Would a hackamore help???

[hrhmika]

I have a ex-racer, and he is always been a bit funny in the mouthh but have a quaility dentish ect so that is all taken care of, in the showjumping, i want to help him take on a more forward rhythm and help him to take on the fences, i have heard that a hackamore can some times helpt his, i know its a bit garbbled but any info on pros and cons of a hackamore ect would be much appreciated

p.s. i am quite aware that bit changing does not make up for not training properly, i have regualr training sessions and look very broadly at all aspects including my riding ect so please can we not have any abusive comments about how i should learn to ride properly before playing with bits ect. please, its christmas, time to be merry!! even with 1ft snow outside. just want info on hackamores.

 

[lassiesuca]

Well; it's definitely worth the experiment!

I brought my boy up bitless, but found it wasn't quite for us ( he doesn't respond to pressure on his nose well and I didn't want to tug, so he's now in a full cheek snaffle); but if it's his teeth/gums, then definitely- although, I would wait a while to make sure he is all okay, as sometimes pressure on the nose area can put pressure on their mouth still.

Amy x

 

[maiziemoomoo]

I ride my girl in a hackamore - shes prone to bridle lameness which basically means she bobs her head which causes her to look lame when shes actually not!!!

I swap on a regular basis between a snaffle bit and a hackamore. She goes lovely in it. I jump senior BSJA in it also.

Give it a go and see what you think!!

x

 

[dominobrown]

Although hackamore's can be useful bits of kit, you wanted pros and cons.
I have seen a horse bolt on the beach, wearing a hackamore, the rider wasn't fantastic, and she pulled so hard and the leverage action of the hackamore (was a german one) broke the horse's nasal bone. eeewww. user beware!
I think a lot of bitless bridles are not always more comfortable for the horse and can be quite dangerous. Also if used all the time surely the nerves will deaden and the area become numb? (same can be agrued with a normal bit though I suppose).

A lot of ex-racers are funny in mouth, as often they understand the bit differently (or not at all!). I think you would be right to try a hackamore, and keep trying other bits etc. My horse is a bit odd (in more ways than one) and he like his kk ultra snaffle. Found most horses find them comfy.

 

[showjumpergirl]

Borrow one if you can (an English hackamore would probably be best to begin with), it's worth a try and remember that you can use them with snaffles at the same time (not sure how you'd arrange the bridle, but I've seen people compete with the two. Good luck

 

[lynds81]

I had a vaguely similar thing with one of my eventers: she was a bit too strong in a snaffle, but if you put anything else in she didn't really like it, because she was very sensitive at the same time.

We jumped her in a hackamore because it meant that she would take me to the fence more and I still had good control. The only thing we then struggled a bit with, was the fact that it made her drop her head sometimes, and bring her nose into her chest, which then made jumping a bit awkward. I think it depends a little as to whether the horse is inclined to go head up or head down as to how good a hackamore will be, but definitely worth a try!

 

[quirky]

I'm riding mine in an English Hackamore at the moment as she has unerupted lower wolf teeth. She is terribly uncomfortable with a bit in, we are waiting to see if her teeth erupt before we start trying to dig them out, hence riding with no bit.

I find the main problem I have is steering. If I put my leg on to turn, she tends to run on and we then end up with braking issues. I'm not keen on hacking her out, she's pretty bomb proof but if she does take umbrage at something, her instinct is to turn away. I don't find the hackamore gives me enough control in this situation, so I don't solo hack for the time being.

Given a choice, I wouldn't choose to ride in a hackamore.

 

[stilltrying]

I went through a spell using an English hackamore for jumping with my horse – he was quite bossy/rushy and resisted any contact on approach to a fence which then made him hollow. He seemed to accept the hackamore a lot more and was more relaxed coming to the fence.

I did have a few steering issues to start with but soon got used to it. The only other issue is I have found I don’t have as much control in certain situations – i.e. he had an excited bucking fit out hacking and I couldn’t get his head up – ended up pulling the bridle around, thus poking him in the eye which seemed to antagonise him even more!!

 

[JessandCharlie]

Have you looked at a Micklem or Dr Cook's? Another thread has got me thinking about those today Not used a Micklem myself, but we have used a Dr Cook's on my little sister's pony and it really helped her, made her more consistent in her carriage and, even better, her rhythm. She generally seemed happier in it. Might be worth looking into; it has a totally different action to a hackemore, but I found it very useful

 

[Bryndu]

Sorry to butt in but......if you are having issues with your beastie not going forwards to the fence a hackamore/bitless is probably not the answer. It is mainly used to help with a strong pulling, over eager horse whose mouth you want to keep.
May I suggest as he has comes from racing that you practice jumping ascending spreads, (not ginormous) to encourage him to stretch out a little more as you can approach on a bit of a faster stride.
Good luck
Bryndu