# halters left on horses



## SonnyWimps

When Sonny is in the pasture I take his halter off just because I don't want him to get halter burns on his face. When I have to leave him in the arena while I go and do something, I'll leave it on. But then again I have a break away halter...if it gets caught...I will have no halter for Sonny...but I don't have a halter without a horse. 

The barn owner leaves the halters on her horses while turned out, and has had no problems with them being caught...I can't say I agree with it, but I can't tell her what to do. I guess she will have to learn the hard way...but hopefully nothing will happen to the horses.


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## BluMagic

I've seen terrible things happen to horses with their halter left on in a pipe corral! Its so sad and halters can be really dangerous. I would never leave a halter on Blu when he's unattended BUT I will if I am there to watch him.


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## Abby

My barn manager when I first went there tried to tell me I HAD to keep a halter on my horse. I did it for the first day but each night I'd take it off and sneak it home, or I'd go out int he pasture and take it off. Finally she got after me about it and I told here I would rather you leave my horse out at night if he doesn't come in that have him be hung up on a tree and she said "Fine, thats your risk!" Well, my horse fine and she is the one who almost had her horse suffocate. One of her mares got caught on a tree, after we heard a bunch of thrashing and squealing we raced down there to have to cut the halter off her mare. She STILL halters her hoses though, she just makes sure they are extremely loose. Silly lady.


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## HeartsExtraSkip

I totally agree with that. I never leave Skip's halter on when I let him out. In the beginning to was just to prevent rubbing, but then I figured it would be safer anyway. When he used to be at the barn I had no control over it, but now that he's in the back yard, he gets it taken off! Great article, I should pass it on to some of my friends who _do_ leave their horses halters on.


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## HorsesAreForever

Wow ive been turning my horses out with halters on for idk how long but wow guess u never know what might happen. I think i might reconsider >.<! even tho everyone in my barn turns there horses out with a halter nothing yet has happened in the 30 something yrs but still id rather be safe then sorry geezeee those stories were just eye opening


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## kitten_Val

I agree. Even the field can look nice and no danger, horses can always find something to get halter caught on: tree, fence, gate, etc. Thankfully, I never had this experience, but I'm not sure the breakaway halter indeed will "break away" if caught on something. Don't feel like finding it out. I know the accident happened with my barn owner mustang. However she still leave rope(!) halters on her horses. I guess, just teasing the luck.


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## Vidaloco

I don't even leave collars on my dogs much less a halter on a horse. I've found my german shepherd hung up by her collar enough times I took them off everyone. We have a large fenced yard for them but theres lots of trees/bushes that they can get hung on. 
I have 2 web halters for the horses and they only wear them when they are trailered or when they are or tied to a high line. The rest of the time I use rope halters and never leave them on unattended.


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## .Delete.

I keep my halters on at all times, on the horses that are hard to catch, even in the stall my mare has a halter on because you never know what can happen. My others i keep the halters off only because its not that important because they don't walk away from me. 

I will always keep my halters on my horses, always. No matter if there is a risk on them getting hurt or not, there is always a risk with everything. But thats a risk im willing to take.


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## LuLu

Keeping headcollars (or halters) on in the field is *very* dangerous!!! The amount of horses I have heard of that have been seriously injured or killed as a result of getting tangled up or strangled! If you must keep one on, make sure it is a leather one, because they will break, whereas nylon ones will not! You can also get field safe ones aswell, where the fittings are rubber, instead of metal, so they will also break!


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## .Delete.

If the halter is fitted correctly, you have less risk of that happening. Im sorry but seriously i feel strongly about wearing halters while in the pasture, you will never catch my pony, my qh or my arab without a halter. Ever


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## LuLu

TBH I don't think it matters if the headcollar fits properly or not, the horse can still injure itself, or worse. It's one of my pet hates to see a horse in a field with one on. Leather ones are much safer as they will break.


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## .Delete.

Leather rubs my horses hair away.

Either way if something happens i feel much better if my horses have halters on, my horse has a cribbing collar on 24/7 only time you see it iff is when i am riding. 

If my horses get out, there is no way i am going to get them without halters. I cannot take halters with me and put them on because that would take too much time and they will most likely run away. Sorry but no, i will take that risk to avoid one.


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## SonnyWimps

kitten_Val said:


> I agree. Even the field can look nice and no danger, horses can always find something to get halter caught on: tree, fence, gate, etc. Thankfully, I never had this experience, but I'm not sure the breakaway halter indeed will "break away" if caught on something. Don't feel like finding it out. I know the accident happened with my barn owner mustang. However she still leave rope(!) halters on her horses. I guess, just teasing the luck.


