# 24/7 halter wearing: For or against?



## JamieLeighx (Nov 27, 2010)

unless theres a reason for the horse needing to wear a halter 24/7 i dont see the need. My horse only wears one when im bringing him in from the field or travelling. My dogs dont wear thier collars 24/7 either because they dont need to 
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## myhorsesonador (Jun 21, 2009)

I do not, because it could get caught on some thing and cause an injery. The ONLY time I leave one on is when there is a tornado warning or huricane. She has a special break away with a tag on it with our contact information. Some people leave them on if the horse is hard to catch.


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## lilruffian (Jun 28, 2010)

I depends. If the horse is easy to catch and fences are good i see no reason to keep one on. It's safer without because halters can get caught on trees & fences and depending on how loose they are a horse can even get their feet stuck in them.
I have left halters on my horses, however. If i have a horse that is hard to catch i'll leave one on until they get more accustomed to it.
This past month we had a section of fence that my one mare kept getting out at. We finally got the electric wire up but before that she got out constantly! I was able to deter her but kept a halter on her for awhile anyway just incase she got out and i wasnt home. That way my family or even neighbors could catch her easily and bring her back. 
Most people leave them on purely out of laziness because they dont want to bother with the halter. They just wanna walk out, clip the lead on and go. I dont see much of a problem with putting the halter on each time, and i've found that when they are left on they rub the nose hair and it doesn't look good.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I don't leave halters on as a rule, but I have done with horses who are hard to catch.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I always take mine off because he's gotten suck before and ended up taking the field gate off the hinges. That could've ended very badly.
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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I don't leave halters on any of my animals. Too many places for them to get them tangled or hung up. I have other ways of catching my hard to catch horses.


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## tbstorm (Dec 16, 2010)

we dont leave halters on incase they get caught on something or there is even the possibility of another horse gettng caught! neighbours of our left thier halters on 24/7 and horses were always getting caught on fences, bushess etc. on one horse the halter rubbed so hard that where the halter was it was all raw and bled somethimes!! so i vote no, dont have halters on unless completely nessesary!!


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

We've only had to leave a halter on one horse. He was very dangerous and hard to catch, not to mention a rescue that had been abused by more than one owner, and we felt it was in his best interest to keep a halter on him so we could catch him easier, and if he were to ever escape from the fence, that would be hell.

That being said, it was a breakaway halter, and someone was usually around (except for a few hours) to keep an eye out.


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## Crossover (Sep 18, 2010)

I usually leave a halter on 24/7 when I first purchase a horse until I can be sure they are going to be catchable. I had one mare I just purchased who had the halter on 24/7. I put her in my outdoor arena and took it off. Later that day a storm rolled in, it took me 15min in pouring down rain, thunder and lightning to get a halter back on her. The halter stayed on the next two weeks until she realized I was not going to eat her. Once they hit that point I'll carry the halter and put it on now and then so they don't equate halter with "crap she's going to do something I don't care for again". That way they never know if halter means quick on and off again with treat or lets go get a shot . I never leave a halter on a foal or thier dam without supervision. The image in my head of the possible accidents make me cringe at the thought.


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## cakemom (Jul 4, 2010)

Like myhorsesonodor, I put one with nametags when we are under hurricane watch, otherwise never when free.
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## VelvetsAB (Aug 11, 2010)

The barn I ride at leaves them off except for when trailering, or getting ready for a lesson. The horses aren't even led to and from paddocks, but turned loose. 

At home, we leave them on all the time. I don't remember ever having an accident from it either.
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## Tianimalz (Jan 6, 2009)

If the horse is growing then its really unwise to keep a halter on. It was done with my mare before I got her and she now has a scar along her bridge where the halter grew into her skin.









I only keep halters on her if she is in a temp fence that can easily be walked through, or if I won't be home in more than a week and my paranoia says to keep a halter on her that has my phone number on it just encase she decides to go for a neighborhood stroll :lol:


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

Mine only wear halters when I am doing something with them that requires a halter. 

Some barns leave them on 24/7 because they feel it is better in an emergency to be able to easily move the animals. That makes sense. Not something I would do, but it makes sense.


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## coffeegod (May 6, 2011)

Thank you for the input. I didn't think the halter would be a permanent fixture. I appreciate the backup.

I'm even thinking about letting my dogs go nude.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

Stallions are required by law to be under control and a halter is mandatory.

Mine has his on except when he is in his stall...that is the only time he is without a halter.


