# Halters on horses in the pasture?



## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I'd guess your neighbor needs the halter left on because they think it gives them a better chance of catching the horse. About the time the horse jerks back and takes one of their rotator cups with it, they will learn to catch the horse the right way------without a halter


The ONLY time I used to halter my horses was those times when we were seriously under the gun with a tornado warning. I had their ID information in a sandwich bag tightly taped to the halter. I also spray painted my cell phone number across their barrels in case the halter so came off.

I am down to two horses in their early 20's. If we start getting hail, they head for the barn and don't come out.

Otherwise I have never altered a horse for turnout. Mine are on my property ----- if I can't catch them, I have left a gaping hole in their training


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## k9kenai (Jul 1, 2017)

I never left a halter on my horse ever, even breakaway halters. I always took them off before I turned my horses out.

We don't get things like hurricanes or tornadoes here (well, mini tornadoes but not really anything that causes damage) but we do get insane wildfires. I would probably only put a breakaway halter on my horse if I was expecting an evacuation order and I wanted to have the horse ready to go but at the point I would probably already have the horse loaded into a trailer, too.

I have seen the new ICE mane attachments that seem pretty cool and are supposed to stay on well and are a good alternative to attaching things to a halter that may get pulled off.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Halters left on during turnout is a matter of preference....
Sometimes it is also because no one ever spoke to or with owners or barn help, explaining the risks to the horse left with a halter during turnout regardless of how "safe" you think your property or barn is.
That said...
If your neighbor is using a break-away style halter or a leather halter it gives the horse a chance to break free if they get caught in something.
Under no circumstance should nylon ever be used on a horse and the horse left unattended for any length of time, never.

I personally have seen a horse near hang and die when he caught his halter on the gate, fought, fell, twisting the halter tighter and tighter and was suffocating... 
That horse was 10' from the barn with 4 people inside grooming horses on the aisle. 
_No one heard any commotion or struggle._
I cut the horse free requiring vet care and stitches but saved the horse. 
The horses owner put the horse out and left his halter on... horse was not out there for more than 5 minutes when this occurred.
That left a memory never forgotten.
I will _*never*_ use nylon and leave my horse for one second knowing how unbreakable nylon is.

I do not turnout my horses with halters on.
My horses come in when called so they are not needed. 
I can also walk out and halter any of my horses as needed when needed...
:runninghorse2:....


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## Calypso43 (Jul 10, 2017)

I feel like break away halters a bit safer. But the halter my neighbor uses is a thick, washable nylon halter that probably wouldn't break with a 3,000 pound weight on it.. I was thinking about asking my neighbor about what the purpose of the halter is, when the horse is sitting in the pasture, but I don't want to be rude. Though I want him to be aware of the danger it may cause.


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## Calypso43 (Jul 10, 2017)

I am seriously concerned about the horse. But my neighbor is very nice, and I would not want to tell him off. He has been doing this for 50 years without any issues. Though his horse could easily get stuck tomorrow, even if it hasn't happened yet.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

k9kenai said:


> I never left a halter on my horse ever, even breakaway halters. I always took them off before I turned my horses out.
> 
> We don't get things like hurricanes or tornadoes here (well, mini tornadoes but not really anything that causes damage) but we do get insane wildfires. I would probably only put a breakaway halter on my horse if I was expecting an evacuation order and I wanted to have the horse ready to go but at the point I would probably already have the horse loaded into a trailer, too.
> 
> I have seen the new ICE mane attachments that seem pretty cool and are supposed to stay on well and are a good alternative to attaching things to a halter that may get pulled off.


Since you brought it up... if you ever have to turn your horse loose during a fire, avoid nylon halters. If they are close enough to the heat it can melt to their face.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

My barn leaves halters on. It was a conscious decision on the BO's part.

Before I carry on, let me just say that I live in a very non-horsey country and this is the absolute best I can do with accommodation. I looked around very hard and this is the only barn with turnout within 50 km. Most of them keep horses on ties, never mind giving them stalls and turnout. So it's a take it or leave it situation. 

Anyhow, the barn is in an urban setting surrounded with busy roads. Litteraly surrounded on three sides. The BO's logic is that, should the horses somehow get out, we have to be able to catch them quickly. The BO's logic is that he is willing to risk a horse killing itself in the field in order to minimize the chance of a person dying because they didn't expect a horse jumping out in front of their car on a fast, urban road. And I have to say it does make sense.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

...............................^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...........................

