Dually halter and hackamore

Birker2020

Birker2020

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Whenever I ride my horse in his dually with reins he is so different. He is lighter in the hand, more responsive and I feel like I have a bowl of angel delight on the end of my reins rather than a sack of concrete which is how it feels with a conventional bit. - Don't get me wrong I am not blaming Bailey, its probably my fault as I don't have regular lessons, although we have always done okay jumping and dressaging - we were doing elementary and getting placed at one time, so not too bad!

He has always been a little bridle lame in a conventional bit, either a pelham or a snaffle but he is just so light and swings through so nicely from behind with the dually the difference is quite noticeable.

I have the opportunity of borrowing a hackamore. I am planning on having a little go with it either tonight or tommorow night after work and see if we get on okay with it.

I am going jumping on Saturday (only a little clear round). Do you think I should try it out on Saturday providing I have adequate control from my ride tonight? I trust my horse but I am a bit worried I might pull on his head if I get a little unbalanced on landing or if he puts in a big leap or something. But I am also quite an adventurous sort so feel it might be worth a try.

What do you think? Those that ride in a dually have you ever tried a hackamore? Any good?

I am guessing its the same as a dually in that it works on nose and poll pressure the same. Forgive my ignorance but the chin strap is a lot higher up than a curb chain isn't it?

I think the one I will borrow is a german hackamore as the cheeks are quite long.
 
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German hackamores have very long shanks on and your horse may not like the amount of poll pressure put on compared to say an English hackamore. You also need to factor in the steering in a hackamore is a lot different to a dually so you may want to ride at home a few times to really get a good feel for it. My horse went fine in a dually but hated the hackamore because of the tightening on his nose but hes fussy. I would play it by ear but i would definitely try and use a English hackamore first before a German one if possible :) good luck!
 
StormyMoments said:
German hackamores have very long shanks on and your horse may not like the amount of poll pressure put on compared to say an English hackamore. You also need to factor in the steering in a hackamore is a lot different to a dually so you may want to ride at home a few times to really get a good feel for it. My horse went fine in a dually but hated the hackamore because of the tightening on his nose but hes fussy. I would play it by ear but i would definitely try and use a English hackamore first before a German one if possible :) good luck!
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Hmmm. Maybe jumping in it won't be such a good idea then.
I think i will see how I get on tonight and take it from there. But I suppose riding in it on the flat and jumping are a whole different ball game. Maybe a little cross pole to see if I can stop the other side first! lol :)
 
I do not mean to hijack your thread but I would be interested to know what type of bitless bridle is closest to a dually.
 
applecart14 said:
Hmmm. Maybe jumping in it won't be such a good idea then.
I think i will see how I get on tonight and take it from there. But I suppose riding in it on the flat and jumping are a whole different ball game. Maybe a little cross pole to see if I can stop the other side first! lol :)
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You'll be able to stop all right. A german hackamore is a serious piece of kit, and you need to be utterly confident that you won't use the reins to rebalance yourself if thing go wrong. It is possible to do untold damage with one of these without trying very hard. I use one for hacking and flat schooling, but very very carefully.

Steering will be an issue...
 
applecart14 said:
Hmmm. Maybe jumping in it won't be such a good idea then.
I think i will see how I get on tonight and take it from there. But I suppose riding in it on the flat and jumping are a whole different ball game. Maybe a little cross pole to see if I can stop the other side first! lol :)
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Maybe jumping your horse isn't a good idea at all given his soundness issues, however jumping in a hackamore (particularly a German one with very long shanks) is a very bad idea.

P
 
Auslander said:
You'll be able to stop all right. A german hackamore is a serious piece of kit, and you need to be utterly confident that you won't use the reins to rebalance yourself if thing go wrong. It is possible to do untold damage with one of these without trying very hard. I use one for hacking and flat schooling, but very very carefully.

Steering will be an issue...
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That, pretty much. There is a serious amount of leverage produced by a long shanked hackamore! Would you jump in a Pelham with shanks that long for the first time in a competition? They do have their place, usually on horses that can get very strong or to produce a very specific response.

Riding without a bit is another matter and there are all sorts of options ranging from very mild sidepulls to cross unders to various leverage options. As with bits, different ones suit different horses and situations.

I'm not that keen on the feel in a dually - the running nose rope gives a very inexact feel to me - but some people seem to like it and, if you've used it the ground it does have the advantage of being familiar.
 
"I do not mean to hijack your thread but I would be interested to know what type of bitless bridle is closest to a dually."

Micklem bridle on the softest setting i think :)
 
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A dually headcollar is basically a side-pull bridle. A mild form of bitless bridle, a hackamore is a lot stronger. A dually doesn't tighten round the nose like a hackamore will and there is also no poll pressure in a dually. A dually and q hackamore are both different to a Dr. Cooks cross under bridle.

Steering with the dually is possible by using the reins, its similar to steering from the reins in a snaffle. In a hackamore a feel on one rein mainly produces leverage on that side so you need to be able to use weight, legs etc to steer. It's like when you see people riding from the reins in a 3ring bubble bit with the reins on the bottom ring, as the rider tries to steer by pulling the rein all that happens is leverage on that side so they pull harder, the horse raises its head in discomfort and the overall effect is one of a tense rider and horse with little real control. You'll get the same effect in an English hackamore if you try to ride predominantly off the reins and it will be amplified again in a German hackamore. You certainly don't want to be going over a jump and giving your horse a jab with one.

Why don't you buy a leather side-pull if your horse goes well in that style of bridle?
 
If a side-pull isn't strong enough you could try a scawbrig its similar to a side-pull but a less distinct action as tightens round the nose (nowhere else) when pressure is applied to the reins.

ETA If its big enough, changing the position of the rope on the dually so it sits under the jaw similar to a curb chain instead of across the nose will give you the action of the scawbrig bridle if you wanted to try it out before buying. Libbys used to sell a webbing version and I think the micklem bridle has a scawbrig setting too.
 
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Similar but slightly different to a scawbrig is the Lightrider, again just noseband pressure but slightly different.
 
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