left side, grab the two sides of the halter where the cross tie rings are. Those are going to be on the sides of the horses’ face/cheeks when the haltering process is done. Keep right hand on right side, left hand on left side. Remember, the “O” shaped ring (tie ring) should be on the bottom of the halter, facing the ground with the lead rope attached. Position the noseband so the horses’ nose will slide easily into it. Raise the halter into position being very careful it’s not too tight. Pull it up just enough to where it won’t go up anymore.

Lastly, once the halter is up and in position, the buckle is on the left side of the horse and the straps and holes are on the right side. Once the halter is up and into place, grab the buckle with left hand holding just enough pressure the halter won’t slide/fall off. Using the right hand, flip the straps with the holes over the horses’ neck just behind the ears. This part can be a bit challenging sometimes. When the strap is over the horses’ neck, just behind the ears, grab it with left hand and buckle into the buckle making sure it’s not too tight and not too loose. TIP: make sure the halter fits properly. Too tight could choke them and cause irritation and too loose may cause them to get caught in a fence post or something similar. The noseband should lie two fingers below the cheekbone and three fingers should fit between the horse and nose band.