Hackamore - do you use one?

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moneypit1

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Just wondered if anyone used a hackamore and if so what made you try it in the first place? If you do, how do you find them? Fly fusses a lot with his head and he has had his teeth checked but he has a very large tongue. Just wondered if it was worth trying a hackamore?
 
I used one on my horse who is very fussy in her mouth. I picked mine up on Ebay for about £10.

It worked ok, but I found my pony quickly learnt to just run straight through it and I was having to be very strong with it, especially XC which I didn't really like.

Just my experience though.
 
Well the horse that I am buying also has a large tongue and wasn't happy in his bit, so we tried a hackamore and he rode like a different horse, he isn't strong anyway and I didn't find that I had to apply much pressure for him to stop.I guess it depends on each horse, but going on my experiences try it, there are different types of bitless bridles, some more severe that others.He certainly must have felt better though as he rode beautifully with no fighting me and had his ears forward all the way, that said I have only walked, trotted and cantered him and popped a small jump.
 
My mare was always very fussy in her mouth so I put her in an english pattern hackamore out of desperation. She was a different horse. Eventually we found out she had a fractured occult woolftooth so no wonder she was unhappy in a bit. I rode her in the hackamore for the last 10 years of her life and she was a very happy bunny in it.
 
I put my cob in a hackamore for a while after he'd been too strong out hunting and made sores on the sides of his mouth from me pulling on his bit! He settled in it straight away and went veyr nicely in it, almost as well as he would with a bit in. The only problem I found was turning was a bit of a problem and he did used to lean on the hackamore a lot (it was an english hackamore), so once his mouth had healed I put him back in a bit. But I do like hackamores, I used to use it a lot for hacking and had perfect control in it (though my horse was rarely strong anyway (except when hunting!)). I would see no harm in trying one, just remember that (very annoyingly) they are illegal for dressage so if you wanted to compete him in this you would need to find a bit he goes well in too. Out of interest what bit is Fly in at the moment?
 
English or German?

My cob was vague in an English...he needed to have the more stronger German version.

Now very responsive in a long shank Mylor Combi....
 
Paintedlady, fly is in a loose ring snaffle which is fine except when on fun rides or jumping. Most of the time he is not strong but on fun rides he is a different horse and I use the Tom Thumb for extra control for turning etc when jumping.
 
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