So in regards to the above.....

If your barn is mandatory in halters being left on...
Do they allow breakaway or leather halter to reduce the chance of injury when turned out if the animal gets caught or into something they should not of...
Sounds more to me that you already have what is safest and just try to keep the peace with the B/O.

For a non-horsey community I don't see many even attempting to grab and stop a loose horse, just watch as it goes by. 
_"I didn't know there were horse in the area"_ scenario... :icon_rolleyes:
I get the B/O idea of easy catch if a loose horse, I do...
The car part thinking rationale is a no-go for me. Horses don't usually fare to well if hit by a car...hopefully the fences are very strong and very high to safeguard our 4-legged friends.
:runninghorse2:....


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## DanisMom (Jan 26, 2014)

I know of two situations where a horse has died because of halters being left on. One was in pasture: One horse got its leg caught in the halter of another horse and broke the other horse's neck. This was the stable where I boarded my first horse and we were never allowed to turn out with halters.
Second was in a stall. A friend and I were at a local fair and she was looking for someone she knew who was supposed to have horses at that fair. He never showed. Turned out that one of his fillies caught her halter on a nail outside the stall and broke her neck struggling to get free. 
I have NEVER turned out a horse with a halter except with a grazing muzzle and then I made sure it was breakaway.


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

See I know that it can be dangerous, but also I can understand in certain situations. 

For example a large herd that has halters left on because it isn't practical to halter each one every time they get fed, brought in, etc. BUT these halters are very loose, just tight enough to stay on, so that if one gets caught it will pull right off. 

While I definitely agree it isn't the best practice to keep them on, I think taking precautions like that makes it okay at least short-term. Like someone else mentioned it's also personal preference.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> For example a large herd that has halters left on because it isn't practical to halter each one every time they get fed, brought in, etc. BUT these halters are very loose, just tight enough to stay on, so that if one gets caught it will pull right off.


Thats even worse. A loose halter creates even more chances for a leg, post, jaw, or anything else to get caught in. You can't rely on it pulling off, because what if the direction of pull is backwards or they've fallen and are being pulled up? 

Ive worked at large barns and dine turn in and out. It takes no longer to slip a halter on than to attach a lead. I always chose halters that had a clip at the cheek and went over the ears. The only horse we ever kept a halter on (well fitted leather) was a lesson horse that was difficult for kids to catch. All the others, even if they were difficult, had no halters.


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## BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 (Apr 11, 2016)

ApuetsoT said:


> Thats even worse. A loose halter creates even more chances for a leg, post, jaw, or anything else to get caught in. You can't rely on it pulling off, because what if the direction of pull is backwards or they've fallen and are being pulled up?
> 
> Ive worked at large barns and dine turn in and out. It takes no longer to slip a halter on than to attach a lead. I always chose halters that had a clip at the cheek and went over the ears. The only horse we ever kept a halter on (well fitted leather) was a lesson horse that was difficult for kids to catch. All the others, even if they were difficult, had no halters.


I don't mean loose like hanging low off the face, I mean loose enough to easily slide around but still fitted to their head. For example the halter I use on Cherokee fits but can be pulled over his ears without unhooking it if I really wanted to. I see the point you are making though, as I said, I don't think it's a great idea either but it's better to take precautions if the owner won't take them off.

Why is it okay for that halter to stay on one hard to catch horse, but not any other? I'm asking that as an honest question. I didn't think about hooking halters that way but it's a good idea, so it's already over their head therefore pulling up to get away does no good.


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## Cordillera Cowboy (Jun 6, 2014)

I'm in the no halters in the pasture camp myself. But The fellow I've ridden for over the last 6 or 8 years before I retired, keeps them on every horse on his property. It's been his policy for decades, and he claims he's never lost a horse from it. Some horses are pretty good at rubbing them off. The donkey likes to grab them and try to lead the horses around.

Here in the Philippines, there are horses and cattle that live their entire lives on a picket rope attached to a neck rope. So, even though I don't do it, it is done without problems by many people.


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

horselovinguy said:


> ...............................^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^...........................
> 
> So in regards to the above.....
> 
> ...


