The Art of Natural Dressage

Please tell me if this needs further adjustment before I add sheepskin. There is felt under the nose pad. Also I want to add more keepers so the adjustment straps stay in place.





Please also any other comments about this "bitless arrangement" in case I am missing something hurtful or harmful or just plain unpleasant. Freckles will be grateful, and so will I.

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Glen Grobler

Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

I think that it's in the right height, and that the straps are fitted well too, but I'm not really an expert in hackamores. I do know however that due to the lever-action of the metal bars, it's quite a harsh bridle because it squeezes the nose and jaw together in a kind of nutcracker-action. Other bitless bridles like those of DR Cook do squeeze the horses' head too, but as there is no leverage, you won't give the same effect as the hackamore that easily.

I can't see it very well, but it also seems like the metal bars are quite long in your bridle, and longer bars place more pressure on the nose than smaller bars, when you squeeze the reins the same amount. Do you think you need the nutcracker-effect with her? Because most horses, when being trained in a safe, fenced off area have no trouble at all being ridden with a regular stable halter. Maybe it's an option to try that first?

I love the orange ears by the way, as if they were dipped in paint!

Puh, that´s quite a sharp bridle you got there. When I was a child and got in touch with bitless riding for the first time, an old horseman told told me that bitless was nice, BUT that I should never ever use a mechanical hackamore, because of that nutcracker-effect. At that point I didn´t even know what a mechanical hackamore was, and when I tried to get some information, it was stated that it was invented to get rodeo horses under control who didn´t react to the bit anymore and that it only belonged into the hand of highly skilled riders on highly skilled horses, firstly because of its sharpness and secondly because it should only be used one-handed (quite logical if you look at the shanks, just imagine what they do when you pull sideways, but I know that there are people who use it with two hands...). Sorry, Glen, I know how happy you are that you got it. But please be careful with that.

Hi Miriam.

Thanks for your reply.

I'm asking for comments because I know a hackamore can be as harsh as a curb.

I have loosened the recommended "setting" - in the first picture the noseband is "falling towards the lips" when the instructions say it should be straight, and on the second picture I have taken the reins up until I felt a very light "contact" so now there should be very little nutcracker effect because I can only rotate the shanks another 10 degrees and then the reins and shanks will be in a straight line.

Also, I have enough sheepskin to pad the poll, chin and nose.

BUT, if he spooks I can "get his attention" with a quick "lift and release" of the reins (high hands like in American gaited horse-riding.) Because he is so young and inexperienced I want to have that available for emergencies for a while.

I rode my first pony in an arrangement similar to this because she attacked anyone who showed her a bridle (from prevoius abuse) so I have some practice to call on.

I think I can be very gentle. I need to be able to stop him if he is unable to think and "takes-off", which he has done once before when a dog jumped almost under his feet, so he had a good reason - but he is VERY strong.

I do want a "proper" bitless bridle, but must wait a few months for the savings to be enough, and I thought this would be better than the snaffle in the meantime ...

I haven't used this on him except for as you see in these pictures, and this is only the second time I have put it on him.

I am hoping for enough discussion here to make a decision - snaffle until I can afford the bitless, or this ... because it's what I've got.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Romy, good points.

I want to correct one thing - I wasn't so much "happy" when I got it as curious about if it will fit him, and whether he might re-act better to it than the snaffle while I save for a bitless - probably from Equihof - but the exchange rate creates a time-problem.

I didn't know this was called a "mechanical hackamore" or what it's history was. Do you now more? One of my friends showed me a thing which I knew was some kind of hackamore, so I oiled it and put Dubbin on until it was soft, and now I have "tried" it on him for about 10 minutes to get comments and opinions.

I know that hackamore shanks are supposed to be joined - I am busy on that from some of my leather scraps - because they can twist and then scrape the cheek.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Sorry, I don´t know more, because I never considered to use it, so I didn´t investigate it any further.

Concerning your other question whether to use a bit or this... as I have written somewhere here before, I am really scared of using bits since something went terribly wrong with my neighbour and one of his donkeys in my childhood. I wasn´t able to touch reins anymore after that without having a very bad feeling. Oh, and I stopped to use bits after that incident whenever I rode a horse where I could decide. So I am surely not the most positive person concerning bits. But personally I would clearly prefer a bit over this hackamore. This is because a snaffle is direct. The force you put into it with your hands is what reaches the horse´s head. And from a snaffle I have never heard any horror stories about breaking the jaw...

