Safe Halter Fit

There is a real need among camelid caretakers to understand the elements involved in safely halter fitting a camelid. This page offers some helpful tips and will help guide you as you begin the haltering process.

A brief note: There is a lot more involved with haltering your animals than just putting a halter on. Techniques used to catch your camelid, the use of a catch pen, awareness of your body positioning in relation to your animal, and your use of force all affects the haltering process. If you have not read Marty McGee Bennett's book, The Camelid Companion, I suggest starting there. (Purchase her book online). In addition, attending a 1-Day or 2-Day Camelidynamics Basic Clinic with a qualified Camelidynamics Practitioner (find one in your area by clicking here or contact Tiffany) is a great way for you to learn about safe,kind,efficient,respectful and effective camelid handling and training in a fun atmosphere.

Safe Halter Fit (below)

The crownpiece is directly behind the ears and snug (tight enough that you can't get your fingers under it) and the check ring fits close to the eye. Both of these components keeps the noseband high on the nosebone when leading and it STAYS THERE NO MATTER WHAT.

Unsafe Halter Fit (below)

The crownpiece is about 2 or 3 inches too low (on the back of the neck) which allows the noseband to come forward when any pressure is put on the halter. This is very unsafe and scary for camelids!

Tips for Safely Fitting Your Alpacas and LLamas:

1. Purchase a Zephyr Halter

2. Always start the haltering process by widening the noseband (as wide as it can get). This is probably the most important part of the haltering process and is often overlooked.

3. Put the halter on and buckle it. Then WAIT about 2 minutes. The heat from the animals body and compression of his fleece will cause the halter to stretch and become too big. Now tighten it another 1-3 holes (yes, this is how much it will stretch) and rebuckle it. It should fit so snug that you cannot get your fingers under the buckled crownpiece, especially for alpacas (see diagram above). This is the second most overlooked part of haltering.

4. After you are satisfied with the fit of the crownpiece and the position of the noseband then you can snug the noseband. Careful not to make it too tight. It should just be touching the jaw.

5. Recheck the halter after about 10-15 minutes.

Why is Halter Fit so important?

To answer that you need to understand more about the bone structure of a llama or alpaca. Below is the picture of a camelid's skull. Notice how the nosebone drops off.

Now consider the fact that camelids are semi-obligate nasal breathers, which means they breathe primarily through their noses and not their mouths, and you can see why halter fit is so important.

If a halter compresses their nose they cannot breathe!

To learn more visit the Camelidynamics website click here or the Camelidynamics Guild click here