07/22/2020
Leather halters have been my all-time favorite type of halter ever since I can remember, and I'm excited to be illustrating the proper fitting for this very safe professional's choice. Many people take a liking to leather halters because of the fact that they resemble the fancy halters that most of the Kentucky Thoroughbreds wear, but there is so much more to love about these halters aside from their neat, glossy, clean-cut appearance that can make any horse resemble something sporty when correctly done. The guidelines are still very similar to any other type of halter (my previous illustrations regarding the rope halter, for example), so explaining the proper fit of any leather halter will be fairly simple and easy.
Beginning with the crown piece after you have slipped the halter onto your horse, make sure the remaining end is secured correctly through both the buckle and the keeper. The throat latch area should fit snugly behind the jowl (or as close to it as possible). Remember, a throat latch loop that suffocates your horse or manages to sit away from the jowls, or dangerously dangle below them, means that your chosen halter is definitely the wrong size for your horse. The nose band, chin piece, and connecting strap of the halter should all fit snugly and sculpt itself well so that it seems as though it is just another layer of your horse's skin; but it should also never be an uncomfortable experience for your horse. The collection of pictures which all display the proper fitting of a leather halter, placed to the right side of the illustration, will depict exactly what I mean by this.
Now, many leather halters are manufactured with that annoying little throat latch clip (or snap) that can be located on either side of different leather halters. As seen in the illustration to the left, NEVER use the halter unless the clip has been safely turned towards the outside so that it is facing in the opposite direction of the horse. A clip that is turned towards the inside can pose as a danger to your horse because this piece can and has been known to catch itself painfully onto the horse's lower eyelid. Be wary of this particular piece when using any type of halter, especially your leather ones. These halters are very decent choices to use when considering the safety factors involved because the thin material will usually break before the horse gains any type of chance to seriously injure themselves.
I also recommend thin leather halters for horse owners who demand that their horses wear halters at all times when unsupervised. Leather halters have become a prominent favorite of many equestrians, including myself, because of their safety, cleanliness, simplicity, and generally stunning features.
As a side note, the chances of the throat latch snap catching itself on some type of foreign object (while being turned towards the outside to prevent eye injuries) aren't too likely, but I would recommend that all owners closely observe their horses, never leave them unsupervised, and certainly do not choose halters with any type of snap like this for unsupervised pasture use.