I know from experience that the breakaway will break haha....I had Sonny tied to a gate while I was grooming him. Something spooked him, and he pulled back...the halter broke, but he was fine. If he didn't have the breakaway on I have a feeling that he would of either seriously hurt himself or killed himself


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## SonnyWimps

like Delete said though, some horses can NOT be caught without a halter on....I know Sonny isn't always realiable to stand still while I put his halter on both in the arena or in his pasture. The reason I leave Sonny's halter off is because he will rub his face against a wall, or fence when his halter is on and rubs his face raw....if he didn't do that I'd more than likely leave it on.


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## Harlee rides horses

I could careless whether or not Chief has a halter on, I could catch him either way. But when a horse is in the stall, I think they shouldn't have it on.


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## kim_angel

There are arguments that can be made pro or con to leaving halters on. 

I have seen a horse get hurt with one on but at the same time, many years ago I was driving to work and there was a horse running free in the middle of the highway during rush hour. I pulled off the side of the road and ran out there to get him to the side of the highway.

he had no halter on.

It would have been much better for him and I, had he had it on.
When the police showed up to help me (I was standing on the side of the highway holding the horse by the nose and ear) the policeman had to use his belt to hold the horse.


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## Kyani

I would never leave a halter on an unattended horse unless a special situation called for it. Unless it was a breakaway or leather, of course. My yard does have a few horses that can be difficult to catch, but even these would not be turned out in a halter. If they are being particularly stubborn we would rather bribe them in with food than do that. Leather halters and breakaways are EASY solutions to this problem anyway - there is no need to leave a completely nylon/metal headcollar on.

YO has been very strict about even leaving halters (we call the synthetic ones headcollars, though) on in stables ever since she saw a horse get hung up on a hayrack and suffocate in stable in a yard full of people. He was dead by the time someone had noticed, found a knife and hacked through it. That must have been horrible.


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## LuLu

I don't have a problem with leather or breakaway headcollars on in the field, but anything else is just too dangerous. If fitted correctly, leather shouldn't rub.


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## Supermane

We don't leave any halters on horse that are unattended. A pony at my barn almost died from hanging herself with a breakaway halter. It fit correctly, it just didn't break. She was on the trailer and luckily my trainer was able to cut it off of her in time, but it's scary to think what could have happened. Though I'm not exactly sure what happened since I didn't go to that show.


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## Sara

I don't leave them on in the pasture; occasionally a break away if its for supervised exercise in the paddock. But I've never had one that was so hard to catch in the pasture either (beyond the occasional bribery with a bit of food).


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## .Delete.

I leave a halter on my mare even in the stall. If you knew the horse you would understand my situation. :?


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## ox-tuff_rider-xo

Thank you for sharing that with us!
I have a problem now guys and need your opinions.
If you leave a halter that fits my horse properly, she will rub the hair off her face. If you leave a bigger one on her she wont but I am now concerned that she will get hurt or killed by getting it caught on a fence or something.
The thing is I HAVE to have one on her until she goes back into teh field because every night she comes in and they have to have a halter on.
What should I do guys?


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## Kyani

I would say either buy a leather one (although not TOO expensive and therefore sturdy!) OR (and this would be my choice) a field headcollar made of nylon with rubber rings/fastenings. I think they are more reliable to break in an emergency than other kinds of breakaway headcollars.


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## LuLu

Kyani said:


> I would say either buy a leather one (although not TOO expensive and therefore sturdy!) OR (and this would be my choice) a field headcollar made of nylon with rubber rings/fastenings. I think they are more reliable to break in an emergency than other kinds of breakaway headcollars.


Totally agree!


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## Abby

I used to turn my horse out with the throat latch unsnapped. when they said I "had" to turn him out with a halter. That only lasted for a day but i figured if he got caught, it would slide off.


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## .Delete.

The throat latch unsnapped? Ohmy that would make the situation worse if your horse got caught in my opinion. Depending on how far back the halter is set on the horse's neck. I find that leather halters rub the hair off more.


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## Spastic_Dove

Personally I never turn out my horse with a halter on. Just seems like too much to get caught in. But he comes to the gate to meet me so I dont have to worry about catching him


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## Bucky's Buddy

I, personally, think that leaving a halter on a horse can be pretty dangerous. They can also get their foot caught in the throat latch, and I heard that they can suffocate pretty quick in that position. 

Which reminds me (this is a bit off-subject), when my mom told a story once about a horse who got a peice of wire from a fence stuck between his heel and shoe, and the wire was a part of the fence. He started thrashing, and it was all my mom could do to keep him calm while someone else got some wire clippers or a shoe -puller, because the wire was pretty wedged in there. 

