How to Ride a Horse in a Bosal

Riding horses is fun and great exercise. There are many ways to ride; Western, English and Bareback. All have their own methods and tack. Western riding is the most popular way to ride in the United States, and the bosal is one item of Western tack that many horses are started in.

Things You'll Need

• Bosal
• Bridle
• Mecate reins

Instructions

1. Begin by understanding what makes up a bosal. You have the nosepiece (bosal), the hanger (cheekpiece) and the mecate (reins). Knowing these parts and equating them to a standard bridle will help you understand how it works.

2. Make sure you that you know how to properly place and fit the bosal on your horses head. It should fit like a regular bridle around the ears and along the face, but the bosal needs to hang a little lower than the noseband on a standard bridle. This applies the rein pressure properly.

3. Understand that the bosal is a very mild form of guidance, and is not suitable for a horse with bad habits or who runs away. Bosals are gentle and used most often for starting young horses, in order not to cause any more pressure or pain that necessary to teach the animal the basic aids.

4. The bosal is meant to be used with two hands on the reins. It is not meant to be used for neck reining, although it can be used for that purpose if the horse is well trained enough.

5. Be sure and have proper mecate reins for your bosal. These can be made from horsehair, or cotton. But the idea is to have thick, soft reins that will work with the thick bosal, and communicate well from your hands to the horse's nose.