Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Hackamores

From: Kim Hedrich

Hi Jessica

Last time I rode at the riding school, the mare had a hackamore on instead of a bit (a mechanical hackamore - not a bosal). I was wondering how to use these - I found it easier to just let her head go unless I wanted her to do something. Can you use pressure to get them to yield and tuck their head? or are they best left alone as I did?

Thanks.

Kim

Hi Kim! You have good instincts -- letting her head go was the right thing to do. Mechanical hackamores can be quite severe in their action, as can almost any bit that works with leverage. Depending on the type of chain and the length of the shanks, a mechanical hackamore can be mild (a wide, flat, sheepskin-padded leather noseband, short, back-curved shanks, and a padded or fleece-covered curb strap) moderately severe (a narrower, unpadded noseband, longer, straighter shanks, and a wide double chain) or very severe (a hard, rounded noseband, long forward-curving shanks, and a thin single chain). You can indeed use pressure to get a horse to tuck its head, but unless you have a good idea of exactly how much pressure a particular type of mechanical hackamore puts on the horse's head, it's much better to do exactly what you did!

There is even a hackamore called "the Cruncher" that was popular in the States for some time -- it combined extremely long shanks with a piece of metal that would grind into the lower jaw when pressure was applied to the reins. Quick hard pressure -- a good pull on the reins -- could actually break the horse's jaw, hence the name...

None of these bear any relation to the very gentle English jumping hackamore, which is simply a bitless bridle featuring a thick, leather-covered rope noseband and flat leather chinstrap. The noseband ends (at the level of the horse's mouth or a little below) in two rings for the reins.

Jessica

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