|
| |
Note: Links with green
underlines are shopping links and will open in a new window
A Horse Bosal
|
A
bosal is a piece of equipment put on a horse's head for riding.
A bosal is also called a hackamore. The three main parts of a bosal, or 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 itself. The bosal goes around the nose of the horse.
|
 |
|
In the photo, there is also a throatlatch
made from small diameter rope. |
| Typically, a bosal is used for training, and as the
horse progresses he or she will usually move out of the bosal 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 graduated to a bosal. When the horse reaches an
advanced stage in the bosal, it will often then be ridden in both a bosal and a curb bit, then
ultimately ridden in a curb bit alone. |
|
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 also have a large knot at the back, behind a 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 wide variety of diameters, with the
largest diameters usually used on the greenest (most inexperienced) horses and
the smaller diameters on the more advanced horses.
"Bosal" vs. "Hackamore"
|
As stated above, a bosal is also called a hackamore. However, there is another
piece of equipment for riding a horse often called a hackamore, so at times the
term "hackamore" can be very confusing.
Pictured at right: A mechanical hackamore. As you can see, a
mechanical hackamore is very different from a true hackamore, or bosal. |
 |
To most horse people, a bosal is considered to be a true hackamore. The other
type of hackamore is more correctly called 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.
|
How To...
|
What Is / Are...
|
|
