From: shonette@master.CNA.TEK.COM (Shonette Rogers)
Newsgroups: rec.equestrian
Subject: Re: mechanical hackamores (was: show jumping results)
Date: 14 Aug 92 16:45:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Tektronix, Inc., Beaverton,  OR.

In article <1992Aug14.080145.15825@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> tracy@scoraz.resp-sci.arizona.edu (Tracy Scheinkman) writes:
>
>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). 

I agree!  I've also seen where the horse tossed his head because
of past pain (habit?) but it soon went away.

 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.

The one I saw had a leather nose band.  I'm interested to know
how this thing works (looked to me like it wasn't much different
that wearing a halter!).  If my horse is working good enough, I'd
like to compete in this instead of a mechanical hackamore!

>
>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.
>

That's an interesting question that I never really thought about.
When I bought my only barrel horse that was actually trained before
I got it, the lady was competing at a local professional level 
(Pacific Coast Rodeo Assoc) which is PRCA approved but done on the
west coast.  She rode the mare in a bit during practice and when
pleasure riding so that she could have lots of control and that 
her horse would "feel freer" when competing, she rode in a hackamore.
Also, stopping was the only time she needed control since the horse
was very good at the pattern.

I just did it because the horse was used to that routine.  I rode
her for four years and just got in the habit after that.  You should
see the change in that mare when I slipped the hackamore over her
head!  What a cutie--too bad horses get old!  So, all that rambling
leads to:  I don't know WHY *I* did it after that.  I *Could*
ride in my tom thumb during competition (considering I do it
at local playdays and stuff but Lady is still in training so...)
For now, I just change reins.  My long reins for trail/pleasure
riding, my short reins for playdays/practice.  I think Lady has
already noticed the difference because the weight of the snaps
are heavier on the pleasure reins and lighter on the short reins.
When I hook on the short reins and start out the gate, she auto-
matically heads for the "arena!"

Shonette Rogers
  and Miss Lady Linton (she's a cutie too :-))

  P.S.  I use the longer reins for pleasure riding because I sit
  up straighter and keep my reins fairly loose.  Running barrels
  in long reins is an accident waiting to happen because there's
  always "too much line" for my body position, my horse's head
  position during running, and the tension in the reins (I keep
  light contact when running in long reins so that I don't drop
  them and I prefer NOT to have contact when asking my horse for
  speed).  Confused yet? :-)
>				Tracy and Bruce (beautiful man) and
>				Cachet (7 year old Arabian mare) and
>				Mithril (2 year old Arabian filly) and
>				The Cats