Hackamore?

[mizzymoo]

Whats the difference between the german and the english hackamore? i cant seem to find much info on the net?
can anyone help? or give any advice?

whats the pros and cons of using one?

 

[hellybelly6]

The german one is stronger due to the length of the shanks. The longer the shanks, the greater the leverage.

English hackamores are padded, german ones are not and the nosebands tend to be made of metal.

 

[Sol]

Would add that no hackamore is particularly great as far as steering, but the german is easier to combine with another bit (often see showjumpers with german hackamores & snaffles) so you add in something to turn with! Though I often used an english hackamore with a very mild bradoon-type snaffle.

Think as far as deciding wether to use one, it depends why! And I imagine that some horses love it, and some hate it. I used mine on my last horse and my welsh sec A only goes in a hackamore now, though have had no reason to try it on my current horse!

 

[Ludi-doodi]

I had to use one this year for a few week as Ludo decided to snap a tooth

! I found it really easy to use and didn't have a problem with steering. I even won a novice dressage test using it (with permission from judge/venue obviously

). The only thing to remember when using one is that when you 'give' with your hands you really need to make sure you 'give' due to the long shanks you can easily still have more contact than you actually need/want. The first time I used it I had my instructor with me telling me what to do. I found that I rode exactly the same except for being extra careful with the giving of the hands/contact. Ludo seemed to really like it. In fact I might dig it out again and have another go in it as he worked so well using it.