They do allow leather and my mare has one. Other horses...not so much.

For some reason people keep getting killed by horses on the road in the region. I think it has to do with the quality and safety of the majority of the cars on the road. It's one thing to hit a horse in a new Volvo, but very different when the same accident happens in a 25 year old car which was cheap when bought brand new.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

BlindHorseEnthusiast4582 said:


> I don't mean loose like hanging low off the face, I mean loose enough to easily slide around but still fitted to their head. For example the halter I use on Cherokee fits but can be pulled over his ears without unhooking it if I really wanted to. I see the point you are making though, as I said, I don't think it's a great idea either but it's better to take precautions if the owner won't take them off.
> 
> Why is it okay for that halter to stay on one hard to catch horse, but not any other? I'm asking that as an honest question. I didn't think about hooking halters that way but it's a good idea, so it's already over their head therefore pulling up to get away does no good.


Even the everyday tightness I use with my halters isn't something I'd turn out in. Can still get a stick or post in it.

That one horse got a halter since she was a often used lesson horse and had 7-10 yr old kids catching her. For someone who knew how to catch a horse, she was no problem, but the lesson program was busy enough that there was no one available to catch her for the kids regularly. 

Cost benefit analysis. I wouldn't of she was mine, but the owner took that risk. I do recall her breaking out of it at least once.


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## AtokaGhosthorse (Oct 17, 2016)

Calypso43 said:


> What are the down falls and positives of turning on your horse with halters on? I would NEVER do that! I would be a wreck, trying to watch my horses to make sure they didn't get stuck.. I'm just wondering why someone would? My neighbors have one horse, and it has a halter on 24/7.. I've never seen him without it.


Your neighbor probably had a good reason for it. 

We leave ours on a 24/7 turnout on large acreage, and only one have I ever felt I needed to keep a halter on 24/7. He and I have have a new relationship as of about 2 months ago, so for the first time in the 18 months we've had him, I could take it off and leave it off. I don't even know where that halter is now... maybe hanging on a fence post, IDK. We just use the rope/lead combo halters for all our horses now.

The _advantag_e I can think of is our horses are wily suckers. IF THEY SEE THAT HALTER and rope in your hands, they will head out. Casually walk off. Nope. Nuh uh. Do not want. Don't know you, don't know what you could possibly want, buh bye.... But if they had a nylon halter on already, you could just walk right up curl your fingers in the halter, and lead them off without a rope or a fuss. That was the advantage. 

I learned to coil the halter/rope combos up, loop them around my shoulder, and keep them against my body... and now to tuck the loose end into my back pocket. 

Also, it's pretty common here to see horses in 24/7 turn outs with halters on, and on large acreage.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

For me it’s about weighing the risks. I’ve seen both sides of the argument and decided that, I’d prefer to leave them off but due to circumstances I’ve chosen to leave them on. 

When I kept my horses at a yard that had a very large herd, I chose to keep a headcollar on one of my mares as she was near impossible to catch. Many of the other owners chose to do the same. I think, for many, it was personal choice or there was a good reason. Some openly said it was quicker, others didn’t quite trust their horses in a herd and a couple, such as myself, had difficult to catch horses.

Unfortunately, I was present when a horse from another close-by yard got free on a dark winter evening. Everybody tried to catch him but he wasn’t wearing a headcollar and he wasn’t allowing us near him. He was hit head-on by an owner from our yard who was driving down the main road. She had no chance to stop or swerve. The horse’s injuries were horrific but we stayed with him on the ground until the vet arrived to put him to sleep. Luckily the driver wasn’t hurt despite the horse going over the car. I remember many owners saying that, if he’d only had a headcollar on it wouldn’t have happened; I’m not sure we’d have got close enough even if he had and how many people would’ve got hurt in the process.

When I moved to my own land and bought a gelding, I kept one on until I got to know him. He lost a couple in the field and given that he was impossible not to catch (he loved people), I felt that there was no reason to leave one on him and risk him getting caught-up in fencing or trees.

At that time all horse owners in my area were asked to register them at their local police station so that if they got out the owners could be easily traced. I did, but I’m not sure how many others did as well. The result was that I was called out by the police when other owners’ horses got loose at night. A call would come in asking for headcollars and help. The police I dealt with were adamant that headcollars were a must, as usually they were non-horsey people dealing with a dangerous situation with time constraints; headcollars could only help.

