Hackamores vs. Snaffle bridles. Which do you think is best and why?

My mare is usually really great to ride, really light aids etc. But she can be a bit of a sight see-er and I end up having to nag on the bit a little to get her to focus. I've been contemplating switching her to a hackamore, either a bosal or an english with no shanks, and I was wondering if this would be any better for her than the bit. Which do you like better between the two and why? I don't really know much about hackamores, so if you do please share as much information as possible.

Thanks Lauren A, but that's not what I asked. If you had actually read my question you would have realized that I'm saying my mare is basically perfect, and I'm asking what would be easier on her, the snaffle bit or the hackamore.

It depends on what you are doing.

Hackamore are good for stopping and turning, and very little else IMO. If your horse often puts it head down and tries to stop and eat I would not recommend a hackamore, they can easily flip up the shanks making it nearly impossible to get their head up.

For trail riding I love hackamores, and have rode in them frequently. I think the horses enjoy them as well. I have only used a mechanical hackamore, not one of the non-mechanical ones, ie mechanical has shanks. You have to fit them correctly to your horse, the nose band sits lower, and you need to be careful with them. You can hurt their nose, which is very sensitive, if you misuse a hackamore.

For arena work I would rather have a proper bit in. In my experience most horses that are sight seers are sight seers and that is just a personality thing. You can try and encourage them not to stop but it will most likely remain at least somewhat of a problem.

Go back to her training instead of switching bits. You need to do more groundwork to get her focused on you instead of that tree to your left. Lunging, backing up, flexing the neck, and more things like that are great because they have to pay attention. I recommend buying Clinton Anderson's Gaining Respect And Control On The Ground DVD. I use his training programs, and they really work. I don't have many problems out of horses that follow his program.

depends on what she responds better to---pressure on the tongue or on the nose. some horses respond better to one or the other. personally, i like a mechanical hackamore because it only requires a little bit of pressure to get a response from your horse--just dont be all jerky with it and your horse should respond fine.

I prefer the snaffle. Overall, I prefer a bit to any bitless type bridle. It is just a preference for me.

My friend likes Dr.Cook's bitless bridle. It is different than the hackamore or bosal - it works with pressure on the poll.
http://www.bitlessbridle.com/

I do not subscribe to the 'no pain inflicted' thing, but it works differently on the horse.

What I REALLY like - which I have not dared try on my mare yet, is the Indian Bridle I bought at an expo one day.
http://www.horse-previews.com/999article...

I just thinks it looks cool, though - you need a really well trained horse that does not need direct reining for that.

Well its what you feel comfortable with, with a hackamore your gonna have some more control than with a bosal, i ride in a bosal, and my mare is dead quiet which ur mare sounds the same but with training horses i have quiet the collection and experience with all kinds of bits. Although i dont know what bit your riding her in now, if she doesnt do anything horrible id say try a hackamore.
I have a bit and hackamore combo,( i can send a picture if you want it) The way they work is the hackamore puts pressure on the nose first, but if the horse needs more than you have the bit there. that might be a good way to start her with getting her used to the hackamore.
One thing i will warn you of is if you ride her in a hackamore, you can do just as much damage as u can with a bit, Dont ever jerk when your useing a hackamore, use a pull an release method.
After riding her in the hackamore and if you feel comfortable you can switch to a bosal, Ive ridden my mare for years in one and i really am pleased with it.
Hope this helps.

are you talking about a true hackamore or a brockamore.the reason i ask is their is a big differance in the two.let me start with the traditional hackamore,the good points are that it is a good head and neck down with a little tuck behind the head and the horse becomes very light and natural,it is a good direct rein turner and a good reining tool for the hind end,it is also a good facing tool when reighning.downside is it is not very good at backing and only fair at neck reining and is fair at holding a horse at one speed,it is a poor stopper,if handled improperly it can blow up a horses training and is a two handed direct rein tool.the brockamore is a good stopper but it tends to make a high headed horse,they arent a good turning device so you have to use a lot of leg.team ropers use them because it allows the horse to be free out of the box.they are also good for trail and pasture riding.i only use the traditional hackamore as a progression from a snaffle to a pelham.

I have a mare myself. She is also a great horse to ride, but we still have ground work to do. But I have used a hackmore before and she found a way to work around it in less than a week. It depends if your mare is hard headed and if she is then I would go to a snaffle bridle. I have also used a snaffle bridle and I wasn't to comfortable with it because she and I had no respect for each other then. It would be a wise choice to use a really good snaffle bridle because you are easy with pressure and control too. If your mare is a real sweetheart and you have absolutly no problems with her as far as attitude and respect, then I would suggest you try a hackamore, but only if you're comfortable with trying it.

Hey! Reading through your question, I couldn't help stopping on the part where you said she's a bit of a sight see-er. There may be an excellent solution for that, which works very well.

