NosebandThe strap over the nose, half of the loop around the muzzle.
CrownpieceThe long strap that goes over the poll, behind the ears.
CheekpieceThe strap along the cheek. It joins the noseband to the crownpiece.
Lead ropeThe rope used to lead the horse or tie it up.
ThroatlatchThe strap that goes under the throat, behind the jaw.
Chin strapThe strap under the jaw. It completes the loop of the noseband.
Tie ringThe ring under the jaw. The lead rope snaps into it.
BuckleIt fastens the crownpiece and lets it be made longer or shorter.
Lead snapThe clip that hooks the lead rope to the tie ring.
Connecting strapA short strap under the jaw, from the noseband to the throatlatch.
Throat snapA clip on the throatlatch. Undo it to take the halter off.
How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30, a name kept only where two of these use it: (1) Equine Management and Production, a vocational agriculture curriculum (Oklahoma, 1980 and 1994 editions, counted once), figure Parts of the Halter, scanned pages read at https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153514_0078 and https://archive.org/details/micro_IA41153547_0417 (crownpiece, buckle, snap, throatlatch, connecting strap, tie ring, cheekpiece, and the noseband as a nosepiece and a chinpiece; the lead rope snapped into the tie ring); (2) Wikipedia, Halter and Lead (tack), text only, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halter and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead_(tack) (the noseband, the ring below the jaw where the lead rope attaches, the cheekpiece, the throatlatch with its snap or clip, the crownpiece and its buckle, the short strap joining noseband and throatlatch, the lead rope and its snap); (3) The United States Pony Club Manual of Horsemanship, a search-result passage read at https://archive.org/details/unitedstatespony0000harr_s4e1 (the crownpiece, the noseband and the chin strap of a halter). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; no photograph or plate followed. Licence: own work
How it works
The parts of a horse halter are straps and rings that fit around the head, so a person on the ground can lead the horse or tie it up. The drawing shows a flat halter with its lead rope.
Read the full guide
Straps first, then the hardware
Numbers 1 to 5 are the big pieces: the noseband, the crownpiece, the cheekpiece, the lead rope and the throatlatch. Numbers 6 to 11 are the smaller ones: the chin strap under the jaw, the tie ring, the buckle on the crownpiece, the snap on the lead rope, the connecting strap and the snap on the throatlatch.
The lead rope snaps into the tie ring, under the chin.
The crownpiece is the only strap that goes over the top of the head.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between a halter and a bridle?
A halter is for leading or tying a horse from the ground. A bridle is for riding or driving: it has a bit and reins, and a halter has neither. Both have a crownpiece, cheekpieces, a noseband and a throatlatch.
What is the ring under a halter for?
It is the tie ring. It hangs under the jaw, where the chin strap and the connecting strap meet, and the lead rope snaps into it.
What are horse halters made of?
Most are flat nylon webbing or flat leather, sewn to buckles and rings. Rope halters are made of round rope and are joined by knots in place of rings.
What is the strap behind a horse's ears called?
The crownpiece. It goes up behind the ears and over the poll, the top of the head, and buckles on the left side of the halter.