Hackamore

A hackamore is a type of headgear for a horse which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the horse's face, nose, and chin.

Hackamores are most often seen in western riding and other styles of riding derived from Spanish traditions, endurance riding, and are occasionally seen in some English riding disciplines such as show jumping and the stadium phase of eventing. While usually used to start young horses, they are often seen on mature horses with dental issues that make bit use painful and on horses with mouth or tongue injuries that would be aggravated by a bit. Some riders also like to use them in the winter to avoid putting a frozen metal bit into a horse's mouth.

Like a bit, a hackamore can be gentle or harsh, depending on the hands of the rider. It is a myth that a bit is cruel and a hackamore is gentler. The horse's face is very soft and sensitive with many nerve endings. Misuse of a hackamore can not only cause pain and swelling on the nose and jaw, but improper fitting combined with rough use can cause damage to the cartilage on the horse's nose, or even break the fine bones that protect the nasal passages.

Origins

The word "hackamore" is derived from the Spanish word "jáquima,", meaning headstall or halter, itself derived from Old Spanish "xaquima". [Oxford English Dictionary, " [hackmore] " OED online edition, accessed Feb. 20, 2008] The Spanish had obtained the term from the Arabic "šakīma", (bit), from "šakama" (to bridle). ["hackamore." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 24 Feb. 2008. Dictionary.com .] From the Americanized pronunciation of "jaquima," the spelling "hackamore" entered the written English language by 1850, [Oxford English Dictionary, " [hackamore] " OED online edition, accessed Feb. 20, 2008] not long after the Mexican-American War.

The first hackamore was probably a piece of rope placed around the nose or head of a horse not long after domestication, perhaps as early as 4,000 B.C.R.M. MIller, p. 222] Early devices for controlling the horse may have been adapted from equipment used to control camels.Bennett, pages 54-55] Over time, more sophisticated means of using nose pressure were developed. The Persians beginning with the reign of Darius, circa 500 BC, were one of the first cultures known to have used a thick-plaited noseband to help the horse look and move in the same direction. This device, called a "hakma," also added a third rein at the nose, and was an innovation that allowed a rider to achieve collection by helping the horse flex at the poll joint. The third rein later moved from the top of the noseband to under the chin,Bennett, page 60] where it is still part of the modern "mecate" rein of the modern "bosal"-style hackamore. The techniques of horse-training refined by the Persians later influenced the works on horsemanship written by the Greek military commander Xenophon.Bennett, page 57] This heavy noseband itself came to be known by many names, retaining the name "hakma" in Persio-Arabic tongues, but becoming the "cavesson" in French, and the "bosal" in Spanish.

The tradition of hackamore use in the United States came from the Spanish Californians, who were well-respected for their horse handling abilities.Connell, page 4] From this tradition, the American cowboy adopted the hackamore and two schools of use developed: The "buckaroo" or "California" tradition, most closely resembling that of the original "vaqueros", and the "Texas" tradition, which melded some Spanish technique with methods from the eastern states, creating a separate and unique style indigenous to the region.R.W. Miller, p. 103] Today, it is the best known of the assorted "bitless bridling" systems of controlling the horse.R.M. Miler, p. 225]

The word "hackamore" has been defined many ways, both as a halter ["see, e.g." Rollins, page 151: "The antithesis of the severe bit was the "hackamore" (from Spanish "jáquima," a halter)." ] and as a type of bitless bridle. ["see, e.g." Brown, Mark Herbert and William Reid Felton. "Before Barbed Wire", 1956, p. 219: "A hackamore is the bitless bridle, so to speak, which is put on a wild horse as his first introduction to the bridle" ] However, both terms are primarily descriptive. The traditional "jaquima" hackamore is made up of a headstall, bosal and "mecate" tied into looped reins and a lead rope. It is neither precisely a halter nor simply a bridle without a bit. "Anyone who makes the statement that a hackamore is just another type of halter . . . is simply admitting that he knows nothing about this fine piece of equipment."Williamson, pp. 13–14]

Types of Hackamores

Today, hackamores can be made of leather, rawhide, rope, cable or various plastics, sometimes in conjunction with metal parts. There are three main types: the bosal, the sidepull, and other assorted designs, often classed as "bitless bridles."

Bosal

The bosal (IPAEng|boʊ'sɑl, IPAEng|boʊ'sæl or sometimes IPAEng|'boʊsəl; Spanish: IPA2|β̞o'sal) is the noseband element of the classic jaquima or true hackamore, and is seen primarily in western-style riding. It is derived from the Spanish tradition of the "vaquero". It consists of a fairly stiff rawhide noseband with reins attached to a large knot or "button" (Sp. "bosal") at the base from which the design derives its name. The reins are made from a specially tied length of rope called a "mecate" (IPAEng|mə'kɑteɪ; Spanish: IPA2|me'kate), which is tied in a specific manner to both adjust the size of the bosal, and to make a looped rein with an extra length of rope that can be used as a lead rope. In the Texas tradition, where the bosal sets low on the horse's face, and on very inexperienced ("green") horses in both the California ("vaquero") and Texas traditions, a specialized rope throatlatch called a "fiador" (IPAEng|'fiədɔɹ) is added, running over the poll to the bosal, attached to the hackamore by a browband. [ [http://www.moonrakerqh.com/tack/gfx/breaking-hack.jpgA bosal hackamore with a fiador] ] The fiador keeps a heavy bosal properly balanced on the horse's head without rubbing or putting excess pressure on the nose. However, it also limits the action of the bosal, and thus is removed once the horse is comfortable under saddle. [ [http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/200104201910.phtml Jaheil, Jessica. "Bosal, snaffle, spade - why?" "Horse Sense,"] web page accessed August 19, 2007] The terms "mecate" and "fiador" have at times been Americanized as "McCarty" or "McCarthy" and "Theodore," but such usage is considered incorrect by hackamore reinsmen of the American West.

