Traditional Vaquero Hackamore Training
By
R. E. Smith
Copyright©2005
Lesson
One
(We believe the best way for you to
learn, is to first read the lesson, then go back and view the tape. In the tape you will learn to tie the
hackamore with the mecate used as a rein and as a
lunge line. Tape One, Hackamore
Traditional Training also includes: an overview of groundwork, a review of
rein, weight and leg cues, the basics of turning using obstacles, pivots on the
hindquarters and rollbacks, plus balanced riding, mounting, basic seat, cues in
combination, stops, circles and obstacles.
This lesson and Tape One are “overviews” and should create an idea
within your mind of what you want to achieve.
Read and view the tapes frequently.)
The traditional hackamore is built by combining three components, a
hanger (the bridle), the bosal (3/4 inch or 5/8 inch
rawhide core) and the mecate (a Spanish word for
rope) usually made of horse hair and measuring 22 feet in length.
There are many variations of equestrian
headstalls based upon the traditional hackamore,
however the traditional hackamore has not changed its design for nearly 300
years. The Jaquima, Spanish for “hackamore” was
brought to the
The Dons of old
The Vaquero was revered for his ability to control his horse with
minimal cues. When there was no need for
his art of war on horseback, the Vaquero modified his riding and training
techniques to accommodate his new responsibility. He developed the art of working cows and
cattle on horseback and introduced the Jaquima to the
process.
There are many stories about the Vaquero and his unusually elegant
riding style which allowed him to use his hands less for the guidance of the
horse and more for the use of his 75 foot riata, a
rawhide rope which the Vaquero carried in his daily work.
My favorite story has to do with the group of Vaqueros at a fiesta. They were riding their best spade-bit horses;
we call them The California Bridled Horse.
As the story goes, the Vaquero sharpened the spade bit to a razor thin
edge and attached one tail hair as a rein to each side of the heavy silver bit.
The Vaquero then began running his horse toward a cliff at the edge of the
ocean. As he neared the cliff’s edge,
the Vaquero asked the horse for a sliding stop, keeping him from plunging over
the cliff to his death. The horse
stopped, but the bit never cut the horse’s mouth, nor did the hair that he used
as a rein.
When we study the traditional hackamore it is very important to set a
high standard for our training program. I believe if you remember the story of
the Vaquero as you learn more about this art, the memory will assist you in
setting the highest of standards.
When you understand the origin of the Vaquero and read further in some
of the books available such as the Californios by Jo
Mora, you will discover the Vaquero’s true soul. The Vaquero had only the responsibility of
the herd and the horses on the huge ranchos of Old California. Each ranch could consist of millions of acres
being grazed upon by thousands of horses and cows. Due to a very strict and observed class
system, the Vaqueros’ only responsibility was caring for the livestock.
Indians and Mexicans took care of the fields and the farming and most of
the other responsibilities of the ranchos under the direction of the mission
priests and the Dons. This allowed the
Vaquero to spend all day, every day riding his fine horses and developing his
skills with the riata.
Many stories and paintings have been made of two Vaqueros riding their
hackamore horses and with a grizzly bear being led between them. The bear is controlled between the Vaqueros
by their long riatas around his neck. The stories and paintings are a way of
showing their roping skills and the dominating personalities of their
horses. It is said that the Vaquero
never walked a horse anywhere, nor did he walk on foot. He galloped his horse even the short distances
between houses and out buildings.
Because of the way the mission system was set up to accommodate
travelers on day to day trips, the Vaquero was known to gallop his horse from
place to place stopping at neighboring ranchos and leaving his horse. He would mount a freshly saddled horse from
that Rancho and ride off again. This encouraged the different ranchos to meet
together for fiestas and competition between Vaqueros. It was an honor to the Don to have the best
Vaqueros and the finest horses.
The California Vaquero was notoriously
arrogant in his demeanor and dress. He wore the flat brim hat with long hair
out the back tied by a ribbon. He wore loose fitting shirts and tight riding
pants with 18 inch boots and silver spurs.
His saddles were adorned with silver and rawhide and his headstalls were
often meticulously designed rawhide and silver.
At the conclusion of the hackamore training process, when the bit was
placed into his bridled horse’s mouth, the bit the horse carried was ornately
decorated silver and weighed several pounds.
