Halter Breaking a Foal

[@BasicHorseTraining]

As a responsible horse owner/breeder I believe it is important to give your foal the best chance for a healthy and long life. This means your foal should be able to have their feet trimmed when needed and receive veterinary care should it be necessary. For this to occur it will be much less stressful if the foal is used to being handled and wearing a halter. I don't "over handle" my foals - I don't make them "pets" so to speak but I do teach them to be lead and handled.

[@melaniedelaware7500]

I have a 3 week old surprise foal from a fescue horse that we didn’t know was pregnant. Talk about a surprise! We started holding the halter in front of his face at a week old and he would put his nose in it, this all happened over a gate. He could leave if he wanted to. Then, every day after that we would do the same and gently started putting the top part over his head, not buckling it. After a week of that, buckling it was no problem because he was used to it. We never trapped him or held him to keep him from moving. Now, at 3 weeks, we can walk right up, put a halter on him, and lead him around for short periods. Taking it very slow and steady has helped a lot.

[@giuseppegumina5576]

Fantastic Video. I love Horse ❤

[@michellestrickland7613]

Ava is a beauty. The others are too but Ava really hit's a spot for me.

[@aponinaapu2973]

Omg i did not have clue about those baby halters :) thank you so much i spend night with your videos :)

[@rachelnielson1966]

I learned two things from this video: 1. I must practice doing up a halter with one hand on one of the old horses before I attempt halter-training a foal 🤔😅 2. Foals wag their tails like puppies and it’s adorable 🤣🤣🤣

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I hope your older horses are good for you when you practice 😆

[@rebeccastobaugh9592]

ANY videos on halter breaking and what to do with mother during the time? would love some video content on this. Very much like this material.

[@juliehobbs665]

Very sound method for first haltering! Reducing the amount of stress they feel is vital to forming the necessary trust between handler and charge. I just love your techniques!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Thanks Julie 😊

[@katiebabb4685]

I watched this yesterday as I was looking for tips for one of my foals 7 months old and had his first headcollar on today this method worked really well

[@BasicHorseTraining]

That is fabulous Katie. I’m glad it worked well for him 😊

[@katiebabb4685]

Tried again with a six month old filly today best tip I've ever learned thankyou so much I was really struggling with the foals I currently have 4 all need training at the same time I'm the first one lead me to look for a better way to do things this will now be standard practice for all my foals so thankyou again x

[@cattymajiv]

@@katiebabb4685 4 of them! Wow! It must have been a huge learning experience and sometimes a lot of fun!

[@emme_eq]

My goal is only a few weeks old and I’ve put a halter on him. He also takes naps on my lap he’s actually very comfortable with me. Is that good?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

It is good BUT remember that he will be big one day and weigh a lot more than he does now. I don't let my foals do anything that I wouldn't allow them to do as a grown horse. That way it's not ok to do it one day and then one day get into trouble for it. 🙂

[@the-nomad]

Thanks for the video, I have two wild Konik horses that I am working on (my first ever) and just building up to haltering...wish me luck!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Good luck! 😊

[@lisavandyke8833]

Hi I just found your videos yesterday. I quite enjoy them. I start putting the halters on my babies the same day they're foaled out. Just wondering why you wait so long? Thank you

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I just don’t feel the need to do it any earlier. I do spend time just sitting with them admiring them 🥰

[@thisgirlloveshorses6477]

I want a foal but my mom said that w need to Learn How to train it

[@cattymajiv]

That's a very smart mom! They are constantly learning, and if you don't know what you are doing, they will be learning bad habits. Then you will end up very soon with a very big and strong but badly behaved young horse, which will be nightmare! You should thank your mom for saving you from the grief that would have caused.

[@dariaharruff7025]

why use the term halter breaking isnt that a old saying by using force?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Daria, halter breaking is just words and I personally don't have any negative associations with it and I certainly don't use force. I have seen people say the nicest things about what they do with their horses and then treat them appallingly so I let actions speak louder than words. I still occasionally say breaking a horse in as I did that for a living for many years. I don't have any negative associations with that either but I do try to use the more politically correct term of starting under saddle. In the instance of this video, it was named that to help it get found on KZbin. The search engine that helps you find videos does it by what people write in the search bar and Halter break a foal is an often searched term. I hadn't really thought about it until you have put this comment here and although I won't change the title of the video as I would like it to be found I will try to use the more PC term of halter starting 🙂

[@dariaharruff7025]

@@BasicHorseTraining ok I'm sorry for being rude about it

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I didn’t find your comment rude Daria. Not at all you were asking quite a pertinent question 🙂

[@cattymajiv]

Almost all horse people nowadays really abhor the idea of actually "breaking" a horse, as in breaking their spirit to get them to submit, which is horribly cruel. But almost everyone still uses the word in some cases like this, for reasons that include exactly what Josie said. And sometimes just out of habit, even though they would never be cruel. We are trying to slowly get rid of that word, but a lot of the older men who still have too much control over the industry insist on using it all the time, even though they have learned not to actually "break" horses the old fashioned wsy that is so cruel, and even though they hate that cruelty too.

[@stellviahohenheim]

@@BasicHorseTraining Can you show me how to use force on your foal?

[@leanigous1540]

Hi Josie, I have a 7 week old foal (her name is also Lily). I haven’t done any work with her since it’s my first foal and I have no idea what to do but this was actually very helpful. Unfortunately I don’t have a halter for a foal I only have rope halters for my other horses. I just wanted to find out if there’s a way I can use a “adult” size rope halter for her in a way or is there any other way? Or should I just invest in a foal halter?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Leani, I would just get yourself a pony one. I don't know of any way to make them smaller.