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

Sour had her halter left on 24/7 from a month old until six months old- and was turned out in a huge field. When I got her, the halter was imbedded into her skin and she had almost no hair on her face. She still has scars from that, two and a half years later, and her nose is permanently deformed slightly because she had it so tight while she was growing. 

I admit that I left a breakaway halter on her for a month or so while I was still earning her trust simply because I didn't have hours to try and catch her, and she needed daily medical care for a while, but I would never leave it on her otherwise. It can not only be tangled, but can also rub sores onto their faces, and they can get their feet caught in it. Now though, she only wears one when we're working, or when I have her tied up. I don't even halter her when she's trailering.


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## cfralic (Jan 17, 2011)

I don't leave them on, because it takes so little time to put one on, and I hate the look of rubs/the danger of getting caught.


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## horselvr (Apr 5, 2011)

I dont care to leave a halter on if not necessary. There are horses that are escape artist and need a halter when out but my horses are never in stall with a halter on. They willing come over and stick their noses in when I come into their stalls. THe girl I just picked up over the weekend has a nasty rub mark on her nose that has made her a little shy of wearing the halter. Obviously where ever she came from they never took her halter off. So I bought a new halter that has soft lining over the nose to use on her....










The photo has the halter she came to the farm in. The halter has gone in the trash since because of the rain rot...


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## Alwaysbehind (Jul 10, 2009)

horselvr said:


> THe girl I just picked up over the weekend has a nasty rub mark on her nose that has made her a little shy of wearing the halter. Obviously where ever she came from they never took her halter off.


I think you are jumping to way too many conclusions there.

That rub mark probably does not really bother her much at all. Some horses are just more sensitive than others when it comes to rubbing hair off. a hairless post on the top of their nose does not mean they have had a halter on forever and ever to the point of abuse, etc.


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## horselvr (Apr 5, 2011)

Alwaysbehind said:


> I think you are jumping to way too many conclusions there.
> 
> That rub mark probably does not really bother her much at all. Some horses are just more sensitive than others when it comes to rubbing hair off. a hairless post on the top of their nose does not mean they have had a halter on forever and ever to the point of abuse, etc.


I agree, it could be she is sensitive to rubbing off hair, but considering the condition she is in weight wise, having rain rot really bad even down her legs, the rub mark on her nose and lack of hair behind her ears where the halter sits, filled with worms ( we wormed her on Sat and she is pooping wormings now) I think it was an issue of leaving the halter on for a long time. I am not saying she was abused, she just was not well cared for. She needs some TLC and the way she shys away from the halter tells me she is sore.


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## ledge (May 23, 2011)

Is there really a stud/halter law? I have never heard of that one before.

Halters here are for training, tieing up or hauling... other than that they get caught to easy, i've had enough problems with them catching fly masks in fences on trees and other things.... the arab is good at taking his flymask off.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

Spyder said:


> Stallions are required by law to be under control and a halter is mandatory.
> 
> Mine has his on except when he is in his stall...that is the only time he is without a halter.


is that a law in your area or what law specifically are you referring to? just curious.


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## Spyder (Jul 27, 2008)

crimsonsky said:


> is that a law in your area or what law specifically are you referring to? just curious.


It is the law. All stallions must be under control. While it does not specify in actual words that the horse must have a halter on, I don't feel like testing the law, or having some disgruntled neighbour complain, as some neighbours like to.:-(

It does specify fencing though.


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## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

My mare is left without a halter 24/7 while my stallion always has one on. He is easy to catch and a very good boy but in the case of anything happening where he may become loose I would feel safer knowing he had it on and that someone could just grab him. Too many mares around at neighboring farms 
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## eclaire23 (Oct 26, 2010)

We leave ours on. and come to think about it. We dont really need to. I guess its more of a security thing for me. My horses are literaly in my back yard (10ft from back door to gate.) So if there is any problems with being stuck on anything, its easily fixed. Though I haven't had any problems. The halters we use are padded so rub marks are minimum, they dont seem to bother the boys, nor do they bother me.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

All mine go without, no matter how hard to catch - The only exception is one boy who has a white nose, so he wears a cotton nose flap on a halter 24/7 in summer. He has never gotten caught, and we get the lightest halters available to help stop rubbing. It comes off in winter.


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## crimsonsky (Feb 18, 2011)

Spyder said:


> It is the law. All stallions must be under control. While it does not specify in actual words that the horse must have a halter on, I don't feel like testing the law, or having some disgruntled neighbour complain, as some neighbours like to.:-(
> 
> It does specify fencing though.


i did not know that. never heard of such a thing. huh... i'll have to look into that around here.


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