Bosal Fit and Adjustment

A well-fitted hackamore/bosal is able to transmit clear and concise signals to your horse. This allows you to use a lighter, more sensitive touch. It's also much less irritating to your equine than using a big, loose, floppy hackamore/bosal.

Take a look at this picture (click it to enlarge it if you need to):

Properly fitted and adjusted, the hackamore/bosal conforms to the nose and sides of the face more akin to the fit of a custom hat that doesn’t squeeze or pinch. This eliminates much of the potential wobble. Correctly made and positioned side buttons not only keep the hanger in place, but they also help eliminate more potential wobble, static and irritation.

You will want to hand shape the hackamore/bosal to minimize gaps between it and the sides of the horse’s face. CC’s shorter nose buttons enable a good fit. Having been hand made by order for a general size, shape and type of horse, each awaits specific shaping. With our CC Heritage Hackamores, this can be done by hand in a moment to fit each horse.

Underneath there needs to be a gap between the horse’s jaw and the mecate knot above the heel knot to allow for the lift and full release. This width will vary from horse to horse. The release is imperative since that is primarily how the horse will learn.

Each horse and rider will have preferences as to the position of the nose button. We believe that there are some “sweet spots” that work better for individual horses, however, that does not mean that those spots should be continually used.

Adjust the location level during the day (and at various stages of the process) via the simple, but effective hanger (without metal). This aids in preserving the sensitivity we want as well as the clarity of communication needed.

Each CC Heritage Hackamore is made with a tie back latigo. For horses with wide set eyes, the hanger may need to be tied back by half an inch away from the corner of the eyes. For many horses this is not necessary, but don’t cut off the tie back: instead fasten it out of the way over the crown. It may come in handy for another horse.

With a correctly fitted and adjusted bosal, very little movement of the reins is necessary to send a clear, precise signal. The nose button does not travel noticeably, avoidance issues are minimized and the foundation of the bridle horse can be built.

Purchase a CC Heritage Hackamore

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