Self haltering

┅┅┅┅┅┅┅༻❁༺┅┅┅┅┅┅┅

°•.•╔✿════๏⊙๏════✿╗•.•°

Self haltering is a usefull, easy to teach behavior that i think everyone should know about. It make life much easier, even if you don't normally have a problem putting on the halter.

.•°•╚✿════๏⊙๏════✿╝•°•.

╔══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╗

╚══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╝

°•.•╔✿════๏⊙๏════✿╗•.•°

What is self haltering and why should you teach it?

Self haltering is where your horse voluntarily puts it's muzzle into the nose part of the halter and keep it's head in a nice position for you to put the rest of the halter in place.

It's a good thing to teach, as it allow your horse a choice when getting the halter put on, it create positive associations with the halter and a horse who dislike getting a halter on can learn to enjoy it and willingly put it on. It can also easily transfer to self bridling.

.•°•╚✿════๏⊙๏════✿╝•°•.

╔══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╗

╚══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╝

°•.•╔✿════๏⊙๏════✿╗•.•°

How I teach self haltering

When I teach this, i prefer a nylon halter, but i've also done it with a rope halter. I start with a horse knowing clicker training and food manners. I click any attempt at touching the halter or interacting with it at first, which is usually touching my hand holding the halter. When they get this, i start clicking them for touching the halter instead of my hand, praising ekstra much if they touch low on it. Next step is clicking when they move their head down and touch the nose part of the halter. Once they do this, i readjust to make it easy for their muzzle to come through. Sometimes they start putting it through themselves, but no matter if they do or don't, my next step is feeding in a way where they have their nose through it. How much through depend on what the horse feels comfortable with. I find 3-5 repetitions at this step is enough for them to get the idea, when the steps before was done well. Now the horse will often put it's muzzle through the halter, more or less. I tend to end the first session here.

Next step would me working on getting the rest on. For an easy to catch horse who's comfortable with the halter, i skip this step as it's not really necesary. For a horse not comfortable with the halter, what i do depend on halter type. As I have only done this with a rope halter, i'll describe that.

When the horse put it's muzzle through, it'll push into the halter a bit in my experience, which means lowering its head. When this point come, i let the neck piece in my hand touch the horse, starting at the neck and working towards behind the ears, gently laying it over. Once it can be put over, your horse now self halter nicely as you can just make the knot and the halter is on. When I taught Sofie (WIP, but still) we got to the point where I could lay it over her head in one session. She started having no idea she had to do something with the halter and ended as you see in the video - I did push it a bit much though, so i had to go a step back in training after this as I tried pushing what she could handle and she got stressed.

.•°•╚✿════๏⊙๏════✿╝•°•.

╔══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╗

Don't mind the proportions being off, it was the only way to film it

╚══════ ❀•°❀°•❀ ══════╝

°•.•╔✿════๏⊙๏════✿╗•.•°

A short post, but this is my take on self haltering and how I teach it. It's a super simple behavior, so there's not much to say about it.

.•°•╚✿════๏⊙๏════✿╝•°•.

┅┅┅┅┅┅┅༻❁༺┅┅┅┅┅┅┅