The bosal acts on the horse's nose and jaw, and is most commonly used to start young horses under saddle in the Vaquero tradition of the "California style" cowboy. The bosal is a very sophisticated and versatile style of hackamore. Bosals come in varying diameters and weights, allowing a more skilled horse to "graduate" into ever lighter equipment. Once a young horse is solidly trained with a bosal, a bit is added and the horse is gradually shifted from the hackamore to a bit. While designed to be gentle, Bosals are equipment intended for use by experienced trainers and should not be used by beginners, as they can be harsh in the wrong hands.

idepulls

The sidepull is a modern design inspired by the bosal.Fact|date=February 2008 It is a heavy noseband Fact|date=February 2008 with side rings that attach the reins on either side of the head, allowing very direct pressure to be applied from side to side. The noseband is made of leather, rawhide, or rope with a leather or synthetic strap under the jaw, held on by a leather or synthetic headstall. Sidepulls are primarily used to start young horses or on horses that cannot carry a bit. While severity can be increased by using harder or thinner rope, a sidepull lacks the sophistication of the bosal.Fact|date=February 2008 The primary advantage of a sidepull over the bosal is that it gives stronger direct lateral commands and is a bit easier for an unsophisticated rider to use.Fact|date=February 2008 Once a horse understands basic commands, however, the trainer needs to shift to either a bosal or to a snaffle bit to further refine the horse's training.Fact|date=February 2008 If made of soft materials, a sidepull is also a good bridle for beginners to use, so that they don't injure their horse's mouth as they learn the rein aids.

English riders sometimes use a jumping cavesson, or jumping hackamore, which is a type of hackamore that consists of a heavy leather nosepiece (usually with a cable or rope inside) with rings on the sides for reins, similar to a sidepull, but more closely fitting and able to transmit more subtle commands. A jumping cavesson is put on a standard English-style headstall and often is indistinguishable at a distance from a standard bridle. It is often used on horses who cannot tolerate a bit or on those who have mouth or tongue injuries.

Mechanical hackamore

A mechanical hackamore, sometimes called a "hackamore bit","English hackamore" or a "brockamore", falls into the hackamore category only because it is a device that works on the nose and not in the mouth. However, it also uses shanks and leverage, thus it is not a true hackamore.R.M. MIller, p. 227] Because of its long, metal shanks and a curb chain that runs under the jaw, it works similarly to a curb bit and has a similarly high risk of abusive use in the hands of a rough rider. Mechanical hackamores lack the sophistication of bits or a bosal, cannot turn a horse easily, and primarily are used for their considerable stopping power. [ [http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/tack_apparel/bit_gallery/bitlessbridles_092206/ Ambrosiano, Nancy. "All About Bitless Bridles" "Equus," March, 1999.] Web page accessed February 25, 2008] While the bosal hackamore is legal in many types of western competition at horse shows, the mechanical hackamore is not allowed; [ [http://www.usef.org USEF rulebook] ] its use is primarily confined to pleasure riding, trail riding, rodeos and other types of competition.

=Other equipment= Like the mechanical hackamore, the various modern headstall designs known as "bitless bridles" are also not a true hackamoreFact|date=February 2008, even though they lack a bit. These devices use various assortments of straps around the nose to apply pressure by tightening the noseband in particular areas.Fact|date=February 2008 They are not as subtle as a bosal,Fact|date=February 2008 but serve many of the same purposes as a sidepull and are generally milder than most mechanical hackamores. Some people also ride horses with a halter. A closely-fitted halter with two reins attached may act in a manner similar to a sidepull. However, use of a halter as headgear to control a horse is, as a rule, a dangerous practice because a halter has no way of increasing leverage to exert control by the rider if a horse panics.Fact|date=February 2008

ee also

*Horse tack
*Bridle
*Noseband
*Bosal
*Bitless bridle

Notes

References

*Bennett, Deb (1998) "Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship." Amigo Publications Inc; 1st edition. ISBN 0-9658533-0-6
*Connell, Ed (1952) "Hackamore Reinsman." The Longhorn Press, Cisco, Texas. Fifth Printing, August, 1958.
*Miller, Robert M. and Rick Lamb. (2005) "Revolution in Horsemanship" Lyons Press ISBN 1-59228-387-X
*Miller, Robert W. (1974) "Horse Behavior and Training." Big Sky Books, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
*Rollins, Philip A. (1922) The Cowboy: His Character, Equipment and His Part in the Development of the West, C. Scribner's sons, 353 pages.
*Williamson, Charles O. (1973) "Breaking and Training the Stock Horse." Caxton Printers, Ltd., 6th edition (1st Ed., 1950). ISBN 9600144-1-1