# Pros' and Con's of a Hackamore?



## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

There are hackamores (softly padded, short shanked) and there are hackamores (long shanks, thin and sharp nosebands), but, even more than that, there are riders and then there are those who should not ever come close to a horse. Hackamores cannot be blamed when extremely poor horsemanship is at play. I ride my gelding in a little S hackamore with a wide, soft noseband and he is a happy and willing lad.


----------



## Run4Home2012 (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks I think this video was more of the rider.


----------



## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

The device on this horse is known as a "mechanical" hackamore. The long shanks greatly multiply the effect of pressure applied by the reigns. Few rider's realize or even think about the cause and effect difference of such leverage.

The unbalanced seat and insecure body language of the rider in the video is a clear indication that this rider does not know how to ride in a way that is beneficial to either horse or rider.


----------



## DanielDauphin (Mar 11, 2014)

Mechanical hackamores are about as similar to a real hackamore as a donkey is to an elephant.

As TXhorseman said, a mechanical hack is WAY stronger than most people realize. The nasal bone of a horse, where the hackamore puts pressure, is also a very, very thin and frail bone. 

I hate mechanical hacks with a passion...

As to the video, was the motorcross helmet a tip off as to what was to come? I wouldn't hold that against her.


----------



## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

Hackamores like bits, spurs, crops etc. are tools and are as gentle or as harsh as the hands/feet holding them.

We ride in a variety of hackamores, bits and saddles at my house depending upon what we are doing.

The hackamore on the horse in that video is not the problem, it is clearly the rider. 

So glad she is working out for your mom, and away from those idiots.


----------



## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

To use any device properly, one should understand how the device is designed to work. This can be achieved through study and/or through experience.

Imagine what would happen if someone who has only driven a single car with stiff mechanical steering unknowingly begins driving a car with assisted power steering. Unless the driver is in a large open area, an accident may very well be the result. 

When a similar circumstance happens with a horse, the horse -- and sometimes the rider -- pays the price.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I think there were a lot more problems in that video than the hackamore - in fact the hackamore was probably the least of them
We've worked many horses that had become afraid of bits for some reason in English hackamores - I currently have a Stubben hackamore that I really like but the shanks are short and the noseband very well padded
Its like anything else - in the wrong hands they can be bad - in the right hands just another tool


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I can assure you I have ridden in a mechanical hackamore many a time and never got a reaction like that. That video was........a train wreck. :evil:

The poor horse was scared before the guy even mounted up. He had the reins all tightened up and the horse had no release of pressure. The saddle looked like a cheap piece of junk and appeared to be rocking up and down on her back. All of those things are enough to scare and confuse a horse. It was just awful to watch.

While I am open to the fact a mechanical hack might not be the best form of equipment, back when I was a greener rider I used them all the time on my broke trail horses without issue. You have to treat it like a curb bit (realize it has a lot of leverage) and not hang on the reins. 

Actually, a lot of endurance riders use a "Little S" mechanical hack (lower leverage than a lot of other western style hacks) and it works out well for them. So, while the merits of a mechanical hackamore can be debated, it was clearly operator error in this video. The horse was clearly in a severe state of fear and they pushed her anyway. It just makes me mad. :-x 

And the whole way the video was edited was made to be dramatic and show the horse off in a bad way. :evil::evil::evil::evil::evil:


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

PS. Watching that video again I think that saddle is way too wide for the horse. It may or may not be a part of the issue, but it certainly can't be helping things. And the guy can't ride worth a *#$!


----------



## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

DanielDauphin said:


> Mechanical hackamores are about as similar to a real hackamore as a donkey is to an elephant.
> 
> As TXhorseman said, a mechanical hack is WAY stronger than most people realize. The nasal bone of a horse, where the hackamore puts pressure, is also a very, very thin and frail bone.
> 
> I hate mechanical hacks with a passion...


Ditto.

Just to get an idea what pressure they put on a horse, get a friend. Bend your arm and put your elbow in the mechanical hack. Have the friend pull on the reins. When I did this I thought :-o:shock:. You can see from this exercise how EASY it is to overpull on a mechanical hack and what your horse will feel. Yea, not something I'd ever put on my horse.


----------



## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

I think a mechanical hackamore needs to be thought of as a curb bit. It has shanks and uses leverage like a curb bit. So when you see the guy holding the reins tight like he does in the video, just imagine him doing that in a curb bit with similar shanks and you realize why it's uncomfortable for the horse.

That doesn't make the hackamore evil anymore than it makes a curb bit evil when handled the same way.

