Halter is the basic headgear a horse wears to enable humans to handle and control him. Haltering is the method of putting on the halter.

A halter alone is insufficient for handling a horse; it must always have a lead rope attached. Trying to lead or handle a horse by the halter alone, even for a short distance, may result in all sorts of difficulties, including injury to the handler.

Attaching a lead rope at least 6 (but preferably 8) feet long will give the handler leverage and the opportunity to get out of the horse's way without setting him loose. Be sure the snaps on the lead rope are in good order, though; most lead ropes are thick enough and made of such durable materials that their only weak spot is the snap.

If you leave halters on pastured horses in the field to make it easier to bring them in, make sure those halters are either leather or breakaway nylon with a leather crownpiece; these halters will beak and let the horse free if he catches on something. Never leave a halter on a foal when it is unsupervised.

Breakaway Halter Leather Halter