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A Horse Bosal
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A
bosal is a piece of equipment put on a horse's head for riding.
A bosal, when used with a hanger and mecate, is called a hackamore. The three main parts of a hackamore are:
- The hanger (sometimes called a headstall, this is the part that goes over the horse's head, behind the ears).
- The
mecate, or reins.
Traditional mecates are made from horsehair but some may be made from nylon or other synthetic materials. The nicer
horsehair mecates are made from mane hair, but some are made from tail hair, which is coarser.
- The bosal. The bosal goes around the nose of the horse and has a knot at the back, underneath the horse's chin.
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Above: A hackamore. |
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horse progresses he or she will usually move out of the hackamore and into a
bit. Although every horse trainer has their own way of
doing things, it is common for an unbroke horse to be
started in a snaffle bit, then moved into a snaffle and a hackamore together.
The horse then usually graduates to a hackamore alone. When the horse reaches an
advanced stage in the hackamore, it will often then be ridden in both a
hackamore and a curb bit, then
ultimately ridden in a curb bit alone. |
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Bosal Construction and Diameters
Bosals are commonly made from rawhide braided over a core also made of
rawhide. You
can sometimes find a
bosal with a metal core, but most
professionals despise these as being too rigid and wouldn't consider using this
type. Bosals have a large knot at the back, behind the horse's chin. The knot
provides weight so that when a rider touches the
mecate the shift in weight is
noticeable to the horse. Bosals come in a variety of diameters, with the
largest diameters usually used on the greenest (most inexperienced) horses and
the smaller diameters on more advanced horses.
"Hackamore" vs. "Mechanical Hackamore"
To most horse people a true hackamore is made up of a hanger, a mecate, and a bosal.
However, there is another piece of equipment that is also often called a
hackamore. This other hackamore, though, is more correctly referred to as a "mechanical hackamore." A
mechanical hackamore is also put on a horse's head for riding, but it is
considered a piece of equipment best used on a broke horse, not a horse in training. A mechanical
hackamore works off of leverage, whereas a
bosal
does not, so a mechanical hackamore can exert more force upon a horse by the rider,
whether intentionally or unintentionally. When talking to other horse people and
the term "hackamore" comes up, you may need to listen closely or even ask a few
questions to find out exactly which piece of equipment they are referring to. |
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Above: A mechanical hackamore. |
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