Sunday, August 24, 2008

Tack Test: Indian Bosal

I love my mail carrier. Today, she brought a package from Crazy Ropes containing my new bridle. This is a bitless option known as an Indian bosal. Here it is, modeled by Consolation.


Designed for direct reining, an Indian bosal operates very much like a rope halter, with the use of familiar pressure via the knots around the horse's muzzle. However, it offers more control due to the straps that cross beneath the horse's jaw and tighten when the rider takes up the reins.





I think this will make a great endurance bridle, as it doesn't limit the horse's ability to eat as does the Dr. Cook's Bitless Bridle I use on Aaruba. The rope halter is built right in, so I'll never have to lead by the reins, and it the soft rope appears very comfortable indeed.

Consolation looks happy about it, too, wouldn't you say?

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Want to try an Indian bosal? Enter the Best of the Barb Wire Contest before November 10, 2008, to win a free, custom Halter Bosal Combo from Crazy Ropes!


9 comments:

Spartacus Jones said...

Looks very good. I've ridden in the rope halter and like it. I'll have to check into this one.

sj

Unknown said...

Since it's been a month since you received the tack from Crazy Ropes; how do you like it?

Tamara Baysinger said...

Hi, ML, and welcome! Thus far, I'm very happy with the product. It's easy to put on (though the noseband has to be held open while it's slipped over the horse's muzzle) and has a nice "feel"; that is, a weight and flexibility I like.

The Indian bosal works perfectly well as a halter as well as a bridle. This is most convenient because I don't have to switch from halter to bridle and back again during the course of a training session.

Consolation, Acey, and Aaruba have all been responsive to it. It's mild but gives clear signals.

If I really need to pull a horse's nose around quickly, such as for a single-rein-stop, I do have to apply a bit of muscle if the horse resists. This, of course, is all part of training and would apply to any bridle.

If you have specific questions I failed to answer, do feel free to email me or comment again here. :-)

Unknown said...

Thanks so much for the info! Due to an injury, I ride my horse with a bosal but he his forgetting how to bend, and I have to use a side pull for training. I'm hoping I found my two tools in one. Thanks again.

Anonymous said...

lol okay so odd question, but i would love to know where you got those reins! i've sen them in the pictures of aaruba too. and they are crazy long and rope but round and for some reason i am attached to them lol. do you remember where you got them?

Tamara Baysinger said...

Hi Anonymous :-) I got my red rope reins from a local tack shop. They order the soft, round, cotton blend rope and make the reins themselves. Last time I was in, they said they've had trouble getting enough rope in popular colors (black, blue, and red) -- so even we locals are having trouble getting more reins. I'm almost positive they're not available online. Crazy Ropes by Debbie makes round rope reins that I plan to try -- you might find something you like in her online store.

I like the extra rein length because it's easy to keep hold of the reins as my horse drinks or grazes while I'm mounted.

Anonymous said...

I love that too. I don't like split reins, but I don't like the typical short english reins so i have to track down reins i like, as with most of my tack. lol. im a picky tack person, but it's worth it if it's best for the horse i think!
i love that they are cotton. are the snaps strong? thats what i always worry about with reins that have the scissor snaps: they break easy. but the lighter the metal snap the less likely to bother the horse.
how long are your reins? i found similar ones but I want the best. the ones i found are 8'.
you might love alot of the tack i've found. I stick as close to comfortable, gentle, durable, humane tack as i can get.