I use curb bits ever time I ride and I used to use mechanical hacks (I prefer the ones with the flat noseband) and if the horse is soft to it and responds well you never have to use much rein pressure. It's like riding in a curb, but not with as much finesse.


----------



## verona1016 (Jul 3, 2011)

It's obvious that poor horse was frightened before the guy got on (who knows what was done to her before the camera started rolling?) and I doubt the guy would be wearing that helmet if he didn't expect the behavior they got.

Between that very long shanked mechanical hackamore being used with tight reins and the very poorly fitted saddle, I'm not surprised that she was acting out. Horses tend to be rather stoic creatures, but there's a limit to how much they can put up with before it's just too much.


----------



## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

trailhorserider said:


> I think a mechanical hackamore needs to be thought of as a curb bit. * * * That doesn't make the hackamore evil anymore than it makes a curb bit evil when handled the same way.


Well, we'll just have to disagree. You can put SOOO much more pressure with a mechanical hack with SOOO little effort, it does not equate with the same pressure used with a curb. 

But if a person is happy with a mechanical hack, more power to you. It is just not something I would ever use.


----------



## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

Just like any other piece of tack, it is only as harsh as the person holding the reins. 

I feel bad for the poor horse in the video. That guy is a moron. While the hackamore isn't helping things, he clearly is hanging on the bit and flinging all over the place like a monkey. 

Especially in the winter, I very frequently ride my horse in a Little S Hackamore. 










Brittany Pozzi very commonly rides her world champion barrel racing horse Duke in her hackamore design. 











In my opinion, hackamores tend to make a horse "stiffer" so they can be very useful when working with an overly bendy-type horse.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

2012 Olympic silver medalist Gerco Schroder and Glocks London competes in a hackamore and isn't looking as if he's in severe pain or in any way restricted in his movement by it
This clip from the Aachen 2014 Nations Cup
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyoHrNSlitU


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

this is not a thread to critique that guy's riding. 

the op thinks that the hackamore is causeing that hrose to buck, and I highly doubt that is the issue. the guy isn't really cranking it back all that hard, the hrose is bucking and putting a tight pull into it. the reins are very short and he is unable to give the horse more line, and to be honest, no one would give more line to a hrose that is about to go bucking. 
nor is the guy being particularly cruel with his feet to the horse. he isn't gouging it with his leg or anything. 

the horse has problems , could be related to how it was ridden or it's tack, but it's not due to that guy;s riding , right then.

whether the saddle is too small or not is very hard to discern from a one minute video of bucking.


----------



## BreakableRider (Aug 14, 2013)

OP, the hackamore doesn't have much to do with why the horse is behaving as she is in the video. 

It's apparent that before the man ever mounts that there will be problems, it wouldn't matter what equipment was on or off of the horse. The hackamore is obviously being used incorrectly and the saddle does not fit, but there would be issues regardless. 

This horses needed a loose rein. I did not see this horse go to buck once. I did see a horse that I was worried would try flipping over backwards at one point. Beyond that, it's obvious that this horse wasn't inclined to go forward, and pulling back the entire time was only making the issue worse. I would have turned the horses head off to the side and used a dressage whip to back up my leg to get that butt moving, first by disengaging the horse to get the horse used to moving off pressure in a safe spot then forward. Unfortunately, a hackamore with shanks that length aren't conductive to what needed to happen. 

Hackamores are perfectly fine to ride in if the rider has educated hands and the horse is prepared for that piece of equipment. This, was neither of those things. 

OP, if you are wondering how your mare would do in a hack now, start in a side pull on the ground to ensure that you can flex her head and that she understands the pressure. Then ride her as you would a green horse as it will be a new feel for her. Think of a sidepull as the snaffle equivalent in the bitless world and a mechanical hack such as this as a curb bit.


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

yes, that horse needs to go forward, forward, forward. 

but, back to the pro's and cons of Hackamores . . . .


----------



## HarleyWood (Oct 14, 2011)

i have a little s hack for my quarter horse and he usually has a short shank dog bone that was the only thing he would listen in. and i got the hackamore at an auction for $5 with a bridle and reins thinking it may work and he loves it. hes calm and relaxed with it but he still can work in it. and i can put his bit in and hes just the same. i use to ride with a halter but he could still just walk out of it. ill be using the hackamore this winter on him and possibly my other two so the bits arent frozen icicles for them. i only let a few people ride my horses that i know arent going to be harsh with them because Harley does have a shank... and i dont need them to have someone pulling on their mouths.


----------



## Run4Home2012 (Nov 19, 2014)

Thanks everyone


----------

