Sometimes it can be a pain to try to go catch your horse when they are in a pasture and don’t want to come back in. If this is the case with your horse, have you ever considered using a turnout halter or breakaway halter to make grabbing them a little easier? Trust me, a horse with a halter on is so much easier to catch than a horse who isn’t wearing anything. So consider a breakaway halter to make this task a little easier on yourself!
What Is A Breakaway Halter?
A breakaway halter is a type of halter that is designed specifically for horses that are being trained, turned out, or who set back. The breakaway halter is a halter that is specifically designed to break when the horse’s pulls hard enough on it, hence the name breakaway. This is so the horse is able to escape from its halter if it panics, gets stuck, or acts out. Without a breakaway halter, horses can be seriously injured as they are stuck in their halters. Investing in a breakaway halter is a good idea as horses can escape when they need to or can flee a dangerous situation if the need to arises.
Why Can’t Horses Wear Normal Halters When They’re Turned Out?
When horses are being turned out, they will generally not wear a halter, and if they do, it is a special breakaway halter. But why shouldn’t horses just wear their regular halters when they are in their pastures or even just by themselves?
There are a few different reasons. The main reasons that horses should never wear regular halters when left unattended include:
- They are much more likely to get their halter caught on something
- They can become caught on something, panic, set back, and badly injure themselves even to the point of breaking their own necks
- When itching their face with their hind leg, sometimes the horse’s hind hoof and/or shoe can become caught on the halter which causes the horse to over extend their hind leg and badly injure their muscles
Nylon halters, the most common and most affordable halters for sale, should never be left on a horse when the horse is left unattended for these reasons
Horses should never be left wearing a nylon halter when unattended or turned out for their own safety and wellbeing
Hailey Johnson – Owner of InsiderHorse and Sonoran Performance Horses
What Are The Best Breakaway Halters To Buy?
There are many different brands, colors, designs, and styles to choose from when it comes to purchasing a breakaway halter. The best breakaway halters to buy include:
Halter #3: Tough 1 Leather & Nylon Breakaway Halter
This breakaway halters is one of my favorite breakaway halters up for sale. This is why it made my top 5 favorite breakaway halter list.
Not only does this halter have a great breakaway mechanism for turnout, but it also is made so the leather crown-piece doesn’t look mismatched or out of place when the horse is wearing it (many breakaway halters look mismatched because of the leather crown-piece as it isn’t made to match the rest of the halter).
The best things that this halter has going for it include:
- Color choices of black and red
- Halter made to match leather crown-piece
- Great reviews on Amazon
- Halter fits most horses regardless of breed (sized: Horse)
- Leather crown-piece is made to buckle in two places so if that piece breaks, another can easily be reattached
- Multiple holes in the crown-piece allow for better adjustments and tightening
- Proven to break when the horse gets stuck
- Soft nylon and thinner leather crown-piece
This halter is a great option for your horse when you are looking for a breakaway halter. Not only is it safe to leave on your horse, but the leather crown-piece is replaceable so the halter will last you a long time! This is a product I would definitely recommend!
Halter #2: Perri’s Nylon & Leather Horse Safety Halter
This halter, though the breakaway strap doesn’t quite match the rest of the halter, works really well. There are many great things about this product that make it 100% worth your purchase. These things include:
- This brand sells sizes for every horse whether it is a full sized horse or a mini
- There are so many fun colors and patterns you can get these halters in
- They are proven not only to last a long time, but also to break when necessary
- They are adorable on your horse or pony!
- These halters are handmade in the United States (quality guaranteed) by the Amish people
- Adjustable noseband makes fitting this halter on your horse incredibly easy
Though this halter is known to run a little too large, it is made easy to adjust by the adjustable crown-piece and noseband. Because of the great quality of these halters I definitely would recommend this halter to anyone looking for a trustworthy breakaway halter.
To check out the different sizes for these halters, you can view them here:
Mini-horse sized breakaway halters
Halter #1: Weaver Leather Velcro & Nylon Breakaway Halter
Weaver Leather is a very well known company that makes tack and horse products from reins, to saddle pads, to even cinches and horse boots. Because of their standing in the horse industry, their popularity and ratings prove this business is a trustworthy company.
Weaver leather has created this newer style of breakaway halter that really does well with breaking away. This new style, rather than actually breaking, just has velcro that comes undone which still releases the horse’s head the same way as a leather breakaway halter would. The nice thing about this design however, is that this type of halter is reusable and doesn’t have any parts that actually break.
The way the halter works, is when the horse pulls back on the halter, the velcro comes undone. Then when the horse is ready to wear this halter again, all you need to do is refasten the velcro and it is as good as new! This design is amazing because with this halter, you can keep reusing it and there is no need to keep purchasing new crown-pieces.
The best things about this halter include:
- The fact that it is made by a reputable American brand
- The great reviews and ratings on this product
- It was designed by an equestrian
- The breakaway design requires no purchases of new breakaway parts and the halter can be reused and reused over and over again
I would definitely recommend this halter for any horses that are known to spook, rear, or set back. This halter also works great for use in a trailer or for turning your horse out to prevent any bad accidents and to keep your horse safer.
Pros Of Using A Breakaway Halter
There are so many different pros to using a breakaway halter on your horse. Some of the pros of using these halters on your horse include:
- Your horse has an increased level of safety
- The halter will break or come undone if your horse ever pulls back super hard, panics, or gets the halter caught on something
- If used in a trailer, your horse is less likely to injure himself if he spooks or has bad anxiety when traveling
- You can leave a halter on your horse when you turn them out
- If your horse gets away from you and steps on its lead rope, they won’t become badly injured as the halter will come off rather than wrench down on the horse’s neck