long stuff
below follows random exchanges over the years RE bosals from back in the day…I have tried to make them easier to read and added the year published
Tamara
me in Bold
You will also want the
> horse to drop its head some but not level like a QH as the conformation of a
> TWH doesnt allow that.
actually a level topline (except in stub necked padded horses) is possible
…preferable and is the only way to lock in a gait naturally…
> A Bosal is definitely contraindicated here. The Bosal normally follows a
> snaffle and only if the horse is flexing and on the bit. The bosal is used to
> lighten a horse but it has to have the prepatory training prior to using it
and
> this horse doesnt have that training.
no… bosals work wonders in gaited horses and are employed at our farm
regularly on these very animals…doubling and fence work bring the
flexion and bending…that a bosal follows a snaffle is an incorrect modern
notion… that has come from the show world…for an example of our work
with gaited horses and bosals please visit
dead link/url] The left photo is Caj winning
the WGC as a two year old …the second is Caj in a bosal bareback (well
blanket<G>) after only five weeks here…level topline relaxed face and
back…happy guy… we follow the teachings of Ed Connell and Verne
Albright…(very pre - horsewhisperer-guru nonsense)
> TWH are hot horses anyway
[B]
again I must disagree…the very nature that allows then to be
mistreated in the show ring causes them to be the MOST docile of the horse breeds…second only to drafts in my opinion…(and I have trained Arabs,
QH’s ,drafts and walkers successfully)
Respectfully,
–
Tamara in TN
1998[/B]
my pal Phetsy in Bold
Benedicte Bascle wrote:
> Someone recently said bosals were reserved for experienced riders, as
> were hackamores. There, a small neurone fired in my brain, and thus I
> ask: is a bosal a hackamore?
[B]Benedicte, you get the Semantic Question of the Day Award!
I discourse:
The English word “hackamore” comes from the Spanish word “jaquima”
(hah-KEE-mah), which word means something between “halter” and
“headpiece.” “Bosal” (boh-SAHL) means “noseband.”
When the Spaniards brought their training methods to the New World,
they brought along the use of the jaquima and the bosal. They became the
standard horse-training items in the parts of New Spain that would later
join the U.S. (California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, parts of
Wyoming). The Anglo[parlante], or English-speaking, horsemen of the
area turned ‘jaquima’ into ‘hackamore,’ and used the later term to designate
the complete headpiece (loosely, ‘bridle’) of bosal, hanger, and mecate
(mare hair reins). ‘Jaquima’ came to be used for a specialized piece of
equipment, namely a headpiece knotted out of rope or light cord.
In the last 15 years or so, ‘hackamore’ has become a common phrase for
any sort of bitless bridle, and ‘bosal’ has come to be used for the braided
leather, rawhide, or hair rope noseband.
So, if all that detail has not caused you to go on to the next post, a bosal is,
correctly speaking, a part of a hackamore, but is commonly used to refer
to the entire headpiece.[/B]
>Why does it require an experienced hand?
It is extremely easy to fit or use incorrectly. Please note that
I am speaking here of the ‘bosal’ or ‘Spanish hackamore,’ the braided
noseband/hanger/mecate combination.
The most common way to misuse the device is to use it ineffectively, usually
by trying to use both reins at once. The bosal is, of all the devices, the most
completely lateral device. It effectively has no curbing (longitudinal) effect.
Thus one can use it to best effect when stopping only by taking care to shorten
one rein more than the other.
Because of this lateral bias, the device cannot be used with any real effect
unless the rider is capable of moving the horse into the bosal with her
seat. Actually it would be better to say that the seat works with the hands
to direct the horse in all motions. This also has to do with the fact that it
is actually a lifting device, and has effect when the lifted reins bring the
jawpieces into contact with the jaws of the horse. At the same time, the
rider should ride the horse forward with his seat. These cause the horse
to lengthen his neck. The nosebutton of the bosal then presses gently on
the front of the horse’s nose, which causes him to flex slightly. The rider
must then immediately lower the reins or the horse will not learn that
flex=release.
