I am often asked how to measure a horse to determine which size halter to buy- so I’ve finally worked up a method for those who ask. Please reference ‘Rusty’, above- The two ‘important’ measurements are made with the blue string and the orange string. Try to measure your horse around the muzzle, an inch or so underneath the cheekbones. Keep the tape snug and straight, and add an inch or two (however snug you want your muzzle to be). Second measurement (orange) is the cheek length. Start this an inch or so below the cheekbone (or even at the cheekbone is fine) and then up to the end of the jaw, where the halter would tie closed. If you need a custom fit, just send those two measurements (muzzle and cheek) with your order, and I can ‘adjust’ as necessary. Please note that the below measurements are the actual distance of the halter- starting at the fiador, measuring around the entire length of the muzzle. I am not adding in inches- please keep that in mind when ordering. If in doubt, send a note!
- Yearling Mini: 14″ muzzle, 4″ cheek
- Class A Mini / Foal: 17″ muzzle, 5″ cheek
- Weanling: 19″ muzzle, 6″ cheek
- Yearling: 21″ muzzle, 7″ cheek
- Small Horse: 23.5″ muzzle, 9″ cheek
- Average : 25″ muzzle, 10″ cheek
- Large Horse : 27″ muzzle, 11″ cheek
- Draft : 30″ muzzle, 12″ cheek
For illustration, here are our 3 horses in an ‘average’ sized halter. Sorrel mare, ‘Mama’ has a 22 inch muzzle and a 10 inch cheek- from the corner of her mouth, over to the other corner is 43 inches- she’s got a tiny short head. Grey horse, Erkyll, has a 23 inch muzzle, a 10.5″ cheek, and is 44 inches from corner to corner. Buckskin ‘Joe’ has a 24 inch muzzle and an 11′ cheek, and is 46 inches from corner of mouth.
These three pictures show the same horses in our ‘small’ size halter.
And lastly, shown here in our Large horse sized halter. Please keep in mind that the way you adjust your halter matters in sizing- I want my halters tied snugly, so that the gullet knot is right up in the horses throat- if you look above, at Joe in the small horse size- it’s quite snug, with the knots up high by his cheekbones- however, if I were to adjust it more loosely, he could be quite comfortable in this halter. Hope this helps with your halter fitting questions!