If we owned horses (we ride the neighbors horses) My mom would be against leaving a horse's halter on, unless she absolutely needed to. For example, if the horse knew the sound of the farrier's truck, and absolutely hated the farrier, he would avoid being caught, at all costs. So, the night before, she might put a halter on him, for the night, so he would be easier to catch. 

Yes, I dislike the thought of having a halter on a horse. The people who own the horses we ride have three donkeys who wear nylon halters all the time. And, the little paddocks they are in are full of trees, not to mention the marks left by the halters.


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## appylover31803

where i board, the horse has to have it's halter on 24/7. I used to take her halter off in her stall, because i personally thought it was useless to leave it on her, but i got yelled at because if there's a fire, it's easier to get the horses out if their halter's on.

She also gets turned out in her halter. I guess they do that to make their job easier and they don't care so much about the horses.
I cannot tell you how many halter Tom and I have gone through because the other horses will hold onto any part of the halter and break it :roll: 
We've had nylon halters, but they cut into Gem's face, and it would rub Vega's hair off her poll. Now they have leather halters and no more problem.
We also go those fleecey stuff to put on the halters, but they disappeared when Gem was turned out :?


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## SonnyWimps

the barn owner keeps all the halters on her horses to make them easier to catch. Usually there is no problem at catching them, but there is the occasionally escapee. 

She doesn't have a problem with me leaving Sonny's halter on or off. For me, Sonny is easy to catch...he will stand in one place if he sees I have the halter in my hands and will even lower down his head to make it easier for me. But he can't be caught by the barn owner...he runs away...silly boy.

I use a break away halter on him, and it it does get caught it will break (know from experience). I have no problem leaving breakaway halters on as long as the leather isn't really thick that it might not break.

The barn owner uses only nylon halters...due to they are cheaper. She has a few leather ones, but the majority of them is nylon. She has had no problems....and usually they are loose enough where if they get caught they will just slip off. Also to the first thing that will break is the metal clips.

There are pros and cons to leaving a halter on or not leaving one on. It all depends on the horse, how easy the horse can be caught, and how the field is.

Sonny's pasture doesn't really have anything he can get his halter stuck to, so if I have to leave it on for some reason I don't worry too much.


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## blossom856

.Delete. said:


> The throat latch unsnapped? Ohmy that would make the situation worse if your horse got caught in my opinion. Depending on how far back the halter is set on the horse's neck. I find that leather halters rub the hair off more.


I'm not quite seeing your logic. With the throatlatch unsnapped the halter will slip off quite easily.


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## Supermane

blossom856 said:


> .Delete. said:
> 
> 
> 
> The throat latch unsnapped? Ohmy that would make the situation worse if your horse got caught in my opinion. Depending on how far back the halter is set on the horse's neck. I find that leather halters rub the hair off more.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not quite seeing your logic. With the throatlatch unsnapped the halter will slip off quite easily.
Click to expand...

The horse can step on the throat latch or get their leg stuck in it if it's hanging. It's definitely more likely and dangerous. I was stupid enough to just lead a horse with it unhooked. I mean, I was just going to take him out to the field, but he spooked at something and ran off, bucking and rearing. He somehow got his leg stuck in the throat latch, luckily he just stood there and I was able to take the halter off.


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## Kyani

I still can't see a valid reason for leaving a non-breakaway/non-leather halter on a horse.


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## NorthernMama

Halters are a terrible thing.
For those of you at barns that demand halters be on 24/7 -- get breakaways. You can even make your own with a piece of twine or leather lacing looped into the buckle of the halter. I can't find my instructions right at this minute, but it can be done quite acceptably if you take the time to find the right leather lacing.
If you can't catch your horse without one, you have several options: #1 train your horse #2 use a breakaway halter #3 use a breakaway neck strap.
I can't see any reason, ever (that "ever" is definitely aimed at .delete.) to keep a nylon, non-breakaway halter on an unsupervised horse. Yer lookin' fer trouble doin' that, .delete. No matter how hard your horse is to catch, there is another solution. The day you see a horse hung up, panicked, injured, dead is the day you'll change your mind, but then it's one horse too late!


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## Abby

Supermane said:


> blossom856 said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> .Delete. said:
> 
> 
> 
> The throat latch unsnapped? Ohmy that would make the situation worse if your horse got caught in my opinion. Depending on how far back the halter is set on the horse's neck. I find that leather halters rub the hair off more.
> 
> 
> 
> I'm not quite seeing your logic. With the throatlatch unsnapped the halter will slip off quite easily.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> The horse can step on the throat latch or get their leg stuck in it if it's hanging. It's definitely more likely and dangerous. I was stupid enough to just lead a horse with it unhooked. I mean, I was just going to take him out to the field, but he spooked at something and ran off, bucking and rearing. He somehow got his leg stuck in the throat latch, luckily he just stood there and I was able to take the halter off.
Click to expand...

