How to Ride a Horse in a Hackamore
A hackamore, or a bitless bridle is thought to be a more gentler and kinder way to ride a horse, but this is not always the case. The mechanical hackmore is designed to provide pressure on the nose and lower facial areas of a horse. These areas are very sensitive containing many nerve endings. There are proper and effective ways to ride a horse with a hackamore.
Items Needed:
- Hackmore
- Padding for the bosal (nose piece)
- Bridle or headstall
- Chin strap
- Determine the proper setting place for the bosal. The bosal is the nose piece of the hackamore. The bosal is one of the most important aspects to a hackamore; if the bosal is set too high, the hackamore is useless, if it is set too low, it can be painful for the horse. The bosal is set right when it falls between the nasal bones and the cartilage on the nose of the horse.
- Place padding on the bosal. The most common material used in padding is lambswool. It provides comfort for the horse and does not interfere with the work of the bosal.
- Place headstall on the horse. Make sure all equipment is in proper place.
- Attach chinstrap to head stall. The chinstrap or curb chain, is nearly as important as the bosal. The chinstrap prevents the headstall from riding too far forward on the horses head and it also aids in stopping, backing, and turning the horse. You should be able to fit at least two fingers between the chinstrap and the horse.
- Check the shanks on the hackamore for proper movement. The shanks are the sidebars that ride down below the horses mouth and the reins are attached to them. If the shanks do not rotate to a 45-degree turn, the chin strap is too tight and needs adjustment.
- Ride your horse. A horse that has a properly fitted hackamore will respond just as it would if a bit were in its mouth. Use gentle pressure on the hack. Refrain from hard jerks to the hackamore. This will only result in pain and hesitancy on the part of the horse.