Mechanical hackamore

A mechanical hackamore is a piece of horse tack that is a type of bitless headgear for horses where the reins connect to shanks placed between a noseband and a curb chain. Other names include "hackamore bit", "brockamore," "English hackamore," "nose bridle" and "German hackamore." Certain designs have been called "Blair's Pattern" and the "W. S. Bitless Pelham."

A mechanical hackamore has a partial noseband, usually of leather, sometimes covered with fleece for extra comfort. However, the noseband can also be very harsh; some are made of rubber-covered cable, stiff metal, or even bicycle chain (though usually covered in plastic). The curb chain is usually a flat-linked chain, though it may be made of anything from a relatively mild flat leather strap to very severe designs with heavy chain or even solid metal bars. The noseband and curb chain are connected by a metal link that also includes the long shank that applies pressure to the nose, chin groove and poll when the reins are tightened.

Although sometimes called a bitless bridle, technically, a mechanical hackamore is not a bridle, as a true bridle contains a bit. However, the mechanical hackamore is also unrelated to a true hackamore except to the extent that both are headgear that control a horse with some form of noseband rather than a bit in the horse's mouth. Because the mechanical hackamore uses shanks and leverage, it is not a true hackamore, but rather works similarly to a curb bit. The shanks and curb chain serve to increase pressure on the nose, jaw, and

The mechanical hackamore may be a relatively modern invention. In the United States, a device with shanks and a noseband, called a "hackamore bit" was mentioned in at least one western riding-based horse training book by the late 1930s. Early patent applications were filed in 1940 for a "Hackamore bit" and a "leverage hackamore bridle". Additional patent applications were filed during the 1940s, and a significant increase in patent applications for various mechanical hackamore designs occurred from the 1950s forward. Descriptions of the mechanical hackamore appeared in general interest books on horses during that decade.

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