I bucked it up on the other side so it was pulled way up out of the way so its not like it was dangling. How can he get his leg caught if it was unsnapped?


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## AngelGurl

I leave the halters off my tow boys, but with the gelding I sold I HAD to leave it on.
If I took it off, he wouldn't let me catch him to put it back on.


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## Abby

My gelding used to play hard to catch until I quit chasing him. i used to walk out the pasture with a bucket and a magazine because I knew he would take off so I needed something to do while I waited for him to come back haha, so I'd read. One day he didn't run off and I hasn't really since then...


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## Kyani

northernmama said:


> Halters are a terrible thing.
> For those of you at barns that demand halters be on 24/7 -- get breakaways. You can even make your own with a piece of twine or leather lacing looped into the buckle of the halter. I can't find my instructions right at this minute, but it can be done quite acceptably if you take the time to find the right leather lacing.
> If you can't catch your horse without one, you have several options: #1 train your horse #2 use a breakaway halter #3 use a breakaway neck strap.
> I can't see any reason, ever (that "ever" is definitely aimed at .delete.) to keep a nylon, non-breakaway halter on an unsupervised horse. Yer lookin' fer trouble doin' that, .delete. No matter how hard your horse is to catch, there is another solution. The day you see a horse hung up, panicked, injured, dead is the day you'll change your mind, but then it's one horse too late!


Agreed!


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## SonnyWimps

it's delete's choice whether or not to keep halters on her horses. I've NEVER known any body in real life that has had that happen to the horses. I know many many many people that keep halters on their horses...and haven't had a problem.

Breakaways can be expensive after a while if it is continuing to break. I've replaced 3 break aways....one of them broke cause he spooked...but the other two broke for no reason at all.
Yes usually the replacement straps aren't that expensive, but they can be.

How great are the chances of them getting seriously hurt or killed by a halter? My barn owner has left halters on her horses for OVER 30 years with NO problems at all. 

I, personally, see no problem with keeping halters on....nylon or breakaway. A field for a horse should be free from stuff anyways...if the halter gets caught on something...doesn't that mean the field ITSELF isn't safe?! 
Most stories I've read about halters killing horses were that it got caught on branches or fences or whatever. Why keep brances close to the horses face level?! That in itself is an accident waiting to happen...whether or not there is a halter on.


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## Abby

Our horse pasture is 30 acres of grass and 30 acres of thin woods. Would our pasture be considered dangerous?


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## SonnyWimps

Abby said:


> Our horse pasture is 30 acres of grass and 30 acres of thin woods. Would our pasture be considered dangerous?


depends on the woods, to me. If the brances are thick enough where if a horse gets caught that the branch will not break, then yes I'd consider that dangerous...but if the branches can be broken by a horse, then not really


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## Abby

Well I don't keep halters on my horse, but if one got caught in his halter the branch would snap off, most of the trees are dead and the living ones are too tall for their branches to be hanging down low, minus the saplings of course but I doubt my horse will get hung up in a sapling.


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## SonnyWimps

Abby said:


> Well I don't keep halters on my horse, but if one got caught in his halter the branch would snap off, most of the trees are dead and the living ones are too tall for their branches to be hanging down low, minus the saplings of course but I doubt my horse will get hung up in a sapling.


yeah for halter safety for trees you want the branches to be able to break. I don't know about your horses, but i know mine can be stupid enough and would stick a branch in his eye (he's kinda clumbsy also hahaha). So I had to get a pasture with no trees in (we tried one with a tree in...he rubbed off all his fir on one side of his face....not all but most). But it all depends on your horse. If your horse ain't going to do anything stupid like mine would than more than likely you are fine


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## NorthernMama

SonnyWimps said:


> it's delete's choice whether or not to keep halters on her horses. I've NEVER known any body in real life that has had that happen to the horses. I know many many many people that keep halters on their horses...and haven't had a problem.
> 
> Breakaways can be expensive after a while if it is continuing to break. I've replaced 3 break aways....one of them broke cause he spooked...but the other two broke for no reason at all.
> Yes usually the replacement straps aren't that expensive, but they can be.
> 
> How great are the chances of them getting seriously hurt or killed by a halter? My barn owner has left halters on her horses for OVER 30 years with NO problems at all.
> 
> I, personally, see no problem with keeping halters on....nylon or breakaway. A field for a horse should be free from stuff anyways...if the halter gets caught on something...doesn't that mean the field ITSELF isn't safe?!
> Most stories I've read about halters killing horses were that it got caught on branches or fences or whatever. Why keep brances close to the horses face level?! That in itself is an accident waiting to happen...whether or not there is a halter on.