All depends on the situation.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

AtokaGhosthorse said:


> The _advantag_e I can think of is our horses are wily suckers. IF THEY SEE THAT HALTER and rope in your hands, they will head out. Casually walk off. Nope. Nuh uh. Do not want. Don't know you, don't know what you could possibly want, buh bye.... But if they had a nylon halter on already, you could just walk right up curl your fingers in the halter, and lead them off without a rope or a fuss. That was the advantage.
> 
> I learned to coil the halter/rope combos up, loop them around my shoulder, and keep them against my body... and now to tuck the loose end into my back pocket.
> 
> .


My grandfather taught my cousin and I how to halter a horse with with a hay twine in 30 seconds or less. We could easily coil the twine and hide it somewhere on our person until we got to the horse. That was the one time we were allowed to bribe someone with treats, then quickly put the hay twine into action as a halter and lead someone back to the barn. 

That was nearly sixty years ago and I still remember how to start the hay twine around the throat latch and end up with a leading device (halter)


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## Crazy4horses2 (Jul 12, 2017)

I will never turn a horse out with a halter on, the horse I just got had a nylon halter on for almost 3 years straight because she's hard to catch until the owner got drunk one night and decided she was going to set her free and took it off, then she goes and puts a rope halter on one of her other horses who is a fence tester I notice that the halters pressure point knots are rubbing off his hair I let the owner know she looked me dead in the face and said she didn't care and she hopes it rubs him raw!! It took every inch of my mental ability not to freak out on her...


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Horsef said:


> They do allow leather and my mare has one. Other horses...not so much.
> 
> For some reason people keep getting killed by horses on the road in the region. I think it has to do with the quality and safety of the majority of the cars on the road. It's one thing to hit a horse in a new Volvo, but very different when the same accident happens in a 25 year old car which was cheap when bought brand new.


People need to slow down, stop texting while driving, and just d**n pay attention to their surroundings.

Hardly a day goes by on the Nashville, TN news that someone hasn't been hit by a car and seriously injured or killed. The latest being a motorcycle officer trying to help someone.


Stupidity and lack of common sense can really get me on my soapbox, from which I will slowly step down and not read this thread again, lest I end up in the HF Woodshed:-?


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

One of my friend's horses got a major injury to his face because they left a halter on. 
I personally wouldn't leave them on, but some people do because they can 'catch' the horse more easily. I wouldn't risk it though.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Didn't read all the responses. We don't ever leave halters on our horses at turnout, but I am about to make an exception. I will be leaving a breakaway halter on my gelding for a few days while we get him used to a new pasture. It is quite a large area, and I worry that he will find a way out (he shouldn't, but I'm paranoid) or that once he gets out there, I'll never be able to catch him to bring him in. He normally lets me walk right up to him and halter him in his regular pasture, but since they've eaten all the grass in that pasture, and the new one is full of lush, tall grass, I expect he will not be so keen! This is a temporary measure, however, and it is a breakaway halter. I won't bother putting one on my mare who is turned out with him because she will follow him wherever he goes.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Horsef said:


> They do allow leather and my mare has one. Other horses...not so much.
> 
> For some reason people keep getting killed by horses on the road in the region. I think it has to do with the quality and safety of the majority of the cars on the road. It's one thing to hit a horse in a new Volvo, but very different when the same accident happens in a 25 year old car which was cheap when bought brand new.


That's not a halter issue, that's a fencing issue! Which is something I really do take "issue" with! I see all kinds of setups that are clearly not going to hold in a horse for long. But that's another thread...


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

Acadianartist said:


> That's not a halter issue, that's a fencing issue! Which is something I really do take "issue" with! I see all kinds of setups that are clearly not going to hold in a horse for long. But that's another thread...


Sure, but there isn't anything I can do about that. As I said in my original post, I live in a very non-horsey country and this yard is the absolute best I can find. Usually there is literally zero turn out and horses are kept tied to a wall all day long. Poor things.


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## anndankev (Aug 9, 2010)

I just moved my gelding away from a place that suddenly required that halters be on during turnout.

Chief is quite notorious for sticking his head through fences to eat the always greener grass on the other side. 3 years ago when I acquired him half his mane had been ripped out by his rubbing on fencing. Took 2 years to grow out (really long) then he was put in a field with tensile wire and in 3 weeks ripped it all out again. I moved from there as well.