Many aspects of the Vaquero’s clothing style
are copied today by the American Buckaroo. The American Buckaroo is a regional
cowboy of
In the same way that many early Americans mispronounced words in regard
to the traditional hackamore, many also misunderstood the essence of the art.
In this day and age of miracle bits and gadgets promoted as necessary to
train fine horses, the art of the hackamore still relies upon patience,
postures and angles.
It is truly an art many can’t learn because they lack commitment or
adopt a time frame that is unrealistic to training. The traditional hackamore
horse would train for three to four years prior to carrying the bit. The art of
hackamore training is designed to accommodate the final level of letting a
horse carry a bit correctly and at the same time initiating the thought of
weaning the horse away from your hand and on to your leg and hip cues. This
allows the true hackamore horse or
Now that we are discussing the
advantages of the tradition hackamore, let me restate the importance of
balance.
The traditional hackamore is designed and the training is focused on
teaching your horse to remain on his hindquarters…the power plant of his
body. We want the horse to maintain
balance and still push himself forward rather then
attempt pull himself with his front legs.
When a horse is pushing himself forward, it enables him to be easily
steered and easily stopped. This also allows
the horse to be agile and athletic—remember, the art
was developed to train a horse for stock work.
Many aspects of the training have an emphasis of keeping the horse
balanced back on his hindquarters, creating an agile ability to pick up leads
as well as change leads, and to roll from side to side in a "western
rollback" type turn. If you are familiar with these movements, you will
soon appreciate how important this ability is when working cattle. At the same time, having stated the importance
of keeping your horse at the ready for dynamic movement, there is also an
element to traditional hackamore training where we recognize that there are
lines that create angles during movement.
Imagine a calf standing against the rail of an arena and you are riding
your horse toward the calf. At the point
that the calf begins to move, you have created the line of movement. A few steps to your right would create
movement to the left and a few steps to the left would create movement to the
right.
However, in traditional hackamore training,
we recognize that the steps made by the horse that create movement, could also
be accomplished if the horse were just to lean to the left or right. Of course
the horse must be exactly on the line creating the angle that initiates
movement.
Now before you become convinced that I am truly crazy, it is the goal of
the “reinsman” to create situations that allow the
horse to accomplish his task with minimal cue, exertion, or wasted movement.
Every horse that a hackamore reinsman rides should be
better after the ride. And a true
hackamore reinsman accepts the responsibility of
making every horse he rides a better horse.
Balance, confidence and control are common desires for any horseman.
The traditional hackamore horse moves as
nature intended, pushing himself forward with the hind
legs rather then pulling himself forward with the front legs. We have all seen the foal who is only three
or four hours old, loping about the pen changing leads and rolling off the
walls. Horses are designed to move in this manner. When a horse is balanced and
moving in its natural design they develop confidence. A confident horse is less
likely to balk or spook when confronted with a situation or obstacle that he
has never seen, thus making him a more reliable partner for the rider.
Control is gained when the rider uses clear, concise cues the horse
understands and recognizes. The cues are
delivered with the attitude that a dynamic cue will get a dynamic response and
a quiet cue will get a quiet response.
When we set a high standard for our training program, understanding how
the horse moves and how equipment assists us, then balance, confidence and
control can and will be obtained. There is
no need for gadgets and quick fix attitudes.
As you begin watching the first tape, Hackamore Traditional Training,
you will notice that it is an overview of the five tape series. We start the
process of understanding how to tie and fit the hackamore so that it will be
effective on your horse, and we move forward through the different aspects of
training.
Pay close attention to the fitting process, and recognize that every
time you tie and fit the hackamore to your horse you are creating a custom fit
headstall. The three points of contact
are extremely important, so know them, and then practice until you are
comfortable with the tie and fitting technique.
There are many ways to tie the hackamore and as long as the three points
of contact are equal between the pole, the nose and the chin, they will
work. Also note that we do not jog our
horse until they are walking at a point that meets our standards, nor do we
lope our horses until they are jogging at a point that meets our standards. Set a high standard for your training
program. Set a high standard for your hackamore horses and most importantly set
a high standard for yourself.
