Training Tip of the Week: Is your haltering technique making your horse head shy?

When you go to put the halter on the horse, stand on his left side and reach your right arm over his neck to grasp the halter’s crownpiece. Hold the side of the halter with your left hand, and then tip the horse’s head and neck slightly in your direction so that you can “scoop” his nose into the halter. If you stand in front of the horse and use both hands to slide the halter over his nose, it’s likely that he’ll throw his head in the air and you’ll be left chasing his nose. That’s a good way to make a horse head shy. You want to slip the halter on in one smooth motion. By standing on the left side of his body and keeping your right hand over his neck, you can easily keep the horse next to you by turning his head and neck if he tries to run away.