But then to me this is a more basic problem - to what extend am I willing to inflict discomfort or pain on my horse in order to keep him under control or when do I change the situation instead so that he doesn´t get out of control? Which situations do I prefer to avoid if I can´t master them painless? But this doesn´t belong here, since you have asked about your bridle and not about principle discussions.

Romy,

Could a thing like this break a jaw? REALLY? Bliksem! That is news to me!



Ah, yes. The principles. I won't knowingly place him where he might spook. BUT certain people keep bringing their dogs to the yard, and not all the dogs have horse-sense!

And, yes, I have taken my dog. And, no, she doesn't have horse-sense. BUT I keep her on a lead in her harness, so she can't run under horses!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

I don´t know. That´s what the old man told me. He´s had plenty of horses in his life, but I guess he has as little personal experiences with that kind of bridle as I do.

The pressure from these hackamore's is under the curb strap not at the nose, I would add sheepskin to the curb strap. I have seen horses get cut up using western curb chains on these before... Very little pressure from the reins equals a great pressure on the horse. These are normally used on very strong horses and horses that pull the reins.

It looks like it fits fine and used with soft giving hands you should be fine.

So, I should move the reins higher up the shank to make it better for Freckles?

My husband says that's quite simple - drill several holes, use "rein-connectors" and experiment until safe!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

That's a idea!

Another problem with shanks on a bit (or bridle ) is that they encourage horses to go behind the vertical, curling in their head because like you wrote, then the shanks become horizontal and the nutcracker effect disappears.

But if you want control for safety, you can also use a regular ropehalter and teach your horse the one-rein stop. With that stop you disconnect the hindquarters from the horse, and make running away physically impossible. It's an emergency stop and not something you want to use on regular basis, but it's safer than just a harsh bridle (because a horse then still can bolt by just ignoring the pain on his head, as they show by running away even with the heaviest bits) as it really goes to the basis of the problem: the fact that your horse is running.

I think that that would be a safer alternative than just a stronger bridle - both for your horse and yourself!

Hi, Miriam

I made a rope halter (with advice from Danny Levin) and Freckles shakes his head a lot - even when I have no lead-rope on it. Until I figure out why, I don't want to use it much. Maybe a rope halter was used to gentle him?

I do know that a few weeks before I met Freckles, one of his half-brothers was killed in a "training accident." This particular colt was always "stand-offish" which he learned from his mother being over-protective (they had not bred her before and won't in future) and he spooked while being led between pastures. The lead rope wrapped around his front legs and tripped him. He broke his neck.

I think it's reasonable to assume Freckles knows about this, even though he was from the previous year's breeding, and was in a pasture away from the accident.

Whatever his reasons, Freckles seems less comfortable with a rope halter than with even his snaffle bridle. I have been taking him grazing in it hoping to create a lot of "positive association" and will have to wait and see on that.

He does know a version of the one-rein-stop, because at the walk I often ask (with seat and legs only) for smaller and smaller circles to a "bent" halt as a flexibility exercise. Most of our riding is still done at a walk as it's only been 2 months!

Other riders think I'm nuts when I refuse to "ask" for a canter, and only trot for a few meters at a time!

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Just to clarify what this all about - I'm trying to figure out a way that I can safely ride young Freckles to the grazing areas, and then ride him home again a few hours later.

I don't have much "walking stamina" and anyway he walks so fast that I've got no chance of keeping up, so at the moment I walk along while he does lots of little circles around me! While this is very cute, and good for his flexibility, I don't want it to become "normal" to him.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

Hi, Melanie

Sorry I didn't answer you ealier - I got wrapped up in my shock at what Romy told about breaking jaw-bones!



Thanks for the input. I have already started making sheepskin "sausages" for the poll and chin, as well as a new pad for the nose. Oh yes, and the "link" for the bottom of the shanks so that they can't dig into the side of the face.

I am always being told "Take up your contact!! Your hands are too soft!" by my instructors, as well as "Rider is too sympathetic" on my "tests." I think this is because I was originally taught by a Spaniard who believed reins were there for emergencies only, and my pony had been used for some informal "rodeo" and was terribly hurt in the mouth and by spurs from hip to ears. I used to ride her in a webbing halter with one rein.

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Glen Grobler



Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled. Anon

maybe making the shank shorter is also a good idea, I heard the jawbreaking stories too, don't know if it is real, but I do know it is a strong bit, and if, in case of emergency, you pull the reins, not even willingly, at least you cannot hurt him too much...