A halter is such a basic piece of tack that several states
mandate that all horses should be sold with a halter on. There is a very good
reason for this rule. Bridle, blanket and saddle could wait because these items
are not essential in keeping the horse under control. However, the halter is
another matter altogether. It is the only piece of tack that allows complete
control on the movement of the horse.
In this age of mass production, halters are no exception to
the rule of mass production using standard raw material. In order to save on
costs of production, many manufacturers use standard measurements that are
based on average of several measurements. Thus, mass produced halters have two
significant issues that become apparent after the halter has been in use for
sometime.
The problem with mass produced halters is that they
generally do not fit well and quickly become useless because of substandard
material. The answer to these two problems is custom halters.
A custom
halter is built on the specifications provided by the custom. In many
cases, the manufacturers make an intermediate design of the halter that is
“finished” as per the specifications of the customer. This reduces the cost of
the custom halters and brings these excellent tack items within the range of
many horse owners and stables.
The material of the halters is also an important factor when
a stable manager or horse owner considers opting for a custom-built halter. In
many cases, custom halters are built using finer raw materials. The debate of
leather vs. nylons aside, the quality of the material used in these halters is
far superior to that of mass produced halters. The results are very much apparent
in the long service life of these halters, even after exposure to sunlight,
moisture and other elements.
