Is it okay to leave a halter on a horse?

by Elaine Polny
(Ontario, Canada)

Answer:

Have you ever seen a horse scratch behind his ear or jaw with a back hoof? It's a calculated meticulous process and there have been documented disasters when foals and mature horses have caught their back hoof in the halter that resulted in death!

There have also been several situations where horses have gotten their halters caught in feeders or having a scratch on a fence and we know that if the danger exists, your horse will find it. :0) The injuries sustained in these situations were all very severe.

So the best measure is to be proactive and personally I only need to hear of a death this way to never allow the event to take place in the first place. So we never leave halters on our horses.

And for those who feel that "break away" or "leather" halters are designed for leaving on an unattended animal because they will break easier, I question, how much force is needed to have it break? Surely, there would be a serious injury as a result just the same.

So please do not leave halters on any horse.

Elaine Polny
Training Horses Naturally