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 domestication of the horse, domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as Saddle, saddles, Stirrup, stirrups, Bridle, bridles, Halter, ...

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 mi ...

s where the reins connect to

shanks Shanks may refer to: People with the surname * Alison Shanks (born 1982), New Zealand professional racing cyclist * Bill Shanks, American sports broadcaster and writer * Bruce Shanks (1908–1980), American editorial cartoonist * Charles G. ...

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 cavesso ...

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 (physics), power from the Bicycle pedal, pedals to the Drive wheel, drive-Bicycle wheel, wheel of a bicycle, thus propelling it. Most bicycle chains are made from carbon steel, plain carbo ...

(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. The mechanical hackamore is unrelated to a

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 ...

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 (horse), bit used for equestrianism, riding horses that uses lever action. It includes the pelham bit and the double bridle, Weymouth curb along with the traditional "curb bit" used mainly by western riding, Western ri ...

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

poll Poll, polled, or polling may refer to: Forms of voting and counting * Poll, a formal election ** Election verification exit poll, a survey taken to verify election counts ** Polling, voting to make decisions or determine opinions ** Polling pla ...

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 sufficiency of disclosure, enabling discl ...

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 vaqu ...

and O-Mok-See events, and in the

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

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 rar ...

and competitive trail riding 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 pony, ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrianism, equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days ...

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 practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

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

, 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 of suffering or harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suffe ...

, 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. Semi-transparent and non-porous, it is usually covered by a tough and fibrous membrane called perichondrium. In tetrapods, it covers and protects the ends of long bones at the joints ...

, 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)