How to Tie a Nylon Mecate to a Bosal
The mecate is a rein system for the hackamore that is used to train young horses. The hackamore is a spanish tradition. The word "mecate" basically is Spanish for rope on your hackamore (bosal). Mecates typically range from 18 to 22 feet long. Once tied to the bosal, the mecate consists of a rein set and lead. When you are mounted, you coil the free end and attach it to the saddle. When you dismount, the lead rein is not used to tie the horse to a solid object, but you can use it as a lead rope and a form of longe line when needed.
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Instructions
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Hold the bosal by the round knot near the bottom of the bosal. This is called the heel knot.
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2
Take the tassel end of the nylon mecate and push it through the "V" of the bosal, facing away from the bosal hanger. As a rule of thumb, the mecate width should be the same size as your bosal or one size smaller.
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Wrap the mecate around the bosal one to three times. This will depend on the size of the bosal and the size of your horse.
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4
Push down on the wraps in order to snug them up to the bosal. Reach from underneath the bosal and pull down on the top wrap to form your reins. Keep pulling until you create the rein length you need.
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Push down on the wraps again and hold the tassel end once more. Take two more wraps around the bosal. This will fit the average size horse. For a larger horse, take fewer wraps to form a larger opening. To fit a smaller horse, take more wraps to create a smaller opening. Leave the last wraps loose.
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Grab the tassel end of the rope and shove it back down between the last wraps that you made. The tassel will now come across the top of your reins.
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Pull tight on the wraps and work them down. Turn the bosal over and pull tight on all three pieces that are sticking out. You will use the excess rope as a lead.
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Tips & Warnings
The hackamore is often wrongly called the bosal, and the hackamore is mistaken for the mechanical hackamore. The bosal, or bosalita, is actually a thin, pencil-thick version of the hackamore that is used in the two-rein set. The hackamore is the thick nose band that is commonly referred to as the bosal, which is used in training after the horse has graduated from the snaffle bit. The mechanical hackamore is a more severe version of the hackamore that consists of a flat noseband with shanks on the sides that is used on a horse who no longer responds to the original hackamore.
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- Photo Credit Quarter- Horse Kopfbild image by Reinhard Schäfer from Fotolia.com
