hackamores-

[rides2far@juno.com (Angela C. McGhee)]

>We've got a friend who was teaching a 4-H class about horse gear.  She
>was trying to explain to the kids how severe a hackamore could 
>Moral of this story:  A hackamore can stop a horse.  Lif

What I can tell you is that a runaway is a runaway.  My barrel horse I
rode as a teen used a big mechanical hackamore. He'd tuck his nose back
to his chest, and you had nowhere else to go with it...then he kicked in
the rocket boosters.

Kaboot wears a full cheek snaffle with a running martingale, and after a
fast 50 I'm sorest in the shoulders.  I feel like I have rowed a boat 50
miles.  However, he'd be just as bad in a hackamore, but he'd be out of
control in a far less pleasing frame. :-)  Honestly, when he's in a
snaffle, I can put his body where I want it, he will yeild to my leg, and
I can steady him in a bigger trot because he is not avoiding the bit.  I
no longer care for the loose rein "bowed up" feeling I used to like with
a horse who was really light on a curb and neck reined well.

Kaboot does not have a hard mouth, but he has a very strong will.  He is
perfectly light 90% of the time, and we have some real tugs of war over
speed at other times, but I don't believe I'd be one bit safer to go to a
hackamore...and look at all the money I save on a rowing machine.

By the way, the reason I still use a crupper on really flat rides is so
that my saddle won't go over his head when I'm pulling so hard to get him
to slow down. :-)

Angie

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