When I first got Secret she was being ridden in a plain O-ring snaffle bit. After I started riding her, I noticed A LOT of head tossing and bracing against the bit. She was only three at the time and I knew that she might be having some teething issues, so I went to a nylon Indian bosal. She rode really well in that for two years but then I decided that I wasn’t super happy with the release it gave and, therefore, its usefulness as a teaching tool. So, I switched to a cross under bitless bridle. For us, this was totally useless. She ignored it, ran through it, and was just generally a witch! At that point, about three months ago, my trainer suggested going back to a snaffle bit. Secret took the bit fine and didn’t brace against it like she used to. She was responsive to it, but she was still running through it.
So, my problem was getting her stopped once she decided she was going. I didn’t have a problem with steering and I really want her to learn to neck-rein because its easier on the trail. I did some research and decided to try a Jim Warner Hackamore.
The Jim Warner is a mechanical hackamore that looks more like a medieval torture device than anything else. I talked to a lot of people at the tack shop about it before purchasing it and they had all positive things to say. But, afterwards I started reading about it on horse forums. The general consensus seemed to be that all mechanical hackamores are harsh and cruel and would only be used by the most inexperienced, insensitive, and inhumane horse person. Well, I’ve always subscribed to the theory that the bit is only as harsh (or as soft) as the hands, so I decided to give the evil mechanical hack a try.
My horse is so responsive and well-behaved in this hack that its mind-boggling!!! My goal is to eventually have her drop her head and travel down the trail pretty independently on a loose rein and when I do want to make a change I want her to listen to my body and seat BEFORE my hands. So, when I ride her in this hack I’m focusing on giving “steering” signals with (1) opposite rein against the neck, ie. neck reining, (2) body and legs, ie. turning my upper body, moving my outside leg back, and bending her around the inside leg, and (3) lastly very light pull and release, almost like a wiggle, on the direct rein. She’s starting to pick up on the neck reining very well actually. I’m debating getting a horsehair mecate rein as I’ve heard that the tickle of it against the neck encourages them to move away from it… not sure if it will really help that much?
Secondly, when I want to transition down a gait or stop I’m focusing on changing my body language and even the vocal cue to get her to drop down and I only reinforce with the rein if she’s not responding. Even then it’s a very light pick up of the rein, not a jerk or strong pull. She has only gotten a really sharp yank on this hack twice and both of them were when she spooked and jumped forward into my hands. The good side of this was that the pressure from the hack immediately shut her down as opposed to her running through it as she used to do with the bit and the cross-under.
I had thought that shutting her down in a “spook” situation would only scare her more, I mean horses like to move their feet when they’re scared right? But, much to my surprise, it actually seemed to keep her calmer. Instead of being able to take off and work herself up into a frenzy she was forced to stop and realize that nothing was about to eat her (she is actually smart enough to figure this out pretty quickly if you can get her stopped and turned around!).
So, overall I’ve been VERY satisfied with this medieval torture device. We’ve made a lot of progress in our schooling since I’ve started using it. Best of all, Secret doesn’t appear to mind it… in fact, she seems positively fond of the thing! I have a hard time getting it on her, not because she’s shying away from it, but because she is forcibly shoving her head into it and getting her lip caught on the curb chain! I’ve never seen a horse so eager to get their bridle put on :D
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