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Haltered 24/7?

6K views 35 replies 23 participants last post by  WalkerBand 
#1 ·
I am not quite sure where to put this, but I apologize if it is in the wrong forum ahead of time.

I don't have much control over what happens when it comes to my horse because my father is a bit of a control freak. My gelding lives in the pasture with only a run-in shelter in there with him, no round-pen or anything else, so my dad keeps the halter on him 24/7. Now that I have been spending more and more time studying how to train my horse and make him comfortable with me I feel almost guilty that he has to wear the halter day in and day out, but since he was abused by his previous owner he is extremely choosey as to when he allows himself to be caught and I'm not sure if taking the halter off would be a smart move. I would like to know any health risks with pastured horses that are haltered 24/7 and any advice on how to possibly come up with a good argument to give my dad in support of taking the halter off until we are doing things with him. Also, if we do take the halter off, is there any advice in case he becomes even harder to catch than he is now?
 
#3 ·
It is nylon, extremely worn at that, and it does not have a break away. And I have heard stories like that which is why I am worried about him since he is in an area that it would be extremely easy to get caught on something. For the longest I have thought about just taking it off without my dad's permission, but I'm just not the kind of person that will do something like that. :/ If I knew I could get him back afterwards, it would have been taken off ages ago.
 
#4 ·
I would suggest that if he has to have the halter on, either buy a special breakaway halter or do something to weaken an old halter so if he does get caught on something the halter will break. The easiest things for weakening are to cut through some of the stitching or hacksaw through part of the nylon (for either of these places I think I would concentrate on the buckle strap).

I'm glad you're recognizing the potential danger of leaving halters on. Myself, I leave them off for safety. Good luck with things.
 
#5 ·
When I first got my colt cowboy he wore a halter 24/7. He was completely un-handled and it was the only way I had to catch him. I had no round pen just a small fenced area by their shelter. I would of been extremely hard for me to catch him without it especially since I was on my own. I constantly worried about him with it on out there. It was a break away but I still checked him over every day. I left it on until he would let me take it off and on. I didn't even start trying to catch him until he was comfortable with me. I just went out and fed him, talked to him just let him know I was not a threat. With in a week he stopped staring at me like I was a monster. By the end of the month he could go without his halter. This worked for me so it may work for you but every horse is different. I hope this helps some and that it made sense I tend to ramble:/ Good Luck!!:)
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#7 ·
Yup, you don't want to leave a nylon or rope halter on 24/7 at all. Something with a breakaway or a really cheap leather halter would work well.

You do need to check for any rubs on his face. If he does get rubbed by the halter then flies, gnats and other nasty insects will be attracted to it and make it worse. If it does happen a clear ointment will help heal the wounds and a fly ointment like Swat will keep pests away.

Another danger is if the halter isn't fitted correctly the horse can get it caught on something, even their own leg (I've heard of it happening, thankfully I've never witnessed it.) So proper fit is always a good thing.

Good for you on trying to do what's best for your horse. :)
 
#11 ·
How much time do you have available to get your horse good to catch? I spent two months one time getting one comfortable with being approached, and after two months it was so well-ingrained in her that she's been good ever since. But I agree with others about the dangers. I'm totally against leaving halters on horses at-pasture. I'm more interested in getting them good!
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#13 ·
He is about 15 minutes from where I live so I can start going up there quite a bit for the next two weeks or so, but after that band camp will start and I will only have weekends to go up there. Band continues into the beginning of school so I will probably be able to go see him after school some days.


For the above reasons, I wouldn't feel comfortable having a halter on 24/7. I'm not sure how distrustful your horse is, but it seems that you are able to get close enough to get a hold of his halter. Would it be possible to put a lead rope around his neck while you then put the halter on him?
It really depends on his mood if he lets you get near him, especially if it isn't just me there. The other day he would only let me near him long enough to scratch his forehead a few times before he moved away since there were other people there.
 
#12 ·
For the above reasons, I wouldn't feel comfortable having a halter on 24/7. I'm not sure how distrustful your horse is, but it seems that you are able to get close enough to get a hold of his halter. Would it be possible to put a lead rope around his neck while you then put the halter on him?
 
#14 ·
The barn that I boarded at, before getting my own place, had a hard and fast rule that no halters would be left on horses, ever.
The owner made copies of an article, in a newspaper, about a horse that had gotten its halter caught on a piece of farm machinery. He broke his neck in the struggle. The picture was graphic and horrible. To this day no horse on my property has a halter on unless being handled. If I even see a horse in a pasture wearing a halter I have flashes of that picture!:-(
Would your dad be willing to read this thread?
 
#16 ·
I can tell that you want to try. That's why you'll get it. Here's a Zen-like riddle for catching horses to contemplate in those long pasture-sitting hours:

"To catch a horse, don't try to catch him"

What would be really cool would be to get the horse really good and then show your folks the progress he's made. I'm sure they're only making this rule for safety and a lot of people don't know that horses can be any other way.

BTW take all advice with a grain of salt! Trust your own instincts. All you actually need to catch a horse is to just get him used to you being there. He'll come to you, or at the very least he'll tell you when he's ready to approach IF you listen!
 