Yes, certainly it is .delete.'s choice. I feel it is a bad one, but everyone does their own thing. I haven't ever had to deal with halter accidents, but that's because I have never left halters on. I do personally know people that have had horses hung up and even killed because of halters.

Trying to keep a field safe from accidents is something we all do, I'm sure, but it is impossible to foresee every possibility and it is impossible to be there 24/7 and changes happen continuously whether from something breaking, weather, stray or wild animals, plant growth, trespassers, drive-bys, whatever. You can't keep a horse in a rubber paddock and even that wouldn't be healthy would it? 

So, isn't it a good idea to control what we can? Halters are under our control. Expensive? Well, if that's an issue, maybe it needs to be budgeted for. Or make your own. Or use a breakaway neck strap which is much cheaper.


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## Kyani

And some people have kept horses in loose barbed wire fences for 30 years with no accidents. Doesn't make it safe.

There is NO reason to leave a nylon halter on. NONE. No field is completely safe from things a halter can catch on. They've all got fence posts/gates, afterall.

Expense? 1. If it keeps breaking, isn't that an indication that it DOES get caught? Shouldn't that tell you something? 2. If you can't fit a few extra breakaway straps in the budget, perhaps horse ownership should be reconsidered? 3. Fix one up with some baling twine - it comes free with the hay, afterall.


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## .A.j.

I saw an article in equus magazine I believe, about making a few changes to an normal halter to make it safer. I personally do not keep halters on so I skimmed over it but I'll look for it again and post it.


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## PoptartShop

Whenever I turn Lexi out, I always take her halter off.  Just to be safe. 
Now, if I had a problem with catching her from the field (which I don't, she comes right to me), then I'd probably have a breakaway halter left on her. But since I don't have that problem, I take it off.


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## KANSAS_TWISTER

some where on my farm i have a halter for abby, she's turned out 24/7 with out one. when we use to trailer her to 4-h meets i would take twine and make a loop to clip on by the latch on her cheak, i am a firm beleaver when it comes to trailer saftey......I'M OCD ABOUT IT!!!, once had to pull 2 horses out of a over turned 2 horse trailer on the 2/22 on the west island of montreal ....not fun at all, fire and rescue where not prepaperd for what they came upond.


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## .Delete.

Whoa whoa whoa im gone for 4 days and see what happens O_O

Alright. Train my horse? Well darling im trying, but you know it takes a while to do so. Even when my horse is trained i am going to keep a halter on it. Right now i don't have halters on my ponies in the pasture or in my stalls because i feel right now its not needed. But if i do feel it is i will put a halter on my horse. Its a risk, and i may be /stupid/ for doing so. But call me stupid if you will, its a safety percausion. Its a matter of opinion. Call me what you will, but i don't like breakaway halters, they rub my horse's hair away. Yes, a horse can be killed from getting stuck in a halter, but it can also be hung on a hay bag. It can be killed running through a fence, something can happen and your horse can gets its legs caught in the reins :wink: Everything has a risk. Controlable? Haybags are controlable, so are other things that can kill a horse. You always have a risk with everything. You cannot live your life tip-toeing around. The saying "You can never be too careful". Ohyes you can.


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## AKPaintLover

appylover31803 said:


> where i board, the horse has to have it's halter on 24/7. I used to take her halter off in her stall, because i personally thought it was useless to leave it on her, but i got yelled at because if there's a fire, it's easier to get the horses out if their halter's on.
> She also gets turned out in her halter. I guess they do that to make their job easier and they don't care so much about the horses.


How frustrating! I understand their fire reasoning, but hate the idea of being forced to leave a halter on my horse. If I were to keep a halter on, it would be break away, but even then, I would think they would rub off hair or leave depressions in the coat from sitting there (no matter how well they fit)...which would annoy me.  

For those who say they leave a halter on the hard to catch horses, I don't get how a halter makes it any easier? You can just as easily throw a lead rope around their neck to hold them while putting the halter on as you can clip that same lead rope to a halter on the horse already. If the horse doesn't want to be caught, he won't let you close enough to clip the lead rope to the halter...right?

honestly, with hard to catch horses there are likely trust or respect issues that need to be remedied...that is not aimed at anyone...if I had a hard to catch horse, I would probably spend a lot of time working on catching from the field, grooming, and ground training focusing on respect. As it is, I am lucky that my horses are pretty happy to come out and play.