STUDY
GUIDE #1 FOR TAPE #2
TRADITIONAL
HACKAMORE GROUNDWORK
(You will learn the groundwork best if
you read a section of the lesson, then view the tape so you can see the
exercise in action. Read another section
of the lesson, and again, view the tape to see the
exercise. Do not rush this training; we
expect you to take 30 to 60 days to complete this lesson. Training takes as long as it takes, and you
do yourself and your horse a disservice if you attempt to teach advanced work
without first building a solid foundation.
Do not request lesson three until your horse has mastered all the groundwork
exercises. The Groundwork video
includes: walking forward, stops, left and right turns, side pass, leads,
ground tying, lunge line work, nuisance training, sacking out and saddling for
the first time.)
Groundwork is the foundation of any training program. If you are looking
for a trainer or if you are a trainer you must emphasize the importance of this
first phase of training.
As a trainer, we cultivate the business of training horses for
others. Our training service provides
income, provides financial security and enables us to become more
experienced. We must however, not loose
the integrity of the art that we are teaching.
We must recognize and dedicate the first 30 days of a hackamore training
program to groundwork. This eliminates the foolishness of attempting to make
"30-day wonders" often demanded by clients. As a traditional
hackamore trainer you must explain to your clients the need to properly fit a
hackamore, allowing it to become part of the horse’s daily routine so he learns
to carry it properly. You must also emphasize the fact that the time on the
ground teaches the horse to bend and flex properly as well as to stay behind
the hackamore.
During ground training the idea of creating barriers is introduced. Throughout the training with the traditional
hackamore, the horse is taught to stay behind or between the barriers, and that results in the horse becoming controllable and
confident.
The phrase "riding between the reins" is often spoken in
regard to cowboys. The phrase however
dates back to the Vaquero who insisted his horse be
positioned so leg or hand contact could be made with only an inch of movement.
The Vaquero and today’s traditional hackamore reinsman
ride so their legs are just inches away from the horse’s side.
Their hands hold the mecate close together and
in front of the saddle horn so the mecate is less
than an inch from the horse’s neck. Because a trained horse moves away from
pressure, an inch of
movement toward the horse creates a cue. The horse "rides between the reins"
avoiding rein pressure from either side. He walks a perfectly straight line without
varying even an inch. This is one of the many examples of the high standards of
traditional hackamore training brought to us by the California Vaqueros.
When you are starting your groundwork program in the round pen or arena,
you’ll notice some horses will work close to you, others will stay away. I am
speaking about the fact that some horses, when in a
round pen and off of the lunge hackamore, will start moving away from you when
you are 15-20 feet from them. Others allow you to move within 8-10 feet before
they move away. This information will be helpful when you start lunging the horse using your lunge hackamore.
When using your groundwork hackamore, it is important to leave the rein
leading to the hackamore loose. You do
not want to be pulling or tugging on the hackamore. Allow the horse to move within the barrier distance
provided by the slack of the mecate.
(View the groundwork video to learn “leading, stopping and backing.”)
As we lead the horse forward there should be loose rein between our hand
and bottom of the bosal. If the horse chooses to stop in the
appropriate position requested, we know he is responding to training.
We should be able to control of the horse if he were to spook away or
move toward us by merely stepping inward toward his shoulder or away from the
front of the horse. If needed, we can
jerk the slack in the lead to thwart an attempted escape. We are not trying to dominate the horse, but
at the same time we must not act in such a way that the horse makes the
decisions. We ask, the horse
responds. We are the decision maker.
Groundwork initiates the idea that you are the dominant partner. You
make the decisions; you communicate them clearly through the cues teach. Your requests are made perfectly clear on a
consistent basis, and you expect the horse to respond to the cue with dynamics
equal to the cue.
As you develop your routine for ground training, you have the
opportunity to create the "nuisance training" situations that allow
you to evaluate the horse’s ability to deal with unexpected obstacles. Blue tarps, burlap sacks containing cans,
music, friends sitting on the top rail of the round pen, and ground poles can
all be introduced during this phase of training, and then reintroduced when you
are riding.
It is a myth that the snaffle bit is necessary to create a horse that
will bend and flex in this phase of training.
Many trainers will bit a horse and tie one rein to a stirrup or the side
of the saddle and leave the horse loose in the round pen or arena to allow them
to learn to flex and release contact on their mouth by the snaffle bit. This is not necessary!
