A fiador () term of Spanish colonial origin referring to a

hackamore A hackamore is a type of animal headgear which does not have a bit. Instead, it has a special type of noseband that works on pressure points on the face, nose, and chin. Hackamores are most often seen in western riding and other styles of r ...

component used principally in the Americas. In English-speaking North America, the fiador is known principally as a type of throatlatch used on the

bosal A bosal (, , or ) is a type of noseband used on the classic hackamore of the '' vaquero'' tradition. It is usually made of braided rawhide and is fitted to the horse in a manner that allows it to rest quietly until the rider uses the reins ...

-style

. Its purpose is to stabilize a heavy noseband or bosal and prevent the bridle from shifting. It is not used for tying the horse. A fiador-like design and

fiador knot The fiador knot (also Theodore knot) is a decorative, symmetrical knot used in equine applications to create items such as rope halters, hobbles, and components of the '' fiador'' on some hackamore designs. As traditionally described, it is ...

is also used under the jaw on some rope

halter A halter or headcollar is headgear that is used to lead or tie up livestock and, occasionally, other animals; it fits behind the ears (behind the poll), and around the muzzle. To handle the animal, usually a lead rope is attached. On smalle ...

s, usually ending in a loop to which a

lead rope A lead, lead line, lead rope (US) or head collar rope (UK), is used to lead an animal such as a horse. Usually, it is attached to a halter. The lead may be integral to the halter or, more often, separate. When separate, it is attached to t ...

can be attached. This, however, is not an independent "fiador", nor generally labeled as such; it is simply an integral part of the halter itself.

Origins

The origin of the word ''fiador'' in its equestrian sense is obscure but appears to be of South American origin. In

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

, the word ''fiador'' has numerous

senses A sense is a biological system used by an organism for sensation, the process of gathering information about the world through the detection of stimuli. (For example, in the human body, the brain which is part of the central nervous system rec ...

, all related to safekeeping. For example, an 18th-century Spanish—English dictionary defines ''fiador'' as ''surety, bail; he that is bound for another. In falconry, the small long line that is fastened to the hawk's leash when she is first lured, to bring her back at pleasure. ... also the loop of a cloak that comes about the neck to button, that it may not fall off.'' An early 19th century Portuguese—English dictionary also gives the senses of surety, bail, and falconry long line ( creance). By the mid 19th century (prior to 1860) the equestrian sense was in wide use in Argentina, and it also appears in a 1911 dictionary of ''argentinismos''.

Styles

The term fiador refers to different styles of equipment in different parts of the

western hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the prime meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the antimeridian. The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Politically, the te ...

. In the United States and Canada, the fiador is a type of throatlatch used on heavier styles of bosal hackamore. Page 225 This design crosses over the horse's head at the

poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Figurative head counts * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling places o ...

, with a knot under the jawbone, and attaches to the hackamore at the

noseband A noseband is the part of a horse's bridle that encircles the nose and jaw of the horse. In English riding, where the noseband is separately attached to its own headstall or crownpiece, held independently of the bit, it is often called a cavesson ...

. The knot under the jaw is usually a

, and the fiador may have a second fiador knot at the point where it attaches to the heel knot of the bosal.Example of a fiador.
Web site accessed March 19, 2008 The fiador is attached to a headstall via a common (shared) browband, and its opposite end is tied to the bottom of a noseband or bosal, leaving a small loop. Seen in some nations on both bridles and hackamores, in the United States and Canada it is used only on a bosal

. This style of fiador functions as a throatlatch, and is attached either above or below the mecate reins. It is often made of cordage and tied in a

under the jaw. South American styles differ from those used in North America.

Construction

In North America, a fiador is usually made from rope or cordage. Materials used may include horsehair, rawhide, cotton sash cord, or nylon. Cotton or nylon rope of approximately 6 mm diameter is the most common material. It runs behind the ears, over the

of the horse, then joins under the cheeks with a

, or occasionally a

Matthew Walker knot A Matthew Walker knot is a decorative knot that is used to keep the end of a rope from fraying. It is tied by unraveling the strands of a twisted rope, knotting the strands together, then laying up the strands together again. It may also be tied ...

. There are two loops on the front end, and a loop and two tails on the back. The double loop runs forward to the heel knot of the bosal, where it is traditionally attached using what sailors call the

bottle sling The bottle sling (also called a jug sling, a Hackamore knot, or a Scoutcraft knot) is a knot which can be used to create a handle for a glass or ceramic container with a slippery narrow neck, as long as the neck widens slightly near the top. Whi ...

. The double tails from the backside of the knot pass over the

, where they are passed through the remaining loop in a becket hitch below the left temple of the horse. The fiador can easily be detached from the headstall and, with somewhat more difficulty due to the need to untie the bottle sling knot, from the bosal. In South America, a fiador is usually made of the same material as the rest of the halter or bridle, or of rawhide, and is fixed with a knotted button and button hole.

Uses

In North America, a fiador is used most often on some

-style

s to stabilize a heavy bosal noseband on the horse's head. It is most often used within the "California" or '' vaquero'' tradition only when starting young horses with a heavy bosal, but is used throughout the hackamore phase of training horses within the "Texas" tradition of

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

style riding.Miller, Robert W. ''Horse Behavior and Training'' Big Sky Books, Montana State University, 1974, pp 125-134. A

adjusted low on the horse's nose requires the fiador for proper balance, and also makes it easier to handle the horse on the ground when using the lead rope end of the ''mecate'' three rein system. A horse is not tied with a hackamore, even with a fiador, but rather, the fiador prevents the headgear from falling off the horse's head. In

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

, a fiador is seen on both halters and bridles, often together with a

frentera A frentera is a part of some halters and bridles, usually on a horse. It is a cord, strap, or chain on the face of the horse that is attached to the crownpiece or browband and runs down the horse's face to the noseband or bit rings. A frentera ...

. In

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

it is also used on bridles. On rope

s, particularly designs that can also be used as a type of hackamore or bitless bridle, a fiador is fully incorporated into the headgear and is not detachable. The halter is used with a mecate or reins, which are attached to the fiador loop that hangs below the chin.

References

{{Horse equipment Headgear (horse)