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## appylover31803

AKPaintLover said:


> appylover31803 said:
> 
> 
> 
> where i board, the horse has to have it's halter on 24/7. I used to take her halter off in her stall, because i personally thought it was useless to leave it on her, but i got yelled at because if there's a fire, it's easier to get the horses out if their halter's on.
> She also gets turned out in her halter. I guess they do that to make their job easier and they don't care so much about the horses.
> 
> 
> 
> How frustrating! I understand their fire reasoning, but hate the idea of being forced to leave a halter on my horse. If I were to keep a halter on, it would be break away, but even then, I would think they would rub off hair or leave depressions in the coat from sitting there (no matter how well they fit)...which would annoy me.
Click to expand...

Gem has a permenant impression where the noseband was. His old one (before we got him) was rather tight, and for lessons, they left the halter on. That must really stick to get no relief! Now Gem's halter is a little big on him, but he's much more comfortable. 
As for breakaways, we've gone through countless breakaway halters due to Gem and Vega playing with their neighbors. So far the leather ones are holding up nicely.


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## Got2Gallop

My mare has never been a problem to halter...........but I do have a nice breakaway halter if I need it........it's nylon with a leather crown, much less expensive to replace that crown if I have too I think


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## Britt

Some of our horses used to wear halters 24/7 and back then (this was years ago) they were so hard to catch... once we started taking the halters off, the horses got a lot easier to catch.

I'll leave a halter on my colt if I'm going to be catching him for a major reason the next day or something like that (vet visit or farrier visit early in the morning) but otherwise I keep his halter off until I catch him.

My mare stays halterless until I go out to catch her to ride or something... she can manage to get any halter, no matter how tight, off, so I don't even bother... I'm glad that she's so easy to catch, too.


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## carriedenaee

*scary*

but informative..thanks


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## dtwh

The only time I'll leave one on is if the farrier or vet is due out and I'll halter the horses before they get there, but other than that I never leave a halter on any of my horses.

There was a training barn down the road from us that used to leave halters on their yearlings. One of them slipped a front leg through it during the night and while he was thrashing around he ended up breaking his back. It was really sad and just another reason why I would never leave one on my horse.


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## Dumas'_Grrrl

We usually leave the halters on our horses...it is a calculated risk...Sometimes we take them off but for the most part we leave them on. On the ranch,where we live,you never know when a semi-trailer full of cattle will be pulling in and I have to go grab BOTH guys without holding up the ranch hands.  There are also several people that have keys to the gates and not everyone is responsible enough to close them properly. OMG if they got on to the roads! I couldn't even imaging trying to catch my horses out on 7000 acres somewhere without a halter.  Some times we can't even catch them WITH a halter..we have to bribe them with feed and get them to follow us on the 4-wheeler to a smaller pasture.   There are many many things in life that we SHOULDN'T do...I thank you for the alert and information, but in the end it is at best a calculated risk based on information vs. situation.


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## eventer7345

*saftey release halter*

I am in ponyclub and they require you to have a halter on your horse at all times. As long as it is a saftey release halter then it should be fine.


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## PoptartShop

Yeah.
I think it's okay for certain people to leave halters on their horses, like if that's the ONLY way they can catch them from the field.  By leading them.


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## wild_spot

I have a valid reason for leaving a halter on ym horse.
he has a pink nose, and if left uncovered it burns, cracks and bleeds quite severely.
If left uncovered for long periods of time there is a huge risk of him getting cancer, we even have to cover it in zinc while I ride as it can get burnt in that short amount of time.
I use canvas nose flaps that slide onto the noseband of my halter.
It must be fitted tight enough so it doesnt come off, and it is nylon so it doesnt break.
we have sheepskin covers on it so it doesnt rub his face.
None of my other horses have halters on, but he needs his as a matter of health.
No way would I subject him to the pain of his nose cracking open and bleeding.


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## cubbinbaby

I agree it is awful when their nose burns, my boy is the same I use a fly mask instead of a halter and sew a nose flap on to it. you can also buy them already made like it.
my mum had an appy who had pink skin all over she had to have her mask on 24/7 and be rugged or even her body would burn and the hair fall out.


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## wild_spot

I know I feel so bad for him :[
I tried sewing noseflaps on, but they get damp then dirt sticks, i use removable ones so that I can wash them.
The dirt that gets on the stationary ones rubs his nose as well, not much fun.


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## cubbinbaby

yep same same. we have always just had a few and changed them each day so they get a clean one. their snot gets hard an crusty mud yuck, tommy had one mask with wool over the nose, that was good and i sewed the flap to that. and that one did not rub but they are about $35 and when you have to have a couple it does get costly. But I preffered it to a halter cos the halter would have been worse too me.


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## Equina

AKPaintLover said:


> For those who say they leave a halter on the hard to catch horses, I don't get how a halter makes it any easier? You can just as easily throw a lead rope around their neck to hold them while putting the halter on as you can clip that same lead rope to a halter on the horse already. If the horse doesn't want to be caught, he won't let you close enough to clip the lead rope to the halter...right?


