Hackamore Horsemanship

First though, before getting into a discussion on the hackamore, I'll point-out that if you do not want to ride your horse in a hackamore, I will start them in one of mine, then make a gradual transition into the bridle you choose to use, before your horse's time is up. And, if you do not have a hackamore of your own, this may be the way you want to go. In such case, you will need to bring your own bridle when you bring your horse. However, I strongly suggest purchasing a hackamore, if you do not already have a good one, to continue your horse's development.

Many people have different ideas as to what constitutes a hackamore. I am, by no means, the definitive expert on hackamores; however, I have used some with success, so these are my ideas... The bosal is the most crucial aspect of the hackamore, & it's construction is of paramount concern. The bosal must be made of rawhide in order to have the proper "life" to it. And, if made with a core (which most are), the core should likewise be of rawhide. Never waste your money on a braided rawhide bosal with a cable core, it cannot function like a pure rawhide bosal should.

Next in importance is the mecate; although, all parts are equal in terms of their being part of the whole. And, you need the proper mecate teamed-up with the right bosal. Anyway, I prefer -& use- horse hair mecates exclusively. While there is some documentation claiming that horse hair mecates are superior because they more quickly teach a horse to neck rein, I use the horse hair for baseless personal reasons. And, I never rush a horse to neck rein anyway! A horse needs to understand the cue, & learn to turn in balance, before one even begins to think about neck reining. And, the idea that a horse is a finished bridle horse as soon as it can neck rein is foolish. The thickness of the mecate, in relation to the bosal, is of importance, as is the weight of the mecate. A mecate is a rope, typically about 22' in length. It is tied onto the bosal in such a way as to provide closed reins & a get-down/lead rope. And, mine are made of twisted mane hair, in the ancient, traditional manner.

The bosal hanger is simply the leather, or rawhide, headstall. And, the fiador is a thin rope or cord, tied in two aggrivating, & somewhat complex, knots, to make the throatlatch. The fiador also helps to hold the bosal in place, somewhat, as when starting a colt, one needs to change the position of the bosal from time to time.

A hackamore saves a young horse's mouth, a bit cannot do this. No matter how soft your hands are, if you have a piece of metal in a horse's mouth, it's still going to have some effect. Of course, how detrimental that effect is, depends on your hands. Still, the bars in a horse's mouth are not completely developed until after it's 5th year. Starting your horse in a hackamore just bypasses all that alltogether.

The rawhide bosal, or noseband, works on the horse's face, & the sensitive areas around the nose, rather than risking putting callouses on the bars. Of course, one can easily "deaden" a horse's face to the bosal if it isn't handled properly as well! As I wrote on the main page, abuse comes from the rider's hands more than the tack. However, you don't see a hackamore horse working with his/her mouth open, as is seen in horses fighting a bit.

And, as the colt starts coming along in the hackamore, you shouldn't need to rely on the pull so much; because once you start lightening up on the reins, the colt should learn to respond to the bosal knot lifting off his/her chin. The bosal knot is the braided knot at the bottom of the bosal. The mota, the hair knot on the end of the mecate which is tied to the bosal, also facilitates in that signal.

Any horse can run right through a hackamore, so in the beginning, a colt needs to be ground pulled with a long rope tied to the leadline. This spins a colt around a couple times to show it to respect the pull on the bosal. Then, envariably, after the horse has been ridden for a short time, it will begin to ignore the pull; at which time, it will need to be pulled from the saddle. Again, only a couple times, lest you frighten or anger the horse, which will prove totally counter-productive. After that, you'll rarely, if ever, need to revert to pulling.

In the beginning, I turn a colt in the hackamore by extending my hand far enough out for the colt to see my hand, then pull. This teaches the colt to tip it's nose, & turn into my hand. I've already worked on the colt crossing over properly from the ground, then continue monitoring that from the saddle. If you'll examine the 2 pics of me turning the sorrel filly on my photo page, you'll see what I'm describing.

If your horse does not turn in that manner, then your horse is out of balance. It's important that we don't rush a horse thru it's schooling so fast that we make it forget it's own natural movement. And, of course, nowadays one must pay particular attention to a horse's way of moving, because natural ability has been bred out of so many horses, that it's not always natural anymore! Starting with an athletic, well-bred horse just makes sense. That doesn't always happen though, does it?

Anyway, as I alluded to, the initial signals on the mecate reins are not feather-light. However, as soon as you pull a colt around to get it's attention, then you must make each pull more & more light. Get it's attention, then lighten him/her up. And, you'll be surprised just how light some horses can become. It simply takes consistency, & knowing hands. Simultaneously though, I'll likewise begin using leg & weight cues.

A rider can't always rely purely on the reins, sometimes leg cues are neccesary. A horse that's well-started should respond equally to either. I won't gallop a young horse wide-open in a hackamore because you'll lose what rein you've developed once the horse forgets you & just gives himself over to running. I will take him/her up to a nice cantor, but I'll keep control of the head.

I don't want to have to visably turn a horse into my hand extended out to one side forever, so I'll gradually begin signalling with my hand closer to my waist. How long this takes is entirely up to the horse. In the beginning, you have to hold the reins with two hands, but eventually, you should be able to direct-rein with one hand only. Once the horse is at that point, a simple movement of the wrist, or a slight tug with one finger, should bring the desired response. Indirect reining comes later.

If a simple tug does not bring the desired response, rather than continuing to pull or pulling harder, release then signal again. And, repeat this until the horse responds. In this way, confusion is dealt with in a calm & positive manner. In nearly every situation, if your horse is not responding as you want it to, it is because the horse doesn't understand what you want. Getting louder with your hands makes as much sense as talking louder when trying to communicate with someone who doesn't understand your language.

I teach a horse to stop by sitting heavy into the saddle, while dropping the reins on it's withers at the same time. Backing, eventually, is accomplished simply by shifting weigt back. Stopping, as well as riding, is done on a loose rein. Backing is taught with one rein somewhat tight & one slack. I never tighten both reins.

Horses are much stronger than humans, so attempting to "control" them with weakling/brute force just makes absolutely no sense at all. And, you simply cannot develop a positive partnership with another when you fear & seek to control the other one. That's not horsemanship. And, you will never see a horse perform at it's peak if you aren't in harmony with it either! Therefore, if you are afraid of horses, find a way to deal with that. Then, keep in mind that reins are devices to signal your desires/intentions to your horse. Learn to trust your horse, so that your horse will in turn be able to trust you. Horsemanship, regardless of tack or methods used, is a way of developing a harmonious partnership with horses. Anyone can buy a horse, but you cannot buy horsemanship.