It's called a Shadow Roll - the sheepskin roll that fits over the noseband. It prevents the horse from seeing shadows and other objects on the ground and gains more attention to what the horse is supposed to be doing. You can read up on it - it's used a lot on race horses where they jump shadows in races, or on eventers and especially show jumpers who are always looking up and around - the shadow roll makes them pay a bit more attention because they haven't got as much to look at.

You can get them for about $10-15 and they're super comfy because they're made of sheep wool. I have one for my thoroughbred and he pays much more attention rather than constantly sight-seeing as he used to. This may be a cheaper fix - and if you try it and doesn't work, then maybe you could think about getting a bitless, but i somehow don't think this would work for sight-seeing either...? Hard question, hope I helped a little!

It depends on the horse. My friend is content to ride her horse around a jump course with an english hackamore-my horse didn't like the tongue pressure of some bits but loathed the nose pressure of the hackmore. I switched him to a correctional myler bit with a port because I needed something that would keep him comfortable but would give me some control because he gets zany over fences-the release of pressure on the tongue solved the issue. :)

The thing I don't like about the mechanical hackamore is that it can break a horses nose with the amount of pressure they put on - it is not meant for direct pressure-but that's not what you're looking at anyway.

Edit;

I use a shadow roll on my horse for showjumping-mainly because his huge issue is he's convinced that the jump fillers are really demons that will come up and eat him when he tries to jump lol. They don't do much else-but if you're horse is spooking at something below themselves then they're fabulous. :)

Er, it depends...you see, Hackamores work well, but since they actually rely on pressure points, they can be really uncomfortable if they're not ridden in correctly. Snaffles tend to be easier on the horse, assuming that the horse doesn't already have any problems. Personally, I would stick with a snaffle, depending of course on HOW badly your horse behaves on her snaffle. Just remember that snaffles and hackamores aren't the ONLY kinds of bits. Each one has a purpose, so consult a greater variety before deciding. Besides, there are so many types of snaffles that you have to also consider the types...

Maybe a kimberwick?

Once I found the Comfort Bit by Brenda Imus, Iwont use anything else.
Look it up. Maybe it's just what your looking for..

Hackmores are severe bits by the amount and location of pressure they apply. We never use them. Snaffles are sufficient.
Use all your aids including your seat.
Your eyes.
Your legs.
Ride your horse from back to front instead of front to back.
If you do, the bit will be of less importance to you.
Your horse will thank you.

You should not be relying on the bridle at all. If she won't focus cue her with you legs. Do you use a martingale? Try a standing martingale and see if it helps. Lay off her mouth, horses can be ruined by a heavy handed rider.

Hey, I'm gonna try to stick to the question. It's too general - you can't hope to get a perfectly tuned answer to a general question.

You dissed the first gal that gave you her opinion, which isn't very nice to do in a forum where you are requesting opinions - you say your mare is a bit of a sight-see-er, then you say she's perfect. Well, if you're considering changing your communication method, she can't be perfect - if you haven't got 100% control over her 100% of the time, she isn't perfect - and neither are you.

Now, with that said, none of us are perfect and none of us have perfect answers to perfectly solve your question. Read 'em over and try some.

Hackamores have many different forms - mechanical hackamores can be very severe if used improperly - non-mechanical hackamores can also be used improperly if not fitted right.

Standard Snaffles are designed to begin training, or go back to the beginning to re-establish a foundation. They are geared to take the tongue away to thereby communicate through discomfort to the horse.

Vaqueros start with a snaffle to begin the training process, then to the hackamore when the horse is responding as perfectly as possible and to avoid a bit in the horses mouth during tooth development. Then they go to a 2-rein - a pencil bosal and a bit - the inital cues are done with the bosal only relying on the bit when the bosal doesn't get the desired response. Only when a horse is fully finished does he go to a full bridle bit based on the horse's requirements.

I would suggest, if you're looking into snaffles that the Myler comfort snaffles are the best option for snaffles - they allow the best communication tool without too much pressure.

I might also suggest a combination bit by Myler - which is, in essence, a two-rein rig designed to first communicate via hackamore (nose) pressure, then engaging the bit when the hackamore doesn't get it. It's designed to create a lighter horse and they have many different designs.

Finally - go to a tack store and purchase Myler's DVD or book. There's a lot of information in there regarding how bits work that might help you decide for yourself.

And for pete's sake - take every piece of opinion you can get and evaluate the fit for you personally - capitalize on the information each person you come in contact with can share you. I'm not saying try everything or that everyone's opinion is correct - I'm saying get all the information you can, evaluate what's logical given the biomehcnaics of the horse and your own fit and try some different things.

Heck, maybe it's not your bit, maybe she's just bored - try forgetting the bit and do something to keep her interested in what you're doing - because if she's sight see-ing, she's obviously not having fun and focused on what you're doing with her.

Every horse is completely different and they each have their own specific bits that work.

Trying new bits is always a good idea if one isnt working so well. You just have to play around with bits until you find one that your mare likes.