From: "Valerie"
Dear Jessica I recently bought a hackamore for my ex race horse thoroughbred who was very strong in a bit and hated any pressure on his mouth. He works beautifully in the hackamore, is much more controllable and seems much happier now. I have also, though, been hearing things about it being more severe than a bit and should only be used by very experienced riders. Why is this? Does it disturb their breathing? It has begun to make me feel worried that it may be causing harm to my horse. I always try to keep a soft contact and don't ask him to go on the bit. Please could you give me some more information about hackamores and how high on the nose they should be placed. The one that I have is a mild mechanical hackamore which has a wide padded nose band and a curb chain connected to metal parts on each side which have short shanks. Thankyou Kerry
Mechanical hackamores are not kind bits. The one you have is probably the single LEAST UNKIND mechanical hackamore, but even though it isn't blatantly cruel, it's also not terribly useful. The problem with any hackamore is that it is not designed for lateral control, much less lateral subtlety. It's a control mechanism based on longitudinal control of the horse - from nose to tail, or, rather, from nose and jaw and poll to hind feet! You can't be subtle with it, you can only stop with it, and do very crude steering.
Having said that, though, let me say also that you are on the right track! Many bits are cruel too, either by design, because they are poorly made, because they are damaged, or because they are adjusted badly. Some bits cause pain because they don't fit the contours of the horse's mouth in a way that lets the horse relax and carry the bit comfortably. Some bits are well made, in good shape, adjusted properly, and fit the horse's mouth properly UNTIL the rider takes up a steady contact! Many single-joint bits are in this category. And then there are the bits that would not cause any pain if the rider were only competent... There are any number of horses that are greatly relieved and very happy when the rider stops using any kind of a bit.
The hackamore noseband should be high enough to rest on the bone of the horse's nose rather than on the cartilage, and it should be adjusted so that it doesn't drop onto the cartilage when the reins are slack - and when the reins are taut. If you place the noseband too low, on the cartilage, then yes, it can indeed hurt the horse and interfere with its breathing. But I would guess that your hackamore is adjusted correctly, since your horse is happy and calm.
Don't worry about "on the bit" - I suspect you've misunderstood what it means, anyway. Think about "on the aids" instead! It's a better and more accurate phrase. Both phrases are about balance and communication - meaning that you are in constant gentle communication with the horse, and he with you, so that you have a calm riding dialogue. "On the bit" in dressage terms refers to a particular carriage of head and neck that the horse develops AS A RESULT of long-term progressive correct training; it can come ONLY from such training, and is not something that can be attained in any other way. People tend to look at a horse that is "on the bit" and try to duplicate the only thing they can SEE - the head and neck position - but they shouldn't try. It doesn't work because it can't work. "On the bit" is not a frozen position, it's a live communication that is not just the result of a process and style of training, but is part of the training itself. You and your horse are just at the very beginning of this training. Keep him comfortable, happy, and able and willing to respond to your quiet signals quickly and cheerfully - and you'll have a horse that is truly "on the aids", listening to your legs and seat and balance and breathing, not just to your hands.
Of all the mechanical hackamores available, yours is the only design I could ever recommend. I have one in my barn - it's something I've used for years, for casual trail-riding. I used it because it let the horse go without a bit whilst still retaining enough freedom in the jaw to eat grass comfortably during breaks on trail-rides. ;-) But it was very limited and limiting - all the rider could say with it was "slow down" and "stop", which makes for a rather limited conversation. My mechanical hackamore is gathering dust on the barn wall right now.
There are other options you can explore - an English jumping hackamore, for instance, is less coercive than the mechanical hackamore, and allows the sort of lateral control that you would get from two leadropes and a halter. It's not much, but it's better than nothing. Or you could use a drop noseband with rings (adjusted higher, like a normal cavesson) and reins attached to the rings - this gives you a milder equivalent of a Western sidepull. Or you could use a Western sidepull - but the sort with a wide flat noseband rather than the pieces of lariat, which are quite severe. Or you might try something else entirely:
There's a very interesting bridle available, something that you might want to try, if you want to ride your horse without a bit AND you want to be able to school him and supple him and help him develop his physique and understanding. I find myself increasingly impressed with the Bitless Bridle (you can see photos at the bridle's website, www.bitlessbridle.com). This version of a bitless bridle is unique in that it actually promotes lateral communication and thus allows infinitely better communication overall, and allows you to work on the lateral as well as the longitudinal suppling of the horse. I would recommend it over any mechanical hackamore, because it doesn't limit the rider to longitudinal control of the horse. Once you can add lateral control, as you can with this bridle, the inherent limitations of the mechanical hackamore are no longer an issue - and you still don't have to use a bit.
Jessica
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