Re: Bits to Hackamores

[Lucy C Trumbull <elsie@calweb.com>]

> At our ranch we trail train a lot of X Arabian
> race horses.  This is what we put them in after 14 to 30 days of training.  It
> has a very short shank so the horse can eat and drink without anything getting
> in the way.  

As I mentioned to Paula when she first asked about this, 
I decided to try my young very green mare in an english
hackamore the other weekend. Previous to this, I'd only
ever ridden her in a rope halter, which she was fine in -
understanding my "go this way, go that way" instructions
with the reins.

But in the hackamore - hmmm - it was like she was drunk.
It seems that the "go this way" pull translated to her as:
"tilt your head in the opposite direction and ignore all
instructions". She couldn't figure it out at all.

I eventually clipped the reins to the tops of the shanks,
more like a sidepull (or, at least, what how I presume a
sidepull works - I've never seen one), and then she responded
normally.

I can only assume that the pressure created by the shanks 
was confusing to her in some way. Interestingly, she was also
less tuned to "Ho" pressure in the hackamore. So I think
I'm probably going to abandon the idea (no sense in training
her in something that makes no sense to her), and maybe
just continue teaching her in a "riding rope halter" (like 
what Pat Frederick sells). 

So here's a thought. With all the talk of excitable endurance
horses raring to go at the start, how likely is it, that, if
you train your green horse right from the very beginning that
un-asked-for speed is totally unacceptable and should not
even be considered (can this be done?), that riding said
horse in a rope halter will work well?

Just a thought. 

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Lucy Chaplin Trumbull - elsie@calweb.com
Displaced English person in Sacramento, CA

http://www.calweb.com/~trouble
http://www.calweb.com/~elsie
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