All about halters
If you have a horse, you probably own a halter to groom and move the horse. But have you ever thought about why you choose this halter? In this blog we’ll tell you everything you need to know about halters.
Different kinds of halters
Leather halters are very chic and are a great basic for every horse owner. At Kentucky we have artificial leather to create a 100% animal-friendly alternative. The artificial leather is more flexible than normal leather and easy to maintain with our tack cleaner. We’ve designed the halter anatomically, which makes it super comfortable for the horse to wear. The halter distributes the pressure evenly and avoids pressure on the nerves. If you don’t like the leather look, we’ve also a suede version of the anatomic halter. Both halters can be engraved with the name of the horse for an extra special touch to your halter.
Nylon halters are strong and durable. Therefore they have the reputation that they don’t break when a horse is stuck. At Kentucky, we always offer the best protection for your horse. This means that we made our halters strong but, in a way, that it is still breakable during emergencies. Nylon halters often come in different colors and styles like the plaited halter. For a soft and fuzzy look, we have the sheepskin halter. All our nylon halters are washable at 30 degrees and will look fabulous on every horse!
Shipping halters do not only look super soft, they are. Imagine going on a road trip and have something itching or stinging your skin. The halters are made from sheepskin and cover up the buckles of the halter for extra comfort during transport. It’s lightweight to avoid pressure on the horse’s head. The Kentucky sheepskin shipping halter is made from artificial sheepskin that is 100% animal friendly. You don’t need to worry about the softness of the halter because the artificial sheepskin keeps its quality after washing.
A grooming halter is like the word says for grooming. It has no throat latch so it’s easier to clean the horse’s head. It’s easy to slip it on and off the horse’s head and is often used by professional grooms. The grooming halter is made from artificial leather too, so it doesn’t absorb water when your bathing your horse. The grooming halter is best not used for turnout. It easily slips on and off the head and you don’t want the horse to hurt himself. If you want some more security during walking but you still want to be able to groom the horse’s head easily, we also have a flexible halter. This halter has a detachable throat latch, so you turn a normal halter into a grooming halter. Another benefit of the flexible halter is that you can adjust the noseband. This makes the halter perfect to put over a bridle if you want to hook your horse while still wearing the bridle. Both halters can be engraved, so you’ll never lose your halter at the tack room again.
If you need more control over your horse, you can use a control halter. The halter can be a great alternative for the chain and can be used for lunging. However never use the halter as a turnout halter. The leather rope halter works in a similar way. The Noseband is made of a rope and the lower buckle work with a pressure system. This will tighten when the horse is pulling too much. This offers control and safety while walking a naughty horse.
How to fit a halter
Halters come in different sizes and are generally adjustable. We have size Shetty (for most Shetland ponies), size pony (for ponies till +/- 1,35m), size COB (for bigger ponies and horses till +/- 1,60m) and size full (this size can be used for most horses). If you picked out the right size it will be better to make the halter fitting.
A fitting halter uses most rules of a fitting bridle. Being, 2 fingers under the cheekbone, 2 fingers between the halter and the head of the horse and 2 fingers between the throatlatch and the head. If the halter is too big, the noseband goes on or over the nose and the crown piece will lay in the neck of the horse instead of behind the ears. If the halter is too small, it will be hard to put the halter on and close the snap or buckle.
