Hi,

Using a bosal is a great way to stay your horse’s training under saddle. You will be able to teach your horse to respond to your hand aids without worrying about injuring the horse’s mouth.

When I was in equine tech school we made what we called a ‘come-along” by wrapping the noseband of a halter with soft cord. By attaching reins to each side of the halter we were able to teach the horse to turn with a “leading rein.” The bosal has much more finesse and can be shaped to fit the individual horse.

I am going to give you a link to a site that has good illustrations on the importance and how-to fit the bosal. I do know from experience it should hang at least an inch below the bone that runs on the side of the face.

http://www.calclassics.net/edu/edubosalfit.html

After you’ve done all your ground work and taught your horse to lead properly (leading establishes you as leader of your two-man herd – horse and you) and to longe and learn voice cues it is a good time to begin working under saddle. I would prefer working in a round pen or small paddock to begin with. Do a lot of circling and bending exercises, leading the horse around your leg, teaching him to be flexible and to relax. When he is responding well in the small area you can graduate to a larger area and on to trail riding and more advanced work.

Here is another link that talks more about training with the hackamore:

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2864

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