Hackamore rein settings explained

Many hackamores have options to change where you place your rein to change the function of the bridle.

This flexibility can have many benefits, not least allowing you to adapt the type of action your bridle produces without the need to buy multiple products.

Variable hackamores, like their bit counterparts, are pieces of bitless equipment that can change their strength and action depending on where the rider places the rein. They are relatively common in the bitless world, with styles such as the Flower, Star, Ring, Lily, Compass and Jasmine all having some options for variable settings.

Riders may choose a variable hackamore when starting out bitless to avoid the need to buy multiple products to test out how they and their horse get on with different types of bitless bridle action. Others may choose to stick with this equipment long-term, if they like to change the equipment they use regularly based on the horse and/or type of riding they are doing.

It is also important to be aware of how a bridle is distributing pressure when you are looking for a good match to your horse. Horses with a history of poll trauma (such as those who have been ridden in gag bits) will likely not be comfortable with a bitless bridle that uses poll pressure. Conversely, horses with sensitivities around their nose (such as those with a history of dental issues) may prefer more dispersed pressure from their bridle, rather than all pressure coming through the noseband, even long after any problems have been resolved.

Here, using the Flower hackamore as an example, I'll show you a range of different rein settings and explain how they affect bridle function.

 

Option 1: The lower ring

Placing your rein on the lowest ring or other point of the hackamore shank (metal piece) gives you the most rein pressure amplification and leverage action that the hackamore can produce, which we can simplify as its 'strength'.

When the rein of a hackamore bridle is pulled, this causes the shanks to turn, which moves and disperses pressure through the straps of the noseband and bridle. So, with the rein connecting further out, comparatively smaller movements from the rider will result in comparatively larger movements in the shank.

If you are familiar with any kind of three-ring bit, then the concept is the same for a hackamore with variable rein settings: the lower the ring, the stronger the action.

However, this does not always mean that using the lower ring is a harsh setting for every hackamore. In this case, dropping down one ring changes the Flower's action from 'very mild' to 'mild'. As the shanks themselves are so short, the degree of pressure amplification is still very limited.

 

Option 2: The inner ring

By moving the rein up to the lower inner ring, we can keep the can hackamore action of dispersing pressure through both the noseband and poll, while reducing the amount of pressure amplification. Simply, this is a lower strength setting, but the bridle is still functioning in the same way.

Any time the rein is below the line of the noseband, pressure will cause the shanks to turn as the rein is pulled, which is what transfers some of that rein force to the poll.

But this is not the only option we have for bridle function with this hackamore.

 

Option 3: The upper ring

The final setting we'll look at is the uppermost ring, between the attachment points for the cheekpieces and lower noseband. By placing the rein here, the bridle is changed from having a hackamore-type action to a sidepull-type action.

This means that there is no longer any leverage pressure being generated, and no rein pressure is being transferred to the poll. Instead, the rider's rein aids are transmitted through the upper noseband only.

 

There is no right answer as to which of these settings is best to use for every horse, nor does 'strength' automatically equal how 'kind' a bridle is to use. Every horse is an individual based on their life history, training and personal preferences, and so every horse will respond differently to equipment. That's why it's important that, as a rider, you try a range of equipment to see what bitless option suits them best.