tip for halter breaking please

[Linsay2231]

Well, my filly is 11 days old now and I got my mini halter in the mail today. She has not been big on being petted on and loved for the last few days...I am wondering of some people could please share their method of halterbreaking with me...do I remove momma or tie her up, do I force the halter or wait until the filly lets me put it on her...step by step details PLEASE! This filly is an unexpected baby from a rescue mini and although I know a lot about training full grown horses, this is my first baby and I dont want to start her wrong. Thank you!

 

[Jill]

For the foals we raise, I don't even think of halter breaking them at that age... I don't know that it's not good to, it's just not something I have done or would do going forward. I'd wait until maybe 2mos at the earliest. However, others may have different points of view.

When the time comes, it's a pretty easy job. About 20 minutes with the halter and a butt rope, to be followed probably by a little bit of a back ache from bending over

Best of luck

 

[lildrummer]

Jill is much much more experienced than I, but I agree w/her. At that age for the one I had that turned out to be a love bug(He died 2 years ago)I often just set in stall w/he and his mom. Just set, and he would come to me and we had a great bond and trust level. Sometimes I would sit maybe 30 min. before he came up, eventually time would get shorter.

Lildrummer

 

[Eagle]

I do play with my foals but when they are ready, i take a chair and sit in the field for about 20 minutes twice a day and wait for them to come and it doesn't take long. It depends on their characters and some are more friendly than others. Last year my 2 colts were totally different types, Pinto let my put a headcollar on at a month and didn't flinch and Chip was like some wild animal about to be skinned. Lol i put a head collar on them each day from 2 months on for about 10 minutes whilst playing with them and they soon realised that headcollar = love and attention. Good luck

 

[Riverrose28]

with a filly this young I would first work on trust. Put Mom and baby in a stall, tie Mom up with a hay bag, put a chair in the stall and sit in it, wait for baby to come to you, then when she accepts you, see if you can scratch her on the neck or under the chin. Try this for several days, then try to put the halter on, just let her wear it for about 15 minutes then take it off, repeat for several days, then get a helper and lead baby behind mom but stop if baby becomes upset or acts like a fish on a line. Never pull you could hurt her neck at this young age. If need be push on her rear to encourage her to use her rear end, never pull her always use lots of praise and scratches, Don't push her past her limits, she is really young, maybe you can spend a lot of time on just building a relationship before starting the halter training. Go slow patience is the key when working with the babies, and limit your time.

 

[MindyLee]

I myself will teach a foal to accept wearing a halter after its a week old (in the foal proof stall only). I give them a few days to get use to the fact that they can and will be wearing this the rest of their life. After that I take it off and only let them wear it a couple times a week. I do not however train them to lead untill their a month or 2 old. By then their use to the halter and confertable with it and also are use to being handled and caught to be haltered. By time 2 months have came, they are totally use to the halter and now being trainned to being tied. After that, then we go from being tied to being lead. By time they reach 3 months of age, I can usally have a foal come to me and stand to be haltered then lead to around and tied to a fence to have its hoofs trimmed or a bath/clipped with ease.

 

[AnnaC]

We are very naughty here - we never halter any of or foals until after weaning, often not until they are into being yearlings!

We do sit on the straw in the stable from when they are a couple of days old and do 'scratches' when they come up to us (never tie our mares up as too frightned the foal might run round the front of Momma and throttle itself on the rope). We also have fun and scratches with the foals daily when they are outside in the fields throughout the summer months. Within no time at all the foals are rushing up to us for fuss and love. We do all worming and foot trimming out in the fields without 'holding' the foal with no problem, they think it is just another game!

By the time we are ready to do halter/lead training (anywhere between 6 and 9 months, all the babies take the halter straight away, happily thinking it is just another game. Leading is usually easy as they are all used to following us wherever we go - a little tap on the bottom if necessary as they are already used to bottom 'pushing' to get them to move out of the way. Two or three days and they are doing lead walks with us round the farm. We never tie them up at this stage in case something startles them - clattering farm machinery going past outside their barn - but we do thread their ropes through a ring/round a bar and have someone out of sight holding the end, so there can be light pressure should they try to move, but for safety the pressure can be released if needed.

Earlier this year we moved our 7 'unhaltered' fillies from this farm over to my daughter's place for her to do their 'training. Backed our big lorry up to the yard, long low ramp but big 'hop up' to get inside, loads of bedding inside. Called the fillies over and sat on the ramp while they sniffed and explored. Got up and walked up in calling 'come on girls', one walked after me followed by all 7 - just another game - closed the doors leaving them to nibble the hay placed around on the floor inside, and off they went, very slowly to their new home. On arrival drove lorry into the field beside their new barn home, lowered the ramp, opened the doors (two of them were lying down asleep!) Left them to unload themselves and went indoors for a cuppa. Came out 20 minutes later to find them all racing around the field and up and down the ramp in and out of the lorry. Another lesson learned, 'easy loaders' from now on and still not halter broke! LOL!!

Anna

 

[LittleRibbie]

Anna, I love your thinking/training methods. Especially the trailer story. Most likely I will halter train them before 6 mos but making everything a game seems so much less stressful.

Great thread for all of us newbies, thanks

 

[AnnaC]

LOL! Heidi. We are pretty strange here I know!! Our colts are treated a little differently though as they may be going showing or to be sold. They follow exactly the same 'routine' as the fillies, but we do start them as soon as they are weaned rather than leave them until we have 'time'. They also have bathing and clipping (if going showing) included in their 'games', but it is still quite possible to bathe and clip them with them just standing quietly, no need to tie up unless for safety.

The manin thing is that everything is fun, done gently, with understanding and with respect for each others space and needs.

Anna