The traditional hackamore trainer does not want a horse to turn just
because his head is flexed in one direction or another. You want my hand to create the flex by
lifting the rein lightly. You want the
horse to move in that direction when he feels your opposite leg touch his side,
your move in the saddle, and the transfer of weight into the outside stirrup.
You want your horse to learn that the hand is only a portion of the cue
that creates movement. Therefore, you do
not want the horse just to bend when the rein is pulled to the side. You want the horse to flex and break at the
pole when the hand is lifted as a cue to bend.
You are not trying to create a position by force, but a position of
response to a clear concise cue.
(Return to the Groundwork video and
watch the flexing process in action.
Read this section.)
When you begin the flexing process, it is a good idea to extend the mecate back to the hock and stand on the opposite side of
the horse from the mecate. As we put a slight amount
of tension on the mecate and encourage the horse to
rotate in the opposite direction from us, the mecate
on the hock will create a barrier that tells the horse to transfer weight
backwards and move his front legs around the circle until he is facing us.
This accomplishes several goals when done properly. It also meets the standard of creating drills
that perform more than one function.
The first function, is teaching the horse that he will need to work
within the barriers that we create. The placement of the mecate
on the hock creates a barrier to his hindquarters. He cannot plant his forehand and move his
hindquarters around. This also teaches
the horse to yield to pressure and bend his head with the tension provided by
the mecate.
The second function teaches the horse to end the spinning movement when
he has reached the point of facing us. Later in his training we will be
teaching him or encouraging him to follow his nose by releasing the cue and
having the horse stand on a loose line facing us. During this drill he is learning to stop the
side movement once he is facing us, and therefore is beginning to understand to
follow his nose. The term “hunting his hole” is often referred to in cowboy
terms, but reflects the ability of the traditional hackamore horse to have his
nose pointed at a particular object or location and at the release of the cue
move directly toward that object. This is very useful when using the
traditional hackamore horse to sort calves or to pick one particular cow from
the herd to separate. This is the time when
your hackamore horse is "hunting his hole".
The groundwork phase should be conducted at various times of the day and
evening. A horse should not be worked on
a particular schedule; he might become your typical "union member
horse" who will not perform well unless it is “within his scheduled
hours.” A traditional hackamore horse
must be ready to go to work at any given time and therefore this work ethic
must be introduced early in the training. The groundwork phase is the perfect
time to do so.
Working a horse more than once a day for a short
period of time can be a very good lesson and instill a proper work ethic.
The lunge line can be the most misused and misunderstood aspect of
ground training. Many people feel that the lunge line is used to "run the
fire" out of their horses. Many of my clients have brought horses to me
telling me that prior trainers had instructed them to lunge their horse for 20
minutes prior to riding it. I want my traditional hackamore horse to be fresh,
alert and anxious to get to work. A
20-minute lope inside the round pen will take the edge off of a horse and could
easily prevent him from performing his duties well. The use of the lunge line
to tire your horse out before training is not consistent with the attitude of a
hackamore reinsmen.
We cannot use gadgets or techniques to lessen the strength of our horses
as a substitute for the required hours of teaching that go into a good training
program. Commitment and patience
combined with a solid, well-thought-out training program will always attain
higher levels of performance and understanding than any of the gadgets on the
market today.
We now step into our ability to set a standard for our training program.
Throughout the tapes you’ll hear me talk about setting a high standard and I
want to emphasize the importance of doing that now. It is up to you to set the high standard of
training you expect from yourself and your horse. Do not go beyond a horse’s learning. Do not go on to advanced work until you are
sure the horse has mastered the primary lessons. If your horse can be spooked into you or away
from you, if he can be spooked backward or forward from an object, then he is
truly not broke to the ground.
With your standards high, your patience long and your belief in your
planned training program, you will now want to experiment with as many aspects
of movement and cues while on the ground that you can dream up. These lessons now will assist you when you
climb aboard that horse. The more
bending, flexing and stopping you do during this phase of training, the more
prepared your horse for that first ride.
(An important aspect of the groundwork
is the ability to pony. This not covered
in the videos, but I want you to understand it.)
