Homemade Halters or Harnesses

Making your own halters and tack can be a rewarding experience. Homemade horse halters and harnesses are an inexpensive, long-standing American tradition, according to "America's Horse Daily" magazine.

  1. Function

    • Homemade bridles can be made for costume classes at horse shows.

      Horse halters and harnesses (also called tack) each have specific uses. Homemade halters are worn on the horse's head, and are used to control the horse by a person on the ground (rather than on its back). Other homemade tack items can include bridles, lead lines, saddle pads and other types of harnesses like hobbles.

    Materials

    • Hardware such as chains and buckles may be required for some items.

      Common materials for making tack include leather, nylon rope and cotton rope. Hand tied halters don't require hardware such as buckles or screws, but other types of homemade tack such as lead lines, will require additional hardware.

    Warning

    • Get advice from a trainer or other professional before attempting to use homemade harnesses on your horse. Incorrectly designed tack can hurt your horse. You run the risk of making your horse more difficult to train or causing severe long-term physical damage to the horse or yourself if poorly designed harnesses break.