How To Safely Catch and Put On a Horse Halter
Learning how to safely catch and put on a horse halter is an essential skill for anyone who deals with horses.
Even if your interaction with them usually involves standing on the sidelines, there may come a time when you’ll have to put a horse halter on a horse!
Particularly if you’re a horse husband… After all, the sight of long-suffering horses peering through an upside down or back-the-front horse halter is only amusing and endearing for so long…
Experienced horse owners may wonder how on earth an apparently simple piece of equipment can present such a complex problem for the uninitiated!
However, if you’ve ever been in a hurry to put a halter on a horse yourself, you’ve probably inadvertently done something wrong too! Particularly if it’s a rope halter as they can get very tangled and messy!
Preparing To Safely Catch and Put a Halter on a Horse
Before attempting to catch and put a halter on a horse, it helps to have a basic understanding of horse behaviour.
It’s handy to know, for example, when a horse’s body language is telling you you may get run over if you try to put a halter on it at that precise moment.
You’ll also need the right equipment – a horse halter, a lead rope, and perhaps some treats to reward (or bribe) the horse.
Here’s what you’ll need to do…
1. Get permission – If you don’t own the horse, also be sure to get permission from the horse’s owner or caretaker first.
2. Wear decent boots – Always wear sturdy boots around horses.
3. Assess the horse’s mood – Take a moment to watch the horse’s behaviour and body language from a safe distance before attempting to approach. You don’t want to be trying to catch and put a halter on a horse that is clearly spooked, or stirred up. Your inexperience and nervousness will make them worse.
Approaching And Catching The Horse
1. Secure the area
Some horses are priceless treasures and will let you catch them anywhere, anytime! Others have learned to associate horse halters and being caught with things they don’t want to do, like work, being wormed, the vet, farrier, and so on. These guys will be much easier to catch if you can run them into a smaller area first, like a small paddock, yard, or stable. As a general rule of thumb – the smaller the area, the easier it is to catch these ones.
2. Approach the horse calmly
Walk slowly and calmly toward the horse on its left, or near, side, avoiding sudden movements or loud noises. Keep an eye on the back end. Horses that really don’t want to be caught, or have sensed your inexperience, may swing their rumps towards you and could kick if you persist. If the horse does exhibit this behaviour, get someone more experienced to catch it.
3. Stay on the left hand side of the horse
Never stand directly in front of a horse! Should it decide to charge off, it may run over the top of you. Instead, stand to the side, slightly angled to the horse’s shoulder whilst maintaining a safe distance.
4. Extend your hand
At this point, you can extend your hand for the horse to sniff if it doesn’t know you. If you have a treat with you, offer one now.
5. Put the horse halter on
When the horse is comfortable with you standing there, and doesn’t move off when it sees the halter, put the halter on. There are several ways to do this but it’s far easier to have someone demonstrate in person than it is to try and write about it! Some horses have been taught to drop their head to make the process easier for you. Others will deliberately lift their head to make it difficult for you! When you have it on, you can give the horse another treat.
How To Make Sure A Horse Halter Fits Properly
A halter must fit the horse correctly. Too big and you risk it coming off. Too small and the horse will be uncomfortable.
Here are a few pointers to help you with this…
The buckles on the noseband and head strap should both be on left hand side of the head. If they’re not, you’ve put in on back the front.
You should be able to fit 2 fingers between the horse’s lower jaw and the ring for the lead rope. The noseband should be sitting comfortably half way up the horse’s head
The cheek straps and back strap should be well clear of the eyes when the halter is done up.
The throatlatch strap should sit snugly in the throatlatch, the area behind the cheeks where the neck runs into the head, with enough room to fit 2 fingers between the horse and the halter.
Attaching The Lead Rope
Some horse halters have the lead rope spliced onto the halter but most have a ring underneath for clipping a lead rope to.
It’s good practice to make sure the tongue on the clip of the lead rope is facing backwards when you clip it on.
That way you can get to the tongue to undo the clip if the horse pulls back whilst tied up. If you put it on so the clip is towards the front of the horse, the tongue will be wedged up against the horse (and hard to get to quickly) if it pulls back.
Leading The Horse
Horses are led from their near, or left side.
Stand at the horse’s shoulder and hold the lead rope with a firm but gentle grip.
Well-trained horses will start walking forward when you move AND will keep out of your space. They may also be trained to stop if you move in front of their line of sight (for safety reasons).
Walk calmly, stay at the horse’s shoulder, and keep a safe distance from the horse.
A Safety Message About Horse Halters
Try not to leave horse halters on unattended horses as they can get snagged on things and cause serious injury (and far worse) if the halter doesn’t break.
In particular, NEVER (EVER) leave a rope halter on an unattended horse unless it is fitted with a breakaway strap.
Rope halters are specifically designed not to break easily because they’re primarily for training or when you’re actually handling the horse. Horses have in fact killed themselves getting hung up by rope halters…
If you have to leave a halter on (any halter), use a leather one (they break more easily than other types) or one that has a leather breakaway strap.
Safety Tips And Best Practices To Safely Catch And Put A Halter On A Horse
Always be aware of your surroundings, and be aware of any changes in the horse’s behaviour whilst you’re catching and putting a halter on it.
In windy conditions for example, something may blow around and startle the horse, causing it to jump around.
Be consistent. Always handle your horse in a consistent way to build trust and predictability.
Speak to the horse in a calm and reassuring tone, using consistent and clear verbal cues and body language.
Stick to using the same words to cue certain behaviours so you don’t confuse the horse.
Patience pays. Horses respond far better to patient, gentle, consistent handling than to rough, abrupt, or inconsistent handling. Try to avoid making sudden movements or doing things that may frighten or stress the horse.
Respect their personal space and teach them to respect yours in return
Don’t stand directly in front of or behind a horse. It’s dangerous. Even the best trained horse may jump forward, or kick, when startled.
Key Takeaways About Catching And Putting A Horse Halter On
Being able to safely catch and put a halter on a horse is a skill everyone who has anything to do with horses should aspire to learn to do. That way you can do it safely, efficiently, and correctly.
