The mecate ( or less anglicized ; ) is the

rein Reins are used to direct a horse (or other animal) when riding or driving. They are attached to a bridle's bit or noseband and are made of leather, nylon, or other materials. Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues—also known as r ...

system of 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 (textile), rawhide and is fitted to the horse in a manner that allows it to rest quietly until the ride ...

style

hackamore A hackamore (or ) 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 sty ...

used to train young

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 mi ...

s. It is a long rope, traditionally of horsehair, approximately 20–25 feet long and up to about 3/4 inch in diameter. It is tied to the bosal in a specialized manner that adjusts the fit of the bosal around the muzzle of the horse, and creates both a looped rein and a long free end that can be used for a number of purposes. When a rider is mounted, the free end is coiled and attached to the saddle. When the rider dismounts, the lead rein is not used to tie the horse to a solid object, but rather is used as a lead rope and a form of

Longe line Longeing (US English, classical spelling) or lungeing (UK English, informal US) is a technique for horse training, training and exercising horses where the horse travels in a circle around the handler. It is also a critical component of the sp ...

when needed.Price, 158 The traditional mecate was an integral part of the ''

vaquero The ''vaquero'' (; , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in what what is today Mexico (then New Spain) and Spanish Florida from a method brought to the Americ ...

'' culture that became the California tradition of

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 ...

. The classic mecate is hand-braided of horsehair, usually long hair from the tail, often a blend of black and white hairs made into an alternating design. Modern mecates are made not only of horsehair, but also of synthetic rope, usually of a solid dark color, sometimes with a horsehair tassel at one end and a leather popper or

quirt A quirt is a short whip associated with the Southwestern United States. It often has a braided leather lash. The falls on a quirt is made of leather, usually cowhide. The core of the quirt can be a leather bag filled with lead shot; the main ...

at the other. BosalMecateFiador

A mecate knot begins at the heel knot of the bosal, where the mecate is anchored with a wrap of rope similar to the

clove hitch The clove hitch is an ancient type of knot, made of two successive single hitches tied around an object. It is most effectively used to secure a middle section of rope to an object it crosses over, such as a line on a fencepost. It can also be ...

. Next, the looped rein is formed coming off the top of the bosal. Then, the loose end is wrapped two or more times in front of the rein loop until the bosal is the proper diameter to fit the horse, and secured with another clove hitch, leaving the long lead rein end coming out the bottom of the bosal, secured by the last wrap. A properly tied mecate knot allows wraps of rope to be added to the knot in front of the rein loop in order to tighten the bosal noseband on a horse, or the rope can be unwrapped to loosen the bosal. Sometimes, a heavy bosal is stabilized by the addition of a fiador, which is a type of throatlatch usually made of thin cotton rope. The fiador attaches in front of the mecate so as to not interfere with the action of the reins. The mecate may need to be loosened to accommodate the fiador if used. A variation, sometimes called "mecate reins" and other times a "McCarty" or "McCarthy outfit," is used as a

system for a

bridle A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', the "bridle" includes both the that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. It prov ...

with a

bit The bit is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communication. The name is a portmanteau of binary digit. The bit represents a logical state with one of two possible values. These values are most commonly represented as ...

. This design, usually of cotton rope or web, consists of a single looped rein attached to either site of a

snaffle bit A snaffle bit is the most common type of bit used while riding horses. It consists of a mouthpiece and two rings. The mouthpieces may be jointed. A snaffle gives direct pressure on the horse's mouth and has no leveraging shank. A bridle util ...

with a lead rein coming off of the left

bit ring The bit ring is the ring on the side of a horse's bit (horse), bit, particularly on a snaffle bit. It is used as a point of attachment for the cheekpieces of the bridle and for the reins. It also has an effect on the action of the bit. Therefore, ...

in a manner similar to the lead rein of the traditional mecate. This setup is most often seen today among some practitioners of the

natural horsemanship Natural horsemanship is a collective term for a variety of horse training techniques which have seen rapid growth in popularity since the 1980s. The techniques vary in their precise tenets but generally share principles of "a kinder and gentler ...

movement. Sometimes considered an adaptation of the California tradition to the Texas tradition, it allows the rider to hold on to the horse while on the ground, but the drawback to the design is that the lead rein comes off of one side of the bit, creating an imbalance in the horse's mouth. To balance the lead rein, some users add a large tassle on the bight off the other side of the bit. The lead rein also cannot be used for longing the horse in both directions, as it is attached only on the left.

References

*Bennett, Deb (1998) ''Conquerors: The Roots of New World Horsemanship.'' Amigo Publications Inc; 1st edition. *Connell, Ed (1952) ''Hackamore Reinsman.'' The Longhorn Press, Cisco, Texas. Fifth Printing, August, 1958. (no ISBN in edition consulted; other editions ) *Miller, Robert W. (1974) ''Horse Behavior and Training.'' Big Sky Books, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT *Price, Steven D. (ed.) ''The Whole Horse Catalog: Revised and Updated.'' New York:Fireside 1998 p. 158-159 *Williamson, Charles O. (1973) ''Breaking and Training the Stock Horse.'' Caxton Printers, Ltd., 6th edition (1st Ed., 1950). {{Horse equipment Reins

See also

References