Halter breaking is a term I have heard over the years that really doesn’t have much meaning. It sounds like something bad is going to happen by putting on this piece of hardware.

Putting a rope halter on a horse is pretty uneventful if you have worked out the ground manner issues with your horse. By this we mean — does your horse respect your space? If not, then you need to work this out first. But, assuming that you can stand next to your horse without getting bit, having them swing their head into you, or stepping on you then you can approach putting the halter on.

Start by having everything ready. Hold the nose piece of the halter in one hand and the long tie strings in the other. Show the halter to the horse. Work the nose piece onto the nose of the horse. Bring the tie strings over the head and behind the ears. Make sure the tie strings are straight,with no twists in the strings. Take up the slack and center the knots on the nose and throat latch.  And finally, it’s important not to move fast with your hands.

Tie the latch knot:  Bring the tie strings through the back of the loop. Hold your fingers below the loop, bring the strings around the back of the loop, through and under the strings. This is the best way to tie the latch knot. It won’t come loose and it will come apart easily when you go to take the halter off.

You can start a good bridling experience with good haltering practices. Don’t move real fast. Ask the horse to bend at the poll and lower their head. You don’t want to be putting a bridle on a head high horse, so why would you do it with the halter? Reward your horse.

You should be able to halter your horse on your knees. This is an easy goal to work for. Ask the horse to bend at the poll, reward this behavior. Over time you will get him to lower his head and be able to keep it there for you to halter.

Turnout rugs and blankets are built to be a little more durable than blankets… as their name implies, they are for turnout and thus generally accommodate better maneuverability.

When temperatures dip below zero it will very likely be necessary for your horse to wear a stable blanket and a turnout rug while put outside, but each individual horse will be a separate case. If you clipped your horse then blankets are all that will separate your horse from the cold elements and their skin, so offer the horse maximum protection. If you allowed your horse to develop a healthy winter coat then you won’t need to rely on blankets quite so much.

So how do you know if your horse is too cold or too warm? The signs are very similar to how we would react to extreme temperatures!

If your horse is too cold he may:

Stand in a stiff or tense manner as well as tuck its tail firmly against its body
Shiver (what a surprise!)
Develop the equine equivalent of goose-bumps: hair that stands on end
Not have enough detectible body warmth as you run your hands across his face, ears, etc.

If your horse exhibits any of those signs strongly consider allowing him inside a stable and/or blanketing him better depending on his current situation.

If your horse is too warm he may:

Sweat! This is the number one indicator that your horse is a bit too well blanketed. Run your hand underneath the blanket and feel his skin/hair around the neck area as well as the rear shoulder area. If it is wet or sticky, he’s too warm.

It is important to check your horse’s comfort levels a few times a day during the very cold days to ensure he is neither too warm nor too cold. Depending on your horse’s natural resistance and/or preference to cold and winter coat, it can vary widely from one horse to another. While one horse may desperately need a winter horse blanket, another may be just fine on his own.

pneumonia or other respiratory infections. If a horse must be blanketed in the colder temperatures of morning, make sure that you or another responsible hand is there to take the blanket off when temperatures rise later in the day.

Therefore, it is important to choose a blanket that is appropriate to how much extra protection from the weather that the horse genuinely needs. Modern blankets are much warmer and resistant to weather than traditional wool blankets, using inner and outer shells with an insulating fiber between. Outer shells are usually made of synthetics which are water repellent and windproof, while the inner lining is smoother than wool so it won’t chafe against the horse’s skin. The filling between them provides warmth with much less bulk than older blankets. This means the overall blanket is light enough not to flatten the horse’s coat, and is more durable than their wool or cotton predecessors.

The outer shells, made of nylon fiber, will not snag or tear and are treated to be waterproof, which also makes them resistant to rot and mildew. This waterproofing also helps to hold heat in, but in the most extreme cold, the coating might crack. Foam particles or fiberfill usually make up the filler due to their insulating properties, without weight.

Making sure that the blanket fits the horse properly is important, regardless of the blanket type. One that is too tight will irritate the skin and put the horse at risk of developing abrasions and sores, while a blanket that is too large can slip down under the horse’s belly. Not only will that result in the loss of almost all the blanket’s insulating ability, if the horse gets its legs tangled in the blanket’s straps, it can be seriously injured. Putting the blanket on properly also helps to ensure a good fit. Put it on well forward, then slide it gently back into position to keep it from pulling the coat the wrong way.

Each horse should have its own blanket. Sharing blankets can facilitate the spread of skin problems such as girth itch, ringworm, and other fungal infections. Even if no horses in the stable have known skin problems, fungal spores can cling to the blankets and be spread to other horses. The blankets should be washed if they are used often during the winter, at least twice, using cold water and a disinfectant soap. Rinse the blankets well to make sure that no soap residue remains to irritate the horse’s skin.

Cold water washing is preferable to dry cleaning. Dry cleaning will not remove odors, and the heat and chemical solvents can dissolve the waterproofing and shrink the bindings.

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