This recent place is only leased by the barn 'owner', has very rickety old wooden fencing patched up with nails and wires, plus an old bent down wire fence on the other side. She, the BO, will neither replace nor properly repair the fence due to the fact that the property was sold 4 years ago, and the rather new 'real' owners seem to intend to use the property for other purposes once their son finally finishes fixing up the house. So in essence, though she has been there 15 years she may be asked to move away in the not too distant future.

Anyway, back to the halter situation. Halters were not required for turn out, but horses kept getting over/under/through the fence to the neighbor on one side's lush grass, Especially a particular mare who made it a regular practice. Then she/they would tear up the lawn evading capture. The neighbor then asked that all horses be haltered during turn-out so that he could catch them easily (or so he thinks). 

There is a second field not adjacent to this neighbor, but the 'barn owner-not' decided that all would be haltered regardless. With Chief's passion for reaching through fences I felt I could no longer keep him there. I did get him a breakaway halter to get by until I could move. So glad I did because it broke a way 3 times. Once another horse pulled on it and it broke off, another time it was found in the middle of a field, never near a fence, but still that broken halter is well worth the money it cost. 

It is a Tough One brand with a very thin leather entire crown piece, not just a breakaway fuse. I understand the fuses will only break under certain direction/angles of resistance, so may not help in all cases.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

OP, are you in a position where you can chat with your neighbor and see what his reason is?

I don't personally leave on my horse's halter during turnout, unless it's "turnout" in an arena. In my mind, the potential cons have always outweighed the pros, even with horses that are a little difficult to catch.


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## Acadianartist (Apr 21, 2015)

Horsef said:


> Sure, but there isn't anything I can do about that. As I said in my original post, I live in a very non-horsey country and this yard is the absolute best I can find. Usually there is literally zero turn out and horses are kept tied to a wall all day long. Poor things.


Agreed, some turnout is better than none! I think it's cruel to keep a horse inside all day, every day. Not saying it's your fault, but there's no excuse for bad fencing. I just fenced in over two acres in electric fencing (three strands, 5 ft high) all by myself. Well, hubby put in the posts with a borrowed post-hole digger, but I did everything else. There's really not that much to it. If it were me, and my horse was at risk of getting out, I would ask the BO if I can get a group of people together to mend fences, and/or add electric fence on the inside of the existing, clearly inadequate fence.


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## Caledonian (Nov 27, 2016)

walkinthewalk said:


> People need to slow down, stop texting while driving, and just d**n pay attention to their surroundings.
> 
> Hardly a day goes by on the Nashville, TN news that someone hasn't been hit by a car and seriously injured or killed. The latest being a motorcycle officer trying to help someone.
> 
> ...


 Very true. I live in a 20mph area and people and animals are still not safe. The council have installed sleeping policemen but they only speed between them. I used to ride the road regularly but I’ve avoided it for the last few years. 

I agree with @*Acadianartist* that clubbing together to fix the fencing is a good idea if it is falling apart. 

@*Horsef* Most of the horse fields in my area are at the side of roads. It’s not always a fencing issue. The horses down the road from me were always turnout without headcollars and had very secure fencing but a speeding driver, attempting to avoid another car, took out the majority of their fence down one side. The horses spent a lot of time panicking on the main road until they were caught. I’m guessing, but I think the owners probably wished they had headcollars on them at that point. 

Having said that, in a perfect world, I’d still go with no headcollar.


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## mcro27 (Jan 15, 2021)

Calypso43 said:


> What are the down falls and positives of turning on your horse with halters on? I would NEVER do that! I would be a wreck, trying to watch my horses to make sure they didn't get stuck.. I'm just wondering why someone would? My neighbors have one horse, and it has a halter on 24/7.. I've never seen him without it.


I leave my mares breakaway halter on whilst she’s out in the paddock as she is very difficult to catch. Leaving the halter on has changed her TREMENDOUSLY! The other day, she didn’t have it on, and even she cantered up to me with her ears pinned straight back, she fell for the ol’ carrot trick. But if so,eyeing did happen, we always have someone at my barn. Plus she should be ab,e to break free with a little courage since it’s a breakaway.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

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