Backing horses in a hackamore?

[PapaFrita]

Been to see a few potential polo ponies lately (not for me, but I can't resist looking at horses!!) and I noticed how very, very light and soft in the mouth they are despite only being recently backed. I was told they were all started in a hackamore before being put in a conventional bit and that it ensures that they have soft mouths. Fabian has been backing a youngster at our yard and he's been using a hackamore too.
I wondered if western horses are also started in a hackamore (as horses here are very often ridden in curbs as Western) and if anyone could explain the pros and cons of starting neddies in this way.
Thankies

 

[flyingfeet]

I think bosals are a favourite for training youngters in western riding.

The neck reining in polo and western is very important, and you don't teach that on the mouth.

In general these disciplines require collection without a constant pressure on the mouth so most tend to be better 'mouthed' than a english trained youngster that is used to lbs of pressure on the mouth (often reinforced with the use side reins)

 

[threeponies]

I backed and rode my mare in a scawbrig for years, eventuall y went to a bitted bridle due to grazing while working.

 

[Tia]

I back all my western horses bareback and in headcollars; and a lot of my friends do the same. They are ridden out for a couple of months like this and once they are clear on their directional movements in the headcollars then, and only then, are they ridden in bitted bridles. All of them are bitted during the groundwork though so they are quite familiar with bits; I just leave them out during the initial stages of backing.

 

[lucemoose]

PF- friends in texas start their horses off in bosals- the weight at the bottom of the teardrop shaped noseband, and the thick woven reins act as a series of weighted hinges. Bit like the overpriced tat that parellie sells! So when the rein is picked up the weight shifts somewhat and they never have to use the rein in such a manner that they are hauling dead weight in the nose. The action of neckreining also shifts the weight in the nose, and the feel of the reins on the neck. The bosal is then combined with a simple sweet iron snaffle, again barely any rein needs to be used. Most of their roping team use snaffles, only a few horses are in short curbs and thats because they were bought after they were started in curbs, were hauled around abit and are alittle deader in the mouth.
sorry for the essay, but I was fascinated when this was all explained to me!

 

[vicijp]

Good question, I ahve been thinking about this myself.
Due to the ongoing saga of Argy Bargy land I have been seriously considering it. However, have gone in the opposite direction and seem to have cracked him.

 

[wattsy]

yes, quite a few western trainers will start in a bosal, then a snaffle, then on to a curb. Actually a very classical art, originating from the Moorish occupation of the Iberian peninsula, which in turn ended up in California from the Spanish that settled there. If you google 'Benny Guitron' you should be able to find out more; he is numero uno in the US in the art of the hackamore.