The nylon ones are are also pretty light. This was clearly a system invented in the desert. Out here, we’ll take the best we can get. And whatever feels nicest when it’s shoved down your pants.
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This^^
LOL! Stick with the alpaca! The mane hair mcCartys can be quite prickly on the skin, especially a new one that the stray hairs haven’t been rubbed off yet. You’ll end up cussing me for suggesting such a thing.
Rght, next dilemma. Outfitting yourself with one of these in the UK is hard. When I lived in CO, I went into a tackshop and walked out with a bosal. Easy.
Anyway, the hanger. I bodged it onto my English bridle for quick fitting purposes, then found a cheap Western headstall. But the loops that attach it to the bosal seem far too big. Had this problem on the English bridle as well.
I can’t find a good hanger here in the UK that is likely to fit my horse. He has a wide head, but very short. The guy who gets the bosals says his hangers only fit QH-types. Does anyone know where I can look in the States, or better yet, make this one somehow work for now?
Unless you’re riding a big fat stiff hackamore on a colt with fiador setup you should just use a latigo hanger.
The latigo hanger is supple enough to allow the bosal to engage and release quickly. A typical thick headstall tends to muddle it.
If you can I’d return the headstall.
My husband built several of these hangers(on the smaller hackamore) and the loop end style one is one that came on a Steve Guitron bosal I bought last year in haste as builders were way out on there build times. But you can just purchase the hanger from Steve. https://customrawhide.com/store/agora.cgi?xm=on&product=BHH
ETA: You can usually find them on eBay as well.
Or you can learn to do blood knots yourself and make your own out of latigo saddle strings?
Struggling to find one of those out here, and I would prefer one with a jowl strap. I just can’t get my head around the single strap around the back of the ears holding everything together. I cannot find one for love nor money. 
Just worked out that blood knot = double fisherman’s. I can tie those in my sleep. I’ve made a lot of prusiks when I was doing more rock climbing.
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If you don’t let a horse rub it, I’ve never had a horse rub it or shake it off. However have had a horse buck run front leg through mcCarty and rip it off his head. Lol! Very rare.
The other advantage of using just the thin latigo hanger is to keep your bosal and McCarty from breaking if you do get in a wreck. The weakest item is the the hanger and most likely it will beak before destroying your more expensive gear.
If you want to use a “throatlatch” you can do the same as we do to pull the hanger out of the eye by simply tying a string or another latigo piece on the cheek running it under the jowl (not the actual throatlatch) and tying to the opposite side.
Bosal progress finally being made. I eventually found a hanger in the UK, which seems to work. The bosal has been shaped and fits around his face nicely. He’s picked up how it works quickly – I figured he would because he goes beautifully in his English hackamore.
Here’s my next stupid question. Would you put it back on the shaper after using it, or once it’s shaped, will it stay that way?
If it holds it’s shape then I wouldn’t worry about it.
Cool. If it looks like it’s not, attach it to the block again. Teaching the horse how it worked was the easiest part of this whole process. He’s a clever wee guy.
I’m a bit surprised by how incurious my barnmates are. I’ve been riding around in this thing for a few days now, and I thought at least one person would ask me what it is. Brits can be strange and aloof sometimes.
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Just checking with you guys… Is this shaped correctly for his little face? We good or do I need to faff a bit more?
It’s pretty close. I’d at the very least bring the nose buttons in so they make contact with the face. In doing so you’ll have to widen out the sides closer to the heel knot.
Mane hair mecate…down your trousers…nobody’s going to do that more than once!!
Mine are nylon, because Scotland.
