A mechanical hackamore is a piece of

horse tack Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse i ...

that is a type of bitless headgear for

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

s where the reins connect to shanks placed between a

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 ...

and a

curb chain A curb chain, or curb strap, is a piece of horse tack required for proper use on any type of curb bit. It is a flat linked chain or flat strap that runs under the chin groove of the horse, between the bit shank's purchase arms. It has a buckle ...

. Other names include "hackamore bit", "brockamore", "English hackamore", "nose bridle" and "German hackamore". Certain designs have been called "Blair's Pattern" and the "W. S. Bitless Pelham".

Design

A mechanical hackamore has a partial noseband, usually of leather, sometimes covered with fleece for extra comfort. However, the noseband can also be very harsh; some are made of rubber-covered cable, stiff metal, or even

bicycle chain A bicycle chain is a roller chain that transfers power from the pedals to the drive-wheel of a bicycle, thus propelling it. Most bicycle chains are made from plain carbon or alloy steel, but some are nickel-plated to prevent rust, or simply ...

(though usually covered in plastic). The

is usually a flat-linked chain, though it may be made of anything from a relatively mild flat leather strap to very severe designs with heavy chain or even solid metal bars. The noseband and curb chain are connected by a metal link that also includes the long shank that applies pressure to the nose, chin groove and poll when the reins are tightened. Over the past few years anatomical hackamore's have been making their way in to the bitless bridle scene. Anatomical hackamore's have an additional strap that prevents the bridle to move towards the horses eyes. With an anatomical hackamore there is a strap underneath the horses jaw. The mechanical hackamore is unrelated 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 rid ...

except to the extent that both are headgear that control a horse with some form of noseband rather than a bit in the horse's mouth. Because the mechanical hackamore uses shanks and leverage, it is not a hackamore. A mechanical hackamore works similarly to a

curb bit A curb bit is a type of bit used for riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by Western riders. Kimblewicks or "Kimberwickes" are modified curb ...

. The shanks and curb chain serve to increase pressure on the nose, jaw, and

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 ...

History

The mechanical hackamore may be a relatively modern invention. In the United States, a device with shanks and a noseband, called a "hackamore bit" was mentioned in at least one

western riding Western riding is considered a style of horse riding which has evolved from the ranching and welfare traditions which were brought to the Americas by the Spanish Conquistadors, as well as both equipment and riding style which evolved to meet the ...

-based horse training book by the late 1930s. Early

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

applications were filed in 1940 for a "Hackamore bit"Ray, Frederick A. (1940) "Hackamore bit." United States Patent 2225232
Free Patents Online
/ref> and a "leverage hackamore bridle". Additional patent applications were filed during the 1940s, and a significant increase in patent applications for various mechanical hackamore designs occurred from the 1950s forward.Ensminger, M.E. ''Horses and Horsemanship, The Interstate Publishers, Inc., Fourth Ed., 1969 (First Ed., 1951) Descriptions of the mechanical hackamore appeared in general interest books on horses during that decade.

Uses and limitations

Mechanical hackamores often used in competitions where there are no specific bitting rules, such as

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

and O-Mok-See events, and in the

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

arena. They are seen in

endurance riding Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance rides can be any distance, though they are rare ...

and

competitive trail riding Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indivi ...

because they allow a horse to easily eat and drink without removing headgear. They are not permitted in most other

horse show A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer fo ...

disciplines. They are also used by casual riders, especially for

trail riding Trail riding is riding outdoors on trails, bridle paths, and forest roads, but not on roads regularly used by motorised traffic. A trail ride can be of any length, including a long distance, multi-day trip. It originated with horse riding, and ...

, and are particularly popular with

hunter Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...

s who must ride and camp in freezing weather where a frozen bit can injure the horse's tongue. Mechanical hackamores lack the sophistication of bits or a

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 to ...

, cannot turn a horse easily with direct reining, and are primarily used for their considerable stopping power.Ambrosiano, Nancy
All About Bitless Bridles
" ''Equus,'' March, 1999. Web page accessed February 25, 2008 Horses ridden in these devices quite often develop a bad habit of head-tossing. The longer the shanks, the more severe the action. Similarly, a thinner noseband is also more severe. Occasionally it is used for a horse that has learned to ignore bit pressure on the mouth, or for horses with an injured mouth. It is incorrect to assume that a mechanical hackamore is milder than a bitted bridle, it is not. The device has potential for abuse at the hands of a rough rider, similar to that of a

. While mechanical hackamores made entirely of leather with short shanks can be relatively mild, the addition of a longer shank and chain or metal under the jaw or over the nose can make this device a very severe piece of equipment that borders on

animal abuse Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or Injury, harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

, thus making the device quite controversial in some

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

circles. If adjusted too low, it can also put excessive pressure on the horse's nose

cartilage Cartilage is a resilient and smooth type of connective tissue. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints as articular cartilage, and is a structural component of many body parts including the rib cage, the neck an ...

, possibly even breaking it, and low placement may also obstruct the horse's breathing. In cases of a severe mechanical hackamore with long shanks, abusive use has been claimed to risk breaking the horse's jaw. For example, a 20 lb. pull on the reins of a mechanical hackamore with 8-inch shanks will result in 160 pounds of force applied across the bridge of the horse's nose.Lamm, Willis and Sharon. "Bits and their Proper Use" KBR Horse Training Information, 1997. Web page accessed February 25, 2008
/ref>

References

{{Short description, Variety of bitless horse headgear Headgear (horse)