When should a foal begin halter breaking?

Answer 1

The day it's born. Seriously, halter breaking is a lot easier when your foal is already used to humans. As soon as it's born, rub it all over, touch it everywhere and talk to it. This will "imprint" the foal and make handling it much easier. Every day, go play with the foal, put the halter on and off, touch it all over, get it used to the lead rope, etc. Then just try light tugging on the halter, as soon as it moves even one step forwards, release the pressure to reward the foal. Then ask for 2 steps, 3, etc and soon you will have a nicely halter-broke filly or colt :)

Answer 2

Foals brought up around people usually get used to people being around them, and it is easier for them to trust humans for when they are broken to halter. However foals that have hardly any human contact from birth can cause quite a stir if you try to break them in to halter suddenly. This can also have problems in later life for them because that is their first experience in human contact.

If you have a foal that your planning to break in to halter, try to spend as much time as possible with the youngster before you break it in. I breed Shetland ponies, so they are very small and easy to handle, however horse foals are much bigger and much stronger than they look so be prepared!!

I usually break in my foals to halter when they are 3-4months old. Before this i spend as much time as possible with the foal, and i let them smell the leadrope and halter to get them used to the sights of it.

When you do get the halter on the foal be prepared, but remember to not back down. They will be stubborn, push or pull you and probally drag you where THEY want to go, but remind them that YOU are the boss, not them. The first couple of sessions you have with them on halter may make you feel like your the bad person pulling them around, but trust me this will pay off.

Right now i have got a 27" shetland foal who i broke in when she was 4 months. I did feel really bad dragging her around and it was quite upsetting, but now shes perfect on the halter and follows me everywhere without the halter!!

Please write back saying how you got on (if you have a foal!) and i hope this information was very helpful to you (: saty231 (:

Answer 3

I would suggest beginning that training at around the age of six months. But note that a foal should definitely be halter-broke by the time they are one year old.

Answer 4

You can start as soon as you want - getting a horse used to wearing a halter is not something that they need to grow into.