Halter Choices
So with a better understanding of how halters work, we can turn our attention to the selection of halters available. The three major categories are rope, web, and leather.
Rope halters are usually made from one long rope and tied with various knots-no hardware. Many halters have a lead rope tied on, since there's no hardware to clip to.
You can adjust the halter to fit the shape and size of your horse's head by retying the knots, especially when the halter is new. Once it has been worn for a while, the knots generally tighten and are harder to adjust.
Rope halters come in various thicknesses and stiffness of rope. The thinner the rope, the more it bites into the horse when under pressure. Softer ropes lie against the horse's head but are a little more difficult to put on since the rope hangs limp. Stiffer rope halters hold their shape, so the horse has an obvious hole into which he can drop his nose. Those who use a rope halter for groundwork often prefer the stiffer halters, as they feel the horse gets a clearer signal.
Some rope halters have knots placed in the noseband in addition to those at the junction of the cheek and noseband. The cartilage of the horse's nose is sensitive, and because it is painful for the horse to bump into the knots, he learns to not lean into the halter.
It's important to learn how to tie a rope halter correctly, with the tail of the rope pointing away from the horse's eye. Rope halters sometimes stretch over time, and may need to be retied or adjusted after a few months of use.
Web halters come in a huge variation of sizes, materials, fit, and options. In years past, there were few options-a web halter was a web halter. But today there are myriad choices, with adjustable nosebands, a wide variety of options for hardware, and lots of color choices.
Generally speaking, the more layers of webbing, the sturdier the halter is. Avoid inexpensive single-ply (one layer) halters, as the material gets stiff and rough quicker, and they usually have poorer quality hardware.
It's worth it to pay more for solid, easy-to-operate hardware, such as brass or nickel-plated brass. It won't rust and will last longer.
Leather halters are the traditional show or stable halter, and they look classy. They are available in various thicknesses, from the most refined, rolled English bridle leather to the more rugged harness leather for turnout halters.
Leather requires occasional care to avoid drying out or cracking. Once the leather has cracked, it has lost integrity and is likely to break, so you should discard it.
Halter Fit
Though halters come in a wide range of sizes, from foal through draft, the sizing isn't standardized. So you may find that your fine-boned 16-hand Thoroughbred wears a regular horse size, while your 15-hand Quarter Horse with large cheeks needs a large horse size. When buying a halter, be sure you can return it to the store if it's not a good fit.
Whether rope, web, or leather, halters all should fit basically the same. The halter shouldn't look sloppy or snug. It should be easy to put on and slide off.
The noseband should hang one or two fingers' width (about an inch) below the bottom of the horse's cheekbones. It should be loose enough to allow you to put two to three fingers between the noseband and the horse's face. If the noseband is too loose, it's more likely to get caught on something.
The throatlatch should fit close enough to the horse's jaw to prevent the halter from sliding off, but not so snug as to limit the movement of his jaw or to tighten up when he flexes his neck. The throatlatch knot on a rope halter should lie behind the jaw, close to the horse's throat but not into his throatlatch area.
