I am trying to decide what brand of fancy leather halter I should invest in. I was looking at the Ovation Padded Leather Halter and really love the look of it, but I also love the Devoucoux, CWD, and Antares halters, but they are so expensive. Do you all have any suggestions of Leather Halters that won’t break the bank but are high quality with anatomical and fancy stitch features? Thank you so much 
Quillin’s is the go-to place for halters, IMO:
But I will confess that I am very traditional, I like an English chin and I want a halter that will last, plus fit well. I think Quillin makes that halter.
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I second Tack Shack of Ocala - very reasonably priced and they can do almost anything you want (custom colors, sizes, etc). I love the halter I got from there so very much!
Central Kentucky Tack and Leather is another great halter source, they are one of my favorite vendors at the Kentucky Three Day Event. https://www.centralkentuckytackandleather.com/
I recently purchased halters from the Tack Shack and they are gorgeous. Wish I had made teh switch from Walsh to Tack Shack years ago. The brass on the halter-plate and engraving is superior to that of Dover or Smarpak, just real quality all around.
I 2nd this! Great quality at an affordable price point.
I love the halter I have from Tack Shack of Ocala. It is really nice quality and they have lots of options.
Quillin. They are broken in to be as soft as butter. What a difference!
Thank you all so much! I’ve heard great things about Quillin I am going to check out all of the options.
I get mine at Pinkston’s turf goods in Kentucky but they are more plain. Love the quality and price though.
I agree to everything mvp says! I have 7 or 8 Quillin halters and am just getting ready to order another. Also love their name plates!
Another Qullin fan here. Every year I go to the KY 3 Day Event (formally known as Rolex) to visit my brother–who lives in Paris, KY–and to buy a halter, a dog collar, or whatever I need from Quillin’s. Their halters last like none other, and I love that I can get whatever size nose, headstall, etc. Plus, they are the nicest people on Earth, and you can actually WATCH them make it if you have the time and are in town.
Another vote for Tack Shack of Ocala. I have both quillin and tack shack halters and both are great but the tack shack ones are nicer imo. They have a glossier/polished finish to the leather and stay looking high end longer. The quillin halters have a flatter oiled look and feel to them. I priced out halters a month or so ago and tack shack was a bit cheaper.
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With Tack Shack halters, look carefully into the dimensions of the pieces and the hardware. I saw one with too-long-cheek pieces that made the fit really bad, and it had one of the square-with-slots pieces of hardware at the bottom where you’d attach the lead rope rather than a ring. It is the only Tack Shack halter I have seen in person. Make of that what you will. But caveat emptor.
I believe it’s just a certain style of halter that has that type of ring where the leadrope attaches. Not all of them have that.
My track halter from Tack Shack does have a square ring rather than a round ring to attach the lead rope to. I like it, though. And the halter is available in several sizes; in addition, you can ask them to change the length of the crown piece. I imagine they would also adjust the dimensions of their stock sizes on request if you wanted. They are very accommodating. There are a zillion options you can add when you place your order.
I have an Antares halter and LOVE IT. worth every penny. I sadly put the nameplate on before I tried it on my horse and it’s massive on him. Lesson learned!
Love my Tack Shack halters. The bottom ring is square but honestly I don’t think there’s a difference between round and square. The cheekpieces seem like a normal length to me, the cob size fits my small mare’s head wonderfully. They last forever and hold up great!
Next time I need a halter, maybe I’ll splurge and get a Quillin
Interesting, I haven’t seen the square ring on the english chin on tack shack halters! I’ll have to look when I head over there in a few weeks (mine are all a few years old, because they last FORever). That said, if you just add a request to use a round ring on the chin to the notes, I’m sure it can be managed. They do all sorts of “customizations” like asking for the throatlatch snap to face inward (so it can’t catch on anything too easily)
I’m sure they will make a halter to order, down to any detail you specify.
I thought that hardware choice was so bad that I didn’t ask the owner if she did it on purpose, LOL.
