A Hackamore is sometimes referred to as a bitless bridle as it is essentially a bridle without any form of bit in the horse’s mouth. Control comes from long shanks at the side which exert pressure at different points on the horse’s head, namely the nose, chin groove and poll, rather than the bars of the mouth.

The principle of a hackamore is great, particularly for horses that are fussy in the mouth or for whom many different bits have been tried without success. However, hackamores are quite powerful in their own way and can exert a lot of pressure on the horse’s face, particularly those designs with really long shanks. They are, therefore, not a piece of equipment for a novice rider and should never be used as an alternative if there are established control issues or comfort problems with a horse that is currently bitted.

Hackamores are best in the hands of experienced riders who are independent in their balance and do not rely on the reins for support. They also require very careful fitting; it is quite common to see them sitting too low on the horse’s nose and this can interfere with the horse’s breathing.

The part over the horse’s nose is usually leather and often padded with sheep skin. There is either a chain or leather curb strap, which sits in the chin groove creating much the same action as a Pelham or curb bit on a double bridle. The long metal shanks vary in both length – the longer the shank, the greater the leverage – and shaping. An ‘S’ shape or more curved shank is going to be less severe than a simple straight design. Many equestrian disciplines do not allow bitless bridles, so you should check your rulebook carefully if you do want to compete in a hackamore.