#17 ·
The others said it all, though if I remember well, the mare with visible bones was dragged by a truck with wire around her nose. I don't think that a normal halter can do that kind of damage, buy it could easily break the horse's neck, so it's not better.

Can you fence off some smallish area? It can be useful to remove the halter, and then doing stuff and ignoring the horse. after he comes (he'll come eventually) you can give him treats, at first for cominge near you, then for touching the halter, then for letting you put it around his nose... When I had bridling issues I did that with mine, small steps and small treats (I used very small pieces of carrots), now our routine is: half carrot when he comes to me, and the other half when the halter is on. He lets me catch him even without the carrots, but I like to treat him as much as possible when he comes/lets me put the halter on so the lesson is repeated every time.
Of course you have to not randomly give him treats: whatever he likes most must be a reward for good behavior, not something that comes when he was doing his business and ignoring you.
 
#19 ·
I have 2 mares that wear halters in 24/7. both are hard to catch at times and I dont have the time to chase them. Both mares were abused by their former owners .
When there is danger of wildfires I leave the halters on the several more mares. That way if they need to be evacuated they are easy to catch. Some are very wary of strangers and I might not be there or may only be able to catch a few so the halters stay on.
With your horse being hard to catch and your limited time with him I would probably leave the halter on too. Get a breakaway one and remove any debris that he might use to scratch or rub against. Shalom
 
#20 ·
sounds like the person you need to convince is your father -- and the onyl way to convince your father is train the horse to be easily caught

first, do not treat the horse like it has been abused, just treat it like a horse

next catch it, let it go, and walk away 30-50 feet, then do it over and over and over and over

ask your father permission to take off the halter so you can practice catching, haltering, and letting it go --- do that over and over and over

show your father, this horse is now easy to catch, look how easy i can catch the horse --- can we take the halter off?
 
#21 ·
Get a break away but also have a halter one size up and plan on spending time with him. Treats or not but if you use treats make this the only time he gets them. Catch him, give him a treat. Put the second halter on over the first and treat him again. Let him go give him time and then do it all over again. For some a good scratching or brushing is treat enough. Once you can get the halter on and off and he is coming to you and not having to be walked down then you can leave the break away off.
 
#22 ·
I am calling my father in the morning to present him my argument as to why Two-Tone (My horse) shouldn't always be haltered. If it still doesn't work I am planning on going up to see my horse and I will work with him until I am able to prove to my dad that he can be caught without a halter. I also have the pictures you all have shown me saved onto my phone that way I can have a visual as to what can happen if we don't take action now - better to be safe than sorry in my opinion. Thank you all for your valuable opinions and I will be sure to keep those that may be interested informed on what decision is made or if there is any progress.
 
#23 ·
Aside from safety reasons (and again, even if your father refuses get him a new halter with a breakaway strap) there is also the fact that this horse is wearing something, in the exact same place, 24/7.

Make sure it is adjusted properly. It will rub, it will sweat, etc. I can't imagine it would be very comfortable, but rubs and constant sweating are very real issues. I've seen some nasty rubs. If the halter isn't adjusted properly it could make those issues worse.
 
#24 ·
I check him every time I go over for any signs of rubs or misadjustments to keep him as comfortable as possible while we go through all of this, and I also tell my grandfather to check him at least daily just to make sure something doesn't come up if I don't have a chance to go over. I am stopping by Tractor Supply (We don't have tack shops or the like here) tomorrow before I go to see him to check the prices of the leather and/or breakaway halters.
 
#26 ·
We'll my moms horse is hard to catch he always has been we have tried to get him better for the past three years but he just won't so he always has a halter. It's rope and he's never had issue with it. I've tried to not have it on but he just won't come to us no matter what so he has to keep it on 24/7.

My quarter horse is the leader of everyone and when they get out you can catch everyone else but then you only get the horse you catch if you grab him you got everyone so he has a halter on 24/7 unless he's in the arena or we are out there.

I've never had any issues. I'm not saying that is a good thing to keep halters on.
 
#30 ·
I have heard of someone who used a leather shoelace, just tied it around the neck of a hard to catch horse. Then could be used to catch and lead, but would easily break if the horse got in trouble while turned out.
I think this sounds like a wonderful idea for those who feel a halter is needed.
 
#31 ·
The first pic i posted was caused by a rope halter. I would never do it, hard to catch or not. My mare used to be hard to catch. LOTS of groundwork, free lunging and lack of turnout for a bit fixed it. She tried to run away i would chase her butt to heck and back. she was more than willing to stop and let me catch her by the time i was done. She figured it out quick and that was the end of it.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Maybe someone has already suggested this...( I didnt read the whole thread) but my gelding was hard to catch and when he was at my parents we kept a cow collar on him in case he would get out. My parents live on a busy highway, and even with good strong fences you never know what could happen. Being able to catch my horse was a must! I have never had a problem with him injuring himself with the collar and it doesnt rub his nose.

Since then I have spent alot of time and effort to break him of that habit. Now he can safely go naked anywhere, because he comes when I whistle.


Btw.. They do make horse collars that are velcro. I am sure they would pull apart if the horse got in a bind.
This isnt the one I have but it is something like this:
http://www.protectavest.com/collars.html
 
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