Because Halter competitions are very different from many other disciplines, many people misunderstand and confuse how these horses are trained, used, and shown. Hopefully, this article will help clarify some of the misconceptions.
Halter horses are the supermodels of the equine world. They are basically the prettiest, showiest, and biggest horses around. A halter horse is conformationally sound above all else, and they must have correct sex characteristics and adhere to their breed standard as well. However, they must also be big and correctly muscled.
In years past, horses who were conformationally correct did well enough, but with the amount of specialization that has occured in the halter world, breeding has been key. Horses with more muscle mass are now the dominating force. Horses are now bred to be halter horses, they don't just emerge.
Stock type horses are the best halter horses. All breeds can throw beautiful, correct horses; however, muscle comes with the stock breeds. These are breeds such as Paints, Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, Quarter Ponies, and POAs; and these are the breeds that win the placings at all-breed horse shows. Though the aforementioned are the most common halter competitors, this does not mean that every paint is (or can be) a halter horse. Only certain horses have the breeding and 'look' to be good halter horses.
Well, it starts in the breeding shed. Horses are bred selectively to become top horses in the halter ring, just like with any other discipline. Once they are born and are old enough to be haltered, they are made used to all the usual show stimuli. Most good trainers let the foals just grow normally and don't do much "muscling up" this first year, as it can put a lot of stress on the baby's bones. As a horse grows, a feeding plan is adhered to - generally 4-6 feedings per day to build healthy muscle. Most horses aren't ridden to build muscle, but ponied. Once a horse is "fit" for halter, they are probably asessed for a custom halter to compliment their facial shape. They may also be body clipped and blanketed in the winter to keep a smooth hair coat. They may be also fitted for a fake tail and will certainly have their mane banded.
Riding a horse can take away from ponying and fitting and burn too many calories depending on what the horse is asked to do. Many halter horses are broken to ride, but aren't usually ridden during big-time show seasons so that they can focus on halter competition. Also, because halter horses tend to be big in muscle and size, they tend to not be competitively strong in other disciplines. A world-class halter horse usually doesn't have jumping ability or hunter gaits, and their movement is probably not suitable for dressage or driving either.
Horses that win open level classes may show in many disciplines, and these horses may include all types of breeds -- from stock horses to backyard grades. However, at regional-level shows, national shows, and world shows, only very specialized horses win. Some all-arounders may do well, but it is the rare horse that can do it all. True western pleasure and hunter horses are almost never going to win in halter, but some western performance horses and all-arounders have had some limited success in it.
Patience is key. Many times, shows are very stop and go. Horses must wait outside the arena gates for their turn to enter. Then, they will set up and wait for the judge's nod to commence. When the judge nods, the horse will walk to the judge and then trot away to line up. The horse will then need to set up again and wait for inspection. This can all take a long time.
There will always be ugly parts in dishonest people in each industry, but most trainers have one motto - feeding right and working the horse have no substitute. Magic muscle potions, injections, and over-working a horse are not going to make a winner, hard work is.
Impressive helped specialize the halter industry. He was the first sire to really scream "halter horse" and his babies won everything for many years. However, it was at a cost. He carried the gene for HYPP, or Hyperkalemic Periodic Paralysis. This is a disease that breaks down a horses muscle tissue and causes attacks of paralysis. Horses that test N/N (Negative/Normal) are without the gene and have no way of passing on offspring. Horses who test N/H (Heterozygous) will pass on the gene to their offspring half of the time, and they may exhibit mild symptoms. Horses that are H/H (Homozygous) are severly affected by the disease and will produce 100% HYPP Positive offspring. HYPP can be somewhat managed with diet and medication modifications, but this is a horrific and painful disease that is often fatal. Some associations require testing for the diease and will not admit H/H or N/H horses.
Ask yourself these questions:
If the answer to these is yes, than you just might have a halter horse!
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