Many people get tangled around the design of their silver show halter. What they should really be concerned with is getting the right fit with their halter. First thing you see when looking at a halter on a horse in a halter class is how it fits. Yet the first thing people buying a show halter see is how much silver or what color the leather is. I don’t notice either of those things unless it detracts from the appearance of the horse, though nothing detracts more than an ill fitting halter.
Here are my views on getting the best “performance” out of your show halter.
The halter should fit snug but not tight against the horse’s head. No part of it should be loose or hanging. The throat should fit close to the horse’s throatlatch but not tight. The cheek pieces should be short enough so that noseband sits approximately one finger below the bone on the facial crest. Adjustments to the crown of the halter can help in the placement of the noseband. Mare sized halters have shorter cheek pieces so if you have a gelding with a small head you may want to look at mare sized halters.
All parts of the halter should fit flat against your horse’s head. If the crown has to be tightened so that the excess strap is long or flapping, have a harness maker or professional leather worker shorten the straps.
The noseband should be perpendicular to the plane of your horse’s face. If it angles it can distort the look of your horse’s head.
Color is a concern only in the way that it shouldn’t detract for your horse’s head, but enhance it. I have yet to see a light colored halter enhance a horse’s facial features. Medium oil, dark oil, cherry, or mahogany are all much better choices regardless of the color of your horse.
Silver should be understated, not over the top. Less is more sometimes. If your horse has a nice head, is appropriately feminine or masculine, with a good eye, well formed ears, and your horse has good breed characteristics, then you’d want less silver. If your horse is rather plain, a bit more silver may help as long as it’s not too over the top.
As to the quality, a better quality halter is always the better pick regardless of whether there is silver or not. A low quality halter covered in silver is always a worse choice than a quality plain leather halter. The reason is simple – it’s all in the fit. Quality halters tend to fit better. If you’re on a budget choose that quality plain leather halter. Cheap silver halters (generally those under $50 that you can find on ebay and similar sites) have silver pieces that look more like tin or aluminum that has been stamped. Another excellent option is to buy used. You can get excellent quality used halters for a fraction of the cost of new. There is a big plus with the used halter too – it’s already broken in so that the leather is easier to form to your horse’s head.
