Hackamore ?

Jay.o

Jay.o

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Aug 15, 2002
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Right, after seeing galadriels' picture in the cafe it has got me thinking about a hackamore.

would it be worth getting one for mysy ?
are they as effective as a bit ?
does it steer ok and do the brakes work ? (using very basic language lol)
are they for more experianced riders ???

just a general wondering really. that may be better for mysy but it may not ?

any info on them please ?
 
i use a hackamore on autumn, the lightest touch will make him stop or turn. they can actully be harder on the horse then the bit sometimes because when you pull all the pressure is put on the nose of the horse. you could try the hackamore on your horse to see if it works, some horses like them much more then bits and are much more responsive, some arn't. i fought and fought with milky a lot and she was MUCH better in a hackamore. and another horse that was put in it was a pig and you had to pull so much it probably hurt his nose so we put a bit back in.
 
I'm not all that up on hackamores as I've only used them a couple of times. From what I do know they work using a combination of nose and poll action. It is essential that you have light hands if you are riding with one as it can compromise your horse's airways if you pull backwards and/or hard.

They are ideal if your horse cannot tolerate a bit in his mouth for whatever reason.

Hope this helps and that someone with more knowledge on the subject can enlighten you further. :)
 
This has some good info...
http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=18613&highlight=hackamore

As the link discusses, one of the problems is that it doesn't allow the giving of "fine-tuned" aids that you may give with a bit.

That being said - I believe showjumper is training Dolly in a hackamore so she may be able to give you some more info on what it's like to train a horse with it.

EDIT - Sorry, Galadriel & I cross-posted.
 
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I don't use a traditional hackamore (the metal one). I use a bitless bridle, which doesn't apply leverage, and is directional. Me and a friend are also going to start experimenting with different types of rope bitless bridles. If you search for Bitless Bridle, you should get a lot of information and pictures that I and galadriel have posted before :D Bitless is great - I will never ride Dolly any other way :D
 
go for it!

Like Showjumper I'm training my mare to ride in a bitless rope halter with reins attached. When we initially tried it, she had no idea what I was trying to achieve and it was a huge battle.

However, I went back to basics....try teaching your horse basic flexion exercises with your normal halter & leadrope. Do this first from the ground by standing at the shoulder and asking for her to move her head in your direction.

Initially it may be more tugging than asking, but pretty quickly the horse will get the hang of it. When you're satisfied with her response, hop on and do it from "on-high".

IN order to teach stop you need to be on board. Lets say you're walking around the arena and you're following the movement of the horses walk. Stop following the movement and release the energy from your body, then at the same time pull the leadrope rope towards your body. This will actually cause the horse to circle slightly in the direction of the pull and they will have to stop.

My horse (who can be quite stubborn) now knows that when I stop following her movement, she's meant to stop and it requires very little for me to stop her at that point.

I've taught her this in the last month or so, but I havent taken her hacking in the halter....I'm a bit nervous about it...old habits die hard I guess. However, in a couple of weeks I'm taking her on Exmoor and I'm gonna do it then!! Honest!!

If its any help to you, my mare is rising 5, very dominant and sometimes prone to the odd spook. I like the idea of bitless because I want to save her mouth and she really didnt like having a bit in there.
good luck with it!
 
i ride dusty in a hackamoor and both him and i LOVE it!
he has no teeth problems,but he just never liked the bit in general! i also find it alot more kinder to put a hackamoor on my horse than a piece of metal across his teeth and in his mouth!

also,for my horse a hackamoor is great on him for stoping,just the LIGHTEST tug and he stops on a DIME! he will also turn rather well! i havent had a bit on him in about a year...

here is a pic!
 

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forgot

HI
I forgot to say.... I do Parelli and we're Pre Level 1. They maintain that horses are never taught how to respond to a bit. They simply have one put in their mouths and somehow figure out how that a pull on the right rein means turn right, and that pull back means stop. etc. etc

Parelli maintains that a horse who has been taught to respond properly to a hackamore is actually safer simply because they have been taught. I know people at a higher level of Parelli than I am who hack out in a halter & in a bareback pad with no saddle and they swear they have never felt so safe on their horses.

The reason? The horse & owner have been through hours of training which teaches the horse than the owner is worthy of his respect, and teaches the rider how to help your horse thru any given problem or potential catastrophe.

hope this has helped you.
M.
 
Re: forgot

Originally posted by Horsey Bird
I know people at a higher level of Parelli than I am who hack out in a halter & in a bareback pad with no saddle and they swear they have never felt so safe on their horses.
Click to expand...

I find that a complete change of tack makes things easier for a horse you are re-training. When I first got her, my off-track TB worked herself up so much any time I got out a saddle or a bridle, that I really WAS safer riding in a halter & lead rope, bareback.
 
I don't know much about hackamores, (please don't be offended iwuvhorses) but that hackamore looks extremely severe. The shanks are the longest I've ever seen and the noseband looks to be sitting on soft tissue, that is supported by very little and fragile bone. The smallest of squeezes will exert a huge amount of nose and poll pressure.

Should it not be fitted so the noseband sits higher up Dusty's nose, where the faces bone structure is stronger?

Lesley
 
this is a picture of autumn in his hackamore....sometimes i will ride him in just a rope halter though. it has one ear loop, as you can see by the picture... it goes around one ear hehe. i think its cute, my instructer gave it to me when she gave me autumn :)
 

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hi thanks for all your input and help.

if i put mysy in a hackamore or bitless would her brakes work still or will she be more reluctant to stop ??
in canter and gallop, is it safe to let her go as i may not be able to stop her in a hackamore or bitless ?
 
If you're asking right, you should have just as much "brakes" in a hackamore or bitless as with a bridle. You don't *need* a bit to "control* (more like, direct) a horse.

If a horse doesn't want to cooperate, no force in this world is going to make him.
 
i thought it may be worth getting a bitless bridle for her if it will have the same affect on her as a bitted bridle.
i was just worried about her brakes thats all. but you have reasured me lol. i will try it out when i move her next week in the school to begin with.

and i know you cant compete dressage with a bitless or hackamore but what about anything else ?

thanks you all so much for the help.
 
At the moment you can jump and do endurance in a bitless, but I'm going to start writing letters to the various organisations and whinge about the rules regarding bitless in other disciplines.

I'm going to say that surely, riding and controlling a horse without a bit shows better training and harmony than riding in a double bridle/kimblewick which is what is most seen at the shows I go to.
 
hi showjumper.
thanks for all your help.
seems a very fair point you are making and yes i agree i think it shows good training aswell.
do the organisers give their resoning about why they dont alow the bitless.

i really want to get mysy going in a bitless as 1. she hates the bit being put in her mouth - dont knowwhy, she has no teeth problems that thet can see. and 2. a bitless seems to look kinder. and i think i want one but my parents dont seem impressed.
:(
 
I agree with Dizzy, the red hackamore posted looks to be very severe with those long shanks. The hackamore in the pic posted by JumpingisLife is kinder, it has shorter shanks and the noseband is on the nasal bone (or appears to be) rather than on soft tissue.

I don't have a problem with hackamores, but they aren't automatically kinder to the horse than a bit is, and many of them are more easily abused than a bit by nature of the long shanks which multiplies the slightest pressure.
 
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