That's EXACTLY what I was thinking! 

I used to work at a barn with 50+ horses and all the owners had leather halters that they kept on 24/7. I don't know if it was a rule or not. There were two "hard to catch" horses and even though they had a halter on, it made no difference. If you tried to bring them right in, they'd run away...even if they were the last horse outside while all the others were inside enjoying dinner.

I just had to work with them. One, I brought a handful of sweet feed each day for a week and he quickly learned that coming up to me and standing nicely was a good thing. Every so often after that I'd bring him a handful of feed to reinforce his good behavior. None of the other stable hands tried this trick, so I was the only one who could catch that "wild horse!" The other horse didn't respond to feed, but he responded well to slow, soft movements. He didn't like you going straight for his head! I would kneel down, he'd get curious, and come up to me. I'd slowly pet him from his hoof, to shoulder, neck, and eventually his face. Then I'd clip on the lead rope. After a while, I could just rub his shoulder or neck a little and he was okay. 

Anyways, long story short...I don't think it's necessary (or safe) to have an unattended horse with a halter on. If you have to (for example, the sunburn coverage), I'd expect a leather or breakaway one. 

My horse does not have a halter on when turned out or in his stall. If there was a fire in the barn, I'd rather my BO just open all the stall doors and let our horses run freely (and halter-less) onto the property. I doubt she (even with hubby & son's help) could lead every horse out of the barn (even if their halters were already on) fast enough if the barn caught fire.


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## wild_spot

Not necessarily,
I've known a horse that needed a halter to be caught.
you could get near enough to touch his head, but the moment you tried to move your body close enough to put a lead rope around his neck he was out of there.
His was more a nervous thing than a naughty thing, and once you slid your hand under and snapped a lead rope on, he was like a different horse.
I don;t leave a halter on my horse unless I need to, but there are some very legitimate cases where you would need to.


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## katie

If your horse is trained properly and respects you there shouldn't be a problem catching your horse. Sounds like more ground work is needed. Has anyone seen Clinton Anderson or someone like that. They ride without a bridle. The horse is amazing, so connected to the owner/trainer. Even with over 1000 in the audience this horse would turn on a dime when instructed by him. It would follow him anywhere. This was really cool to watch. It took years to get there though, but I can be positive that he turns his horses out naked.


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## PoptartShop

True...that's an amazing bond.


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## jazzyrider

its funny but for all the people who say they know of a dozen tragedies surrounding horses having halters left on there are another dozen who have never heard of a disaster and who have been keeping their horses halters on them for years. id never even heard of halter related disasters until this forum 

i generally take halters off when they go back to the paddock but not always. i never leave rope halters on unattended though and i buy the cheapest nylon ones as paddock ones cause i know they will break in a heartbeat  they like us to leave halters on at the pony club but only if something is happening (like slashing the grass) so then they can lead everyone into the spare paddock. other than they could care less whether we left halters on or not


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## PoptartShop

^Wow Jazzyyy! lol. :lol:

Yeah, a lot of people I know @ other barns don't really care either way. But hey, better safe than sorry!


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## jazzyrider

wow what? lol


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## PaintHorseMares

We leave our mares' halters off because I don't like the 'halter nose' look and they are no trouble to catch (they are so used to having their halters put on, they actually put their nose in it for you). As for getting hurt, I've learned that the 'stuff' of any kind around horses always means more injuries (just look at how many fence injuries there are).


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## PoptartShop

Jazzy: You said you've never heard of any halter disasters lol :lol:


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## jazzyrider

PoptartShop said:


> Jazzy: You said you've never heard of any halter disasters lol :lol:


oh ok lol no i have never heard of any :?


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## Delregans Way

jazzyrider said:


> PoptartShop said:
> 
> 
> 
> Jazzy: You said you've never heard of any halter disasters lol :lol:
> 
> 
> 
> oh ok lol no i have never heard of any :?
Click to expand...

Yeh same, not bad ones anyhow.


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## Bucky's Buddy

Well, I think we all have different opinions on different things - especially with halters left on. :lol:


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## Twilight Arabians

i have a brake away halter i keep on one of my horses. i keep it on him because if i dont it takes me about 2-3 hours to get it on. once he gets better at getting caught then i will no longer leave it on him. 

and i know these halters work because twice now i have had to dig through the snow to find the darn thing. its a pain, but i rather it fall off than him get hurt.


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## HayburnerHeights

Well, I guess I am a minority on this one. My horses ALWAYS have halters on when out side (I use breakaways) and NEVER have haltes on in the barn. 