One must also be aware that each bosal rein works on the opposite
side of the jaw, i.e., picking up the right rein works on the left jaw.
> I have always believed from what I have heard on this forum that it
> was meant for young horses, and thus I have assumed it was very
> gentle.
It is exactly like any other head-signalling device, in that the harshness
or gentleness of the item lies only in the hands using it. It is of course
perfectly harmless to the mouth, because it sits around the horse’s muzzle.
For the most part, it is a very gentle device, as long as one bears in mind
the following points:
[B]*Although it has no bearing surface in the mouth, the bosal bears on a
area about 1/2-in in width that completely encircles the horse’s muzzle
except for a small area directly behind the chin.
*One must take care not to abrade large areas of the jaw through the action
of the bosal.[/B]
*The bosal must not be fitted too tightly or it can numb the sides of the
jaw, just as a tight-fitting shoe can temporarily numb the foot. This makes
the horse unresponsive to the rein.
[B]*It is imperative to avoid causing a callus bump on the front of the nose
(usually a result of using too heavy a bosal or working the reins too often)
because this will teach the horse to stick his nose straight out. I know that
sounds strange, but that position moves rein pressure from the nose to
the sides of the face. Once that happens, the horse has “outsmarted the
hackamore,” and you might as well get out the snaffle.
*Riding a bosal on “contact” is tricky because you have to let the reins
rest in [/B]your hands such as to move the jaws up into contact with the
horse’s jaw, but with enough slack so the hackamore will drop down off
the jaw with the rhythm of the horse’s gait. You can’t maintain a “pull
contact” on the nose.
So basically, you have to have an independent seat before you can make
much use of a bosal, and you have to know the basic training exercises
(involving a special form of circling called “doubling”) to make it effective
and the principles behind them, and you have to understand the needed
rein-handling techniques. And you really do have to take the time to
do the basic, boring, wearying schooling exercises.
[B]
In other words, you can end up in a hell of a jackpot if you use a
hackamore and you don’t know how it works or what you’re doing.
–
Phetsy Calderon
1996[/B]
Phetsy in Bold
>>(much snipping of Juli Thorson’s post on bosals…
>To which Phetsy responded in part with…
>>The jaquima (knotted rope halter or “Parelli” halter) is sometimes used
>as a preliminary step to allow the handler to do some groundwork.
> MM- in my training the ‘jaquima’ was the spanish word for the bosal
>itself which was then bastardized (excuse me - anglicized) into
>‘hackamore’. Maybe this difference can be credited to the regions where we
>were educated.
Nah–I pretty much agree with you, I would just rather people use a
more-accurate term than ‘Parelli’ halter, and since jaquima literally
translates as ‘halter’, I prefer that useage. By the way, I picked up my
bosal teaching in Merced, so I speak ‘la lenguaje de los vaqueros del
valle de San Joaquin.’
> Also the ‘Parelli’ halter can be found in tack catalogs from the 40s
>and even earlier. They were for pack mules and horses 
Yeah, I keep saying that Parelli has done a great job of teaching new
people old methods, but he didn’t invent the knotted rope halter. We did
use a very light little bosalito knotted up out of very fine cord, such as
parachute line, to start the most promising colts. I think the knotted
halter is a very good introduction to the use of the bosal for the
handler. I do find it useful for doing a bit of preliminary groundwork–I
think the hackamore needs to work with a rider to be correctly effective.
>>Problems arise not from the nature of the bosal, but rather from a lack
>of understanding of its use. The horse must be allowed to move freely
>forward, there must be absolutely no attempt to “bit” the horse, and it is
>imperative to understand that the bosal is a completely lateral device
>which imposes a certain set of exercises to develop the horse.
> MM- In some situations one will get more vertical flexion out of the
>horse than ‘normal’. Usually it is one of those awesome naturally bridly
>horses who carry themselves very light in the front end and are very light
>in your hand.
Yes, the ones that naturally are close-coupled with a long hip, and are
naturally supple, will just set right back and round themselves in the
hackamore.
>But you are certainly on track that one doesn’t try to ‘bit’
>a horse in the hackamore. All that will result is a pulling contest and
>running a horse through the hackamore.
It will also result in one very embarassed horse handler who has to go get
herself a snaffle bit ;-).
>>Mr. McDowell? Mr. von Gease? Any other points I should cover?
> MM- Nope 
. Well done, you move to the front of the class! As your
>reward you are invited as my guest to the Paso Gathering the first weekend
>in November in Paso Robles.
[B]Paso Gathering? As in Paso Robles rodear, or as in gaited Paso horses? I
want to hear about this! This wouldn’t happen to involve exhibits of things
silver-mounted or braided, would it?
I have silver on the brain–I’ve just been visiting a friend who had just
taken delivery on four (yes, four) Garcia bits. She has one very happy
Peruvian Paso who just loves his new Salinas mouthpiece with the S-shank
conco cheeks.[/B]
Phetsy Calderon
1996
me in bold (my friend in this conversation is an Alabama horse trainer,now dead, RIP Bill…)
> Are you saying the horse is having problems assimilating training or that it is
> a bit “stingy” and you had better be quick LOL?
he’s a baby stallion and his attention span was about 30 seconds every
5 minutes<G> as time progressed so did attention spans
> >so…with the amount of natural “suck back” he has and coupled with his
> complete lack of fear of humans…(to the disrespectful stage even)
> Oh geez … I hate when that happens … I tend to slow down with this type. I
> know that the ones I dealt with it is an enlarged sense of self-preservation
> and too much pressure and they are leaving. I didnt feel that it was a lack of
> respect then … although it can develop into such.
he had been petted and wallered on before Bill (not the RIP Bill but another client)got him…and kept in a
typical subdivision set up (small dirt lots with run ins)…with very
little leading about…and then he came here with constant activity and
three other stallions…
no pals to play with and saw “whoooo-mannns” as lovely play
fellows…his suck back is typical gaited stuff…most are like this if
not mistreated…(hence the notion that gaiteds are for old fat people
who cannot ride)
> >he have concentrated on moving forward NOW stopping NOW and moving
> over NOW…
> Hmmm and what is his attitude when you are insisting on NOW? Is he calm and
> accepting with lip licking and a big sigh after a bit or is he agitated and not
> sure which way he is going?
he’s calm…hell he don’t even grap my arm in his choppers
anymore…it’s a “well alright” attitude…almost a sense of “I’ve got
it”
> > I’ve got a nice trigger on him finally…and I think that we need to go the
> bosal /riding route as opposed to the driving /bit route…
> >I’m inclined to believe that he’ll try anything to avoid going forward…and
> …as it’s not my style to fight with one…I figured
> that this would be easier on him mentally…
> > what do you think???
> Does he rear?
no
Have you sacked him out?
yes…no fear of much of anything…he ain’t shy…he’d just “rather
not”
What are you doing for ground
> training? Have you done any in-hand training?
yep…he won’t be mounted for a while…so it’s all in hand…and
free lunging
> The following is what I do and is in no way considered a recommendation:
> I try to ensure that I have the calmest most accepting horse that I can get
> before I even think about stepping up on one(I dont bounce well) and I also
> introduce giving to the rein/leg pressure from the ground as part of the
> in-hand training(this allows you to move the horse without having to encourage
> with crop or spur).
done…he moves both fore and aft and sideways…
> For me a bosal is the way I would go. If you are comfortable with using one
> then its a good choice IMO.
I love them…
> Im curious as to what criteria you are using to make the decision as to whether
> to pursue training of the horse with a bosal as opposed to training with a
> snaffle.
kinda a gut feeling I get from him that less of a fuss will be raised
than in a snaffle…(which could spark the endless…It’s all your fault how
they react debate)
[B] and I also think that a bit is a wall that slows progress in some
horses…and while Bill has been kind enough to give us a year to
impress him…I don’t need things moving any slower<G>
perhaps if he were a more forward thinking colt I’d need a wall up…
I can’t explain it any better than that…
Tamara in TN
1999
[/B]
wow…lotsa typing there;) hope you can follow it along
best regards
Tamara in TN
2009:lol:
