re: #53 Hackamore ? from Kathy Shank
kiwana@sover.net
Sun, 26 Jan 97 00:52:35 +0100
First, I have ridden in all sorts of hackamores, bosals and sidepulls for
most of the years I have ridden. I just prefer them for everything except
schooling for some purposes. You seem to be describing a sidepull rather
than a true hackamore. This device does not give much "stopping power" and
I have not had as much success using them as some people do. A hackamore
with 7 or 8" shanks will stop most any horse. As for proper adjustment,
Californians use them higher and as preliminary training equipment. Texans
use them lower and mostly longer. (I was born in Texas and raised in
California.) I like to use a short shank on easy to stop horses and in
CTR/Endurance because they are mild and easy to let my horse eat and/or
drink on trail and at stops/checks. If using a bosal, the idea is to circle
the horse in tight circles to stop them.
As a final word, I'd tell you that on trail I ran into a person who had
managed to break her bridle (I don't remember exactly what the problem was)
so I loaned her my hackamore/headpiece and used my sponge string to make a
headpiece and noseband to the next stop. Boy did the water crew enjoy
seeing that! She was able to get substitute headgear and gave mine back.
At the end of the ride, she said she got to thinking that she might like to
use a hackmore regularly after trying mine! Everyone else said only an
"Indian horse" would be ridden with that "headgear!"