From personal experience of dealing with SOMEONE ELSES loose horses (that were halter less) its no fun trying to catch them as they are trying to run into a 55 MPH highway!. I was on my way home from work on a state route when I spotted 3 horses in a yard running loose near a intersection to the highway. I had nothing with me and neither did any one else. Its really hard to control a horse with nothing on its head! These horses almost got hit several times. If they had something on their heads we would have been able to get a hold of them as we could get up to them, just not able control them. I had to make shift one out of a clothes line that someone dug up and believe me it took way to long to find a couple of pieces of rope. We were screaming, waving arms at the horses (to keep them away from the road) and trying to get the cars/trucks to slow down. NOT a fun situation. I thought one of them was going to be a gonner.

I also had my hubby forget to close the back gate once a few years ago and had my own horses running down the road (lucky for us it wasn't a major highway). They were pretty easy to catch because they did have their halters on. Loose horses are always EXTRA perky when they know their out!


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## happygoose123

i wouldnt leave a halter on my horse. but if you HAD to leave one on you dont have to spend the extra money on buying a safe one, if you buy the cheapest of cheap halter you will find that if they get caught on something they will break quite easily!


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## KateS

When we first got into horses we always left the halters on our horses. The first disaster we had was when my first mare was reaching for the grass on the other side of the fence and she got her halter snagged on a pointy thing at the bottom of the fence. She wasnt hurt and all we did was double check the fencing and make sure that wouldn't happen again. The second time was when she was in a stall that was made of panels and I'm not sure what happened but the next morning her colt was loose and she had a huge gash on her face right down to the bone. Ok so you would think that we would learn right? Not. That same summer we were just starting to work with our 2 year old gelding. We had just been working with him and went inside for supper. We went back out after supper to work with our 1 year old gelding and found the 2 year old lieing on the ground 30 feet from his stall with his halter wrapped up in the gate. He choked to death. Now if I ever see someone with their halter on their horses in the pasture it bothers me alot. I agree that it is up to the owner but you don't realize how dangerous it is till it kills. Needless to say no horse of mine will ever wear a halter when they are unattended.


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## Walkamile

KateS, how horrible. A very dear friend of mine had a similar experience with her 4 year old. His halter was left on by accident and when her husband got home from work he found Scout dead by the round bale feeder. He somehow caught his halter and couldn't get away. So tragic.
If I had to leave a halter on for whatever reason, I believe I would look into the breakaway halter and give my horse a fighting chance. 

It has taken my friend a long time to come to terms with this, guilt being the most difficult to get through. She lost her zest for a long time.

Hope you are okay.


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## Twilight Arabians

happygoose123 said:


> i wouldnt leave a halter on my horse. but if you HAD to leave one on you dont have to spend the extra money on buying a safe one, if you buy the cheapest of cheap halter you will find that if they get caught on something they will break quite easily!


 
lol, yea i bought one of those super cheep ones a few years ago and had it on a yearling filly we had and she broke the darn thing 3 days after i bought it. they really do brake easy


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## KateS

Ya I'm over it now. It happened when I was 12. I definately had a hard time with it at the time. It does really suck though because he was such a unique color and had a great attitude.


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## jeddah31

i really think it depends on what area the horse is in. If it's a pasture, a huge pasture, and theres lots of low hanging branches and stuff, i'd not leave one on unless the horse was impossible to catch...

I know a horse that couldn't be caught for about 2 years because she got let go without her halter on. That, can be more dangerous than leaving the halter on.

However.. open pastures, with high branches and not alot of shrub or anything, are less likely for anything to happen. 

I was at a riding school for about 6 years, and several horses had to have their halters left on every night because they were difficult to catch, and there was never a problem with any. They had nylon halters left on over night. Occasionally one of them would come in and had no halter on...it'd broken and come off.. but we had much more issues of rugs breaking and getting tangled and ripping, than halters


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## Tayz

It's sad how many amazing animals pass away from this. It is a risk though. It's not like we humans want them to get caught and do it on purpose. We always do it for a reason. It's sad that all those creatures got hurt(well most of them) If I had a horse, depends on the paddock, I would probaly leave the halter on though. But that is my opinion so don't attack me


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## smrobs

I really believe in Murphy's Horse Law. Whatever can go wrong with your horse, will go wrong. I don't leave halters on any of mine cause they all live in a pasture where there are trees and thickets and in one corner, there is some old farm implements. I wouldn't want to take the chance they could get hung on something and getting hurt. Lots of people leave thiers on and never have a problem and others forget one time and suffer a disaster. You can just never predict what will happen with horses. I will risk my own health with them all the time, but could never risk theirs more than absolutely necessary.


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## UrbanCowgirl9

We leave halters on our horses out in the feild, but thier break-away, all of the branches on our trees are cut off if their under 6ft high, we have caps on our fence posts, and take halters off in the stalls.:wink:


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