With proper care, your horse's leather halter will last a long time and provide a comfortable fit on your horse. Regularly wipe any dirt, sweat, dust and debris from your halter using either traditional glycerin soap and water or a specially formulated leather cleanser. Pay particular attention to cleaning areas that come in contact with your horse's skin or the halter's hardware.

The most traditional and economical method of cleaning involves glycerin soap, a small bucket and a sponge or cloth. Barely moisten the sponge with warm water. Unfasten buckles so that you can clean the creases in the leather.

After washing, and when the leather feels smooth, rub a nearly dry sponge or rag against the glycerin soap bar. Apply a thin layer of glycerin soap (no suds during this step) to your leather to seal its pores and make it soft, but not sticky.

Newer methods of cleaning your halter involve convenient and easy-to-use tack cleaning and conditioning products. One-step leather cleaners also condition your leather as you wipe away grime. Two-step cleaners usually advise following cleansing with a conditioner that will soften and protect the leather.

If your horse's halter has a name plate, shine it up with a soft rag and a metal polish, making sure not to get the polish onto the leather.

How to Choose Between Types of Halters
Here's some facts to help you decide which type of halter best meets your needs.

Leather

• Classically attractive in a range of leathers from economical to premium.
• Preferred by many for ability to break and free a horse before serious injury occurs if the halter catches on an object.
• Parts of leather halters, once broken, can be replaced or repaired.
• Can have padding and contours for horse comfort; fancy stitching or other embellishments for added style.
• Can punch holes if needed for the perfect fit.
• Can be fitted with a monogrammed halter plate for a custom look.
• Easily cleaned with tack cleaner; last for years with proper conditioning.

Breakaway

• Preferred for turnout by many for the ability of the halter to break and free a horse.
• Colorful nylon or cotton-blend webbing is paired with a leather crownpiece, tab or fuse designed to break if the halter becomes entangled with an object.
• Replacement parts are inexpensive and easy to find, so the halter can be put back into service quickly.
• Can have an engraved halter tag attached for identification.
• Web parts can be cleaned with soapy water and gentle scrubbing with a soft brush.

Nylon

• Colorful nylon webbing is durable.
• Not considered ideal for turnout because if a horse were to become entangled, the webbing does not break, which places an entangled horse in danger of severe injury.
• Can be cleaned by soaking in soapy water and scrubbing with a soft brush.

Rope

• Durable rolled poly or cotton-blend rope construction.
• Intended for ground work and horse handling only; not suitable for use in shipping, cross-tying or turnout.
• Require correct tying to secure on horse.

Shipping

• Designed for transport.
• May be made of either leather or nylon with a breakaway tab and is encased with soft sheepskin fleece to protect the delicate skin of a horse's face.
• Sheepskin helps wick away moisture to reduce sweating/discomfort under straps.

Grooming

• May be made of leather or nylon.
• Intended for use with supervision during grooming only; can easily slip off or become caught on an object.
• Intentionally lacks throatlatch and jaw piece to allow for easy cleaning of the jowl areas.

To fit your horse's halter properly:

1) Adjust the crownpiece, which will impact the placement of the noseband, the looseness of the throatlatch, and the angle of the cheek pieces against your horse's face. The crownpiece should fit over the horse's poll, close to the back of the horse's ears, but not press into them. Some halters have buckles on both sides of the crownpiece, and some have only one buckle on the left side. In the case of two buckles, try to use symmetrical holes for the crownpiece setting.

2) Check the noseband portion of the halter. It should sit about halfway between the horse's eyes and nostrils, lying under the horse's cheekbones so that the hardware joining the nose piece, chin strap and cheek piece does not press into the horse's cheek bone.

The noseband must be adjusted snugly enough that the horse cannot get a foot or another object caught in it, but loosely enough that he can open his mouth, chew and breathe freely. Use two to three fingers' width between the noseband and your horse's face as a guideline. Some nosebands do not have buckles for adjustment. If this is the case of your halter, take extra care to be sure that you can obtain the optimum position of the noseband by raising or lowering the crownpiece with buckle, and that the noseband isn't too loose or too tight.

If the cheek pieces are too long or the crownpiece is adjusted too loosely, the noseband will sit too low on the horse's muzzle. In this case, it may impair the horse's breathing or in extreme cases, slip over the horse's nose.

3) Check the throatlatch, which should rest under the head where the neck meets the jowls. You should be able to fit three to four fingers into the throatlatch area to be sure that he can breathe and swallow, but this spacing will not enable your horse to get a foot caught in that strap if he lowers his head.

4) Check the cheek pieces. Ideally, they should sit parallel to the cheek bones. If the throatlatch is too short or too long, or the crownpiece is not adjusted correctly, then the cheek pieces will not be able to run parallel to the cheek bones.

Properly fitted halter-the horse can open his mouth and chew, and the straps are positioned in comfortable locations. The halter is not so loose that when being handled, buckles or rings could slip into the horse's eyes.

Poorly fitted halter-the horse could get a foot or other object caught in the loose straps. The halter will slip if the horse acts up while being handled with this halter.

Tip: Because leather can stretch slightly with time and conditioning, check the fit of your leather halter periodically to be sure it hasn't become too loose.

How to Measure Your Horse for Halter

Horse halters come in a range of sizes: foal, miniature horse, small pony, large pony, cob, horse, oversize and draft. Halters are moderately adjustable within each size, and higher end halters allow the noseband, throatlatch and crownpiece to be adjusted independently.

You should measure your horse’s head before you go halter shopping so you can purchase the best-fitting halter available.

Noseband: Place one end of the tape measure at the midway point between your horse’s cheekbone and his nostrils. Stretch the tape measure across the nose to the corresponding point on the other side of your horse’s head. Record the measurement for your horse’s noseband area.

Chin portion of noseband: Starting at the same point between the cheek and the nostril, stretch the tape measure underneath the horse’s head to get the measurement for the bottom portion of the noseband. Record the measurement.

Crown: Place the end of your tape measure directly below your horse's cheek bone on the side of his face. Stretch the tape measure around the horse’s head to the corresponding location on the other side of his face. Record the measurement for the crownpiece of your halter.

Throatlatch: Place the end of your measuring tape several inches behind the horse’s eye near the top of his throat area. Measure underneath the throat to the corresponding area on the other side of the face. Record the measurement for the throatlatch area.

Note: Sizing varies between manufacturers, and not all manufacturers offer halters in all sizes.