When you pony a horse you ride a broke
horse and lead a training horse besides you. Now as we pony the training horse,
we maintain the hand position that we would be using if we were on the
ground. We don’t want the horse to lag
behind the horse that we are riding, nor do we want it to perform any bad
habits such as nipping, spooking away or jumping onto your riding horse. Rather the horse being lead should be
positioned so that his head is adjacent to your knee on a loose rein. He should be free to look from left to right
and up and down within the barriers that you create. He should walk as quietly
as your riding horse walks, trot quietly when your
riding horse is trotting and lope quietly turning to the left and to the right
with minimal cue.
We should have an experienced riding horse ponying your training horse. Your riding horse should
have confidence and not blow if confronted with an obstacle or a spook. Ponying
your training horse gives the youngster a fresh view of the world because you can
ride him off of your training center into open areas, allow him to learn to
cross water or to climb hills, and see life from a different perspective.
As you may guess, the ability to pony creates the need for a good
quality horse that you can ride to perform this training. It is important that the horse you pony from
can be handled with minimum hand cues since many times during this training
session you will need your hands free to correct positions and movements in
your training horse.
Having a traditional hackamore horse
available to you who accepts leg and weight cues and does not require much hand
cue will make this phase of training very enjoyable.
Many of the old reinsmen have said that the
best tool for training young horses are wet
blankets. What they mean is that the
hours spent covering ground for a young horse, creating the sweat that soaks
the blankets, will create a calm, quiet, enthusiastic horse. We should always look for way to create “wet
blankets” by riding horses in places and situations that will keep them
interested and responding to our training program.
Many traditional hackamore horses will be used by their owners to rope
and work cattle. The use of your riatas and long
ropes during the course of training will be an asset to your training program.
Standing in the center of an arena or round pen while your hackamore
horse is walking about is a perfect opportunity to swing a rope and throw it at
objects. Be sure not to create a situation
where your horse feels that you are trying to rope him, but rather stand in a
position next to your horse and throw it away from the horse such as a rider
would do later while riding and roping a calf.
Teaching the horse to become comfortable with
ropes is always a benefit to your horse.
Even if you are not going to use the horse for roping or ranch work, the
traditional hackamore should learn to accept rope work.
(See the video for a demonstration on
working with nuisance obstacles.)
I am not an advocate of tying plastic
bags or bags of cans onto the horn of a saddle and turning a horse loose. I do
not want the horses in my command to feel as though I have sent them into a
situation intentionally to scare them.
(This technique is called “flooding”,
and you can learn all about it in the course, Behavior Modification
Techniques.)
I do, however, believe horses should be comfortable in the presence of
these objects, and during this phase of training will often lead a horse around
while I pull a sack of cans 60 feet behind us.
If the horse shies, his action doesn’t create more movement in the sack
of cans because it is attached to me rather than the horse.
Over a period of time, I will bring that sack of cans closer until it is
finally resting between the horse and me.
At that moment, I may stop the horse then and lift and hold the sack
against the horse’s shoulder. I may brush the sack against the horse’s hip and
swing it over the saddle to the other side of the horse. As long as the horse’s reaction is reasonable
I will continue working with him until he is not concerned with the sack of
cans.
The same slow introduction goes for other objects that may a first seem
a threat to the horses. I never “flood”
the horse with objects that cause fear.
It is very important during this phase of training that the horse begins
to look at me as a partner and a safe haven.
I want him to know I’m the human he can rely upon to keep him safe and
sound. If I perform this function correctly, I will be able to ride him away
the herd because the most important member of his herd is I. This goes to the
theory that as a reinsman, whether you spend 15
minutes or 15 years with the horse, the horse should be better for having known
you. When we quick fix a spooky horse by just overwhelming him with a number of
nuisances that scare him until he is no longer afraid, we are relying on
outside influences to conduct our training.
As a hackamore reinsmen, we need to be in
control of our training from day to day and be flexible enough to change things
as the need arises.
(Review the first video for
demonstrations on mounting, basic seat, cues in combination, stops and circles
and obstacles.)
Mounting and dismounting is also a part of groundwork. It is important
that our horses square up, placing their legs on all four corners of their
bodies to allow a balanced mount. They should also stand quietly while the rein
is on their necks in a modified ground tie so that as we are adjusting
ourselves in the saddle and possibly retrieving objects needed for the ride,
the horse does not move.
You must mount in a way that does not pull the horse off balance.
Stand with your right leg close to the area in front of the flank. Bend your left leg so you place the left foot
in the stirrup in a way that positions your knee directly over your heel. Step straight up so you are not pulling the
saddle and horse toward you. Lifting your body straight up prevents many
problems of bolting or moving.
A horse that cannot stand still for mounting, or that pulls back when
tied, or cannot be tied, is not broke to the ground.
Before tying a horse, he should be responding to being moved forward,
stopped, backed up and turned from left to right. If a horse does not respond to those
requests, he is not ready to be tied.
The high standard you have set for the initial ground training movements
will aid the horse when he is tied.
Learning to respect barriers is a part of hackamore training and a
necessity for learning to stand tied to the trailer or hitching post.
When tying with the mecate, tie high and tight
with minimal slack for the horse’s safety.
A loose mecate allowing a horse to step over
it is a guaranteed wreck. Having the
head too low so that it can be stuck under a hitching rail is a guaranteed
wreck. Consider all the possibilities for problems before tying a horse.
As you teach your horse to tie, it is important to keep lessons short.
Tie the horse and stay with him. Talk to him quietly and avoid fast movements
that will create the storm.
As time passes, begin moving about the horse while keeping him calm and
aware of its surroundings. Quick movements or fast moving objects can create
problems. Avoid problems.
When the horse shows signs of being relaxed, such as standing on three
legs, closing his eyes, standing on a loose tie, begin to work about the horse
lifting his feet, brushing him, fly spraying him and putting the saddle on and
taking the saddle off. Create a pattern
of activity that gives the horse confidence rather than creating situations
that will cause fear or concern.
I like to bring a horse out of its stall and take him directly to a
hitching post. While at the hitching post, I will tie him appropriately and
then begin to brush and groom him, preparing him for the saddle. I talk to the horse, stay close to the horse
and remember to move about without fast movements, but also not causing the
horse to feel my movements are so guarded that there is something unusual
about. I mention this because so many people tip toe around their horses or
move in slow motion that the horse becomes nervous believing there must be
something to fear.
The five to 10 minutes at the hitching post for grooming and tacking is
followed by his groundwork training.
During the groundwork training I will initiate the ground tying. As you will
see in the tape I will tell the horse to stand quietly in the round pen with
the rein on his neck and then I monitor his movements. When he has met my standard for that training
session, I move to something new.
It is important that your horse learn ground tying so tying to a post,
rail or trailer will be second nature.
If my horse will stand quietly in the round pen ground tied, and I then
take him to the hitching post and duplicate the training by leaving lead line
on the post and say "Whoa" and duplicating my movement for the ground
tie, he should in fact stand quietly while tied to the hitching post.
Every horse should stand quietly and patiently while tied.
A safe and secure object is a necessity for this type of training. Do
not tie your horses to gate panels, stock panels, or other objects not intended
as a place to tie a horse.
A heavy object planted deeply in the ground that will not break away if
pulled is a necessity for a trainer. There are many training aids for horses
that pull. I believe in patience, repetition and time when it comes to this
portion of the training. If every time
the horse exits his corral to begin his training day, he is tied and groomed,
then repetition is in action. Patience
and calm surroundings will create the desired effect.
As any video training series, there is only so much information, as far
as techniques go, that can be included. I encourage you to modify, add to and
rethink the techniques shown. Hackamore training is an art and my training is
only a system of teaching the art. We cannot change the actual art of hackamore
training, but we can certainly improve upon the systems used to teach it. Be creative, think out your daily training
program, and be flexible enough to try new things without using gimmicks.
Perfect your groundwork skills.
A cup of coffee and a rocking chair can be as useful as any equipment a
trainer has for evaluating a horse’s needs in planning his training program.
Take an hour and watch the horse move about in the round pen, encourage
movement and read postures as you evaluate. Evaluate distances between you and
the horse that create movement and determine the horse’s desire to be close to
you or far away from you. Use the nature
of the horse to assist you in the planning of his training.
Don’t short change the horse by skipping or speeding through the
groundwork phase. Don’t
short change the horse by allowing impatience or the desire to climb
aboard keep you assuring the horse has mastered the traditional hackamore
groundwork techniques.
Stay focused, stay committed and we will soon move to the next phase.