When you’re looking to purchase a new halter for your horse, you’ll find a large selection in a variety of makes, models, materials, and colors. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Saddles, bridles, and blankets can wait, but when you buy a horse there’s one piece of equipment that’s absolutely essential: a halter. It’s so necessary that laws in some states require that a horse come with a halter when sold.

Halters strap to a horse’s head and are used for leading and tying the animal (as opposed to a bridle which has a bit and is used for riding). Think of a halter as a collar for horses. In fact, in some areas halters are referred to as “head collars.”

When you’re looking to purchase a new halter for your horse, you’ll find a large selection in a variety of makes, models, materials, and colors. Following are a few of the different halter options you’ll have to choose from at your local tack store or in horse-wear catalogs