The absolutely best mechanical hackamore IMO is the JIM WARNER. It gives you plenty of flex, which most don’t. Also the nose floats. It does NOT drop down like other hackamores. You don’t have to worry about it blocking off their airway. It is the best designed mechanical hackamore out there, hands down. Its not cheap, around $75. But well worth it. I can ride all my horses in it. My Ky Mountain mare would throw her head, and just fuss with what ever bit I tried. (yes I had her teeth looked at) She just loves the JW. She will go all day without fuss.
[QUOTE=2Horse;3270846]
The absolutely best mechanical hackamore IMO is the JIM WARNER. It gives you plenty of flex, which most don’t. Also the nose floats. It does NOT drop down like other hackamores. You don’t have to worry about it blocking off their airway. It is the best designed mechanical hackamore out there, hands down. Its not cheap, around $75. But well worth it. I can ride all my horses in it. My Ky Mountain mare would throw her head, and just fuss with what ever bit I tried. (yes I had her teeth looked at) She just loves the JW. She will go all day without fuss.[/QUOTE]
You know, I really liked the JW hack, but the stupid stabilizer cable/bar really just drove me NUTS. Then I finally just cut it off and used some plastic-coated cable that i could bend and such, and it was better. But ultimately, my mare just really didn’t like it, for whatever reason. Probably because I spent so much money on it. She likes to spend my money… :lol:
We had to put ours in a hack. He played with the bit too - until he came up with photic headshaking. The hack that we use golly I forget the name, but you can get it at valley vet, it has shanks that turn independently and a rope nose, but we had to cover it with vet wrap, as the waxed rope was too harsh on his nose. We have a little beatle one too - but that doesn’t work for him. Also, I noticed if the shanks don’t curve back, then it’s hard for them to eat if you go out on the trail and stop for a break.
One lesson learned rather quickly - 
- you need a headstall with a browband and a chin strap. If you try to use a one - ear, they will flip the whole headstall off sooner or later, the whole thing just goes ‘plop’.
I love our hack and the change in our horse’s behavior. He’s more relaxed while riding, versus fussing with the bit, which I suspect caused nerve damage.
I’m training my guy in a bit - but when he’s ready, I’ll probably change to a hack later on.
Actually, I’m adding on here - we DO have the JW (jim whatever his last name is). That’s the one that works really good on our guy.
I wraped vet wrap around the rope part of the nose of the side pull and it works GREAT. Its soft and cushioning.
[QUOTE=katarine;3269442]
I’ve ridden 8 zillion miles in the Little S and love it. Never had a horse have trouble with the rope nose or the curb chain. It’s not ‘awful’ IMO- it’s a reasonable piece of chain. Never ever had a rub, a shafe, a sore. Nothing. And again, zillions of miles in Sweet Home Alabama, home of sweat and heat and humidity. [/QUOTE]
i also use an s-hack on my endurance mare and have never had any sort of rubbing issue. mine has a neoprene noseband (not the rope) and the curb chain is adjusted loosely.
are there people near you who have different hack styles that you could borrow and try out on your horse?
Jim Warner
I too use a JW on my lil mare. After her initial training with a snaffle, and after riding for a while, I tried an english hack like my wife uses. She seemed to lower her head sooner, rode quieter, and since my majority of riding is trail, I soon wanted a hack with shorter shanks and with a swivel on the shanks. Soooo… I ordered one from an on-line supplier, and owalaaaa, she loves it. I should add… I also put a “fuzzy” on the rope nose as I felt it was not nessesary to be that rough with the rope nose made of stiff rope.
http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h84/siseley/saddlebackandsis011.jpg
This is my trainer on my mare while schooling her. As you can see she seems comfortable, and the “fuzzy” keeps the rope from being too harsh.
Just my 2’C’s…
Steve
And my horse absolutely would NOT tolerate the rope nose. She’s fine with it now that it’s a flat beta strap. But she made it blatantly clear through her head tossing, snorting, rubbing, running through my hands, and teeth grinding that the rope nose was NOT gonna work. I thought she just couldn’t go in a hackamore so I put her back in a bit. But since I’ve changed the nose out, she’s been fine with it.
Each horse is different. 
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3290861]
And my horse absolutely would NOT tolerate the rope nose. She’s fine with it now that it’s a flat beta strap. But she made it blatantly clear through her head tossing, snorting, rubbing, running through my hands, and teeth grinding that the rope nose was NOT gonna work. I thought she just couldn’t go in a hackamore so I put her back in a bit. But since I’ve changed the nose out, she’s been fine with it.
Each horse is different. ;)[/QUOTE]
Well said. My mare hates the stabilizer bar/cable on those hacks. It brushes against her chin, and she tries to bite it… :lol:
Have you tried a bit with a roller? May just fix the problem.
We have a horse that we mostly ride in a bosal - difference from a hackamore that uses a curb chain for pressure. If we bridel the horse, he goes in a roller, keeps him from chomping the bit, but we do sound like a mad typest going down the trail… Just a suggestion
I agree with the people who have suggested side pulls. I use a side pull with a leather noseband and it works just as well as a hackamore. I am not a fan of mechanical hackamores.
I have used nothing but a side-pull with the 4 yr old gelding I started last summer, and he goes so well, I don’t know that I will ever use anything else.
[QUOTE=Auventera Two;3290861]
And my horse absolutely would NOT tolerate the rope nose. She’s fine with it now that it’s a flat beta strap. But she made it blatantly clear through her head tossing, snorting, rubbing, running through my hands, and teeth grinding that the rope nose was NOT gonna work. I thought she just couldn’t go in a hackamore so I put her back in a bit. But since I’ve changed the nose out, she’s been fine with it.
Each horse is different. ;)[/QUOTE]
and that’s why I posted in response to the ‘horrible rope nose’ and ‘horrible little chain’ assertions.
It’s NOT horrible…for every one in every situation. Tweak it to suit you but these absolute statements drive me crazy. Each of us has our own preferences (you love your treeless, I loathed the one I tried) but I’m not running around burning one on a stake declaring them horrid once and for all am I?
Wow are you a touchie thing. :eek: :lol:
Look in the mirror
Bitless
I second the bitless bridle suggestion. Our older thoroughbred gelding loves it. He chews a bti all over creation but with the bitless he’s as quiet as he is in a halter. And I have found he flexs and bends no problem.
English Hackamore
Sorry if I missed someone’s recommendation of a short-shanked hackamore, or an english hackamore. My mare is very happy in one of these. You can use either a leather or chain chin strap. It’s the only way I have ‘brakes’ with her when I was hunting. Riding her in the ring was a WHOLE 'nuther story! Can’t show in one of those :eek:
I was the person that stated that the chain tha came with the Little S hackamore that I bought was horrible. The reason for my opinion is that is is a very small diameter chain with a type of twist to the links. It can’t spread pressure out over wider flat links such as those in a regular english curbchain. Even some of those don’t lie flat. The narrow twisted chain does cut and rub any horse that leans into it. Yes, ideally your horse wouldn’t lean on the hackamore but lets face it, a lot of horses in a competition will lean and pull early in the ride. I also wouldn’t use a narrow and/or twisted chain on any bit either. It’s a poor idea IMO to use something that has the potential to cut or ub holes in the horse’s skin.
Oh, I also got irritated with that cable that connects the shanks.
Anyway, I like the english style hackamore, and just got a new noseband for it from www.tayloredtack.com Amanda Taylor makes just gorgeous biothane tack.
Bonnie
