From: tracy@scoraz.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Tracy Scheinkman)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: re: mechanical hackamores (was: show jumping results)
Date: 14 Aug 92 08:01:45 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

In an article shonette@master.CNA.TEK.COM (Shonette Rogers) writes:

>First, I didn't say it pinched *My* horse's face, however,

I'm glad the hackamore didn't pinch your horse, sorry, that was the way I 
mistakenly thought you described it.

>I was responding to the person who said that a mechanical hack
>was a good way to teach a horse to keep his head where it should
>be and that has not been what I've ever seen happen.  Also, I said
>head tossing and what I meant was that the horse(s) put his nose  
>in the air when pressure was put on the reins, and as someone else
>mentioned, this can happen regardless of what headgear the horse
>is wearing.

When a horse puts their nose in the air the way you describe that is
an obvious evasion to a bit or headgear devise that is hurting the
horse in some way.  As with head tossing the head gear or bit should
be changed (or the horse should have some dentistry done as teeth
sometimes causes pain).  Also I did not say that a mechanical hackamore
was a good way to get a horse to keep his head down, but that it can
"help", by exerting poll and nose pressure, in cases where the horse cannot 
wear a regular bridle, and is too strong for a jumping hackamore or 
halter, and -- when the horse is not uncomfortable with it.  
	The reactions you described are of horses who ARE uncomfortable 
with a mechanical hackamore and for them a better choice might be a 
side-pull (which is the Western equivalent of jumping hackamore).

	(By the way for those of you who are interested an English
hackamore exerts the same pressures and leverages as does the mechanical
or German hackamore, though it uses a t shaped shank to accomplish this
as opposed to the hinged shank used by the other.  Also to get into some
interesting bitting concepts some of you may not have seen, a side-pull
has a rope nose band, a leather chin strap and two rings on the sides
of the bridle to attach reins to.  It does not have a bit.  If it does
have a bit then it is called a "half-breed" and is meant to gradually
tranfer a horse from being ridden via a side-pull to being ridden with
a regualar bridle, do not confuse the two.  The side-pull and the 
jumping hackamore are really a little more elaborate and precise version
of riding in a halter, surprisingly many horses go better in them than
in regular bridles because they are no longer fighting discomfort.  And
to put more eggs in the fryer, a "bosal" [pronounced with a long o and like
you are about to say "sally" but don't finish] is a totally different type
of hackamore whose action has to do with rubbing the top of the nose and
pressure from the heal knot back and up under the jaw.  In my opinion
a bosal can be a very good device however it should only be used by those
who have been carefully shown its use as a training aid as it can rub a
tender nose raw in the wrong hands or without proper supervision.)

>Also, I mentioned that the way *I* cue my horse to stop means that
>I very rarely have to touch the reins at ALL to stop--even coming to
>the finish line running the barrels.  And, I also mentioned that I
>only ride (rode) in a mechanical hackamore during competition.  I
>figure that if I'm competing (seriously competing), we ought to be
>communicating VERY well before I spend my money...

I applaud the communication comment.  But if you are communicating so
well then why are (were) you using a mechanical hackamore only in competition??
My thought is you should be able to compete well in whatever you use
to school at home and if you can't then something is wrong with your
schooling or communications.

				Tracy and Bruce (beautiful man) and
				Cachet (7 year old Arabian mare) and
				Mithril (2 year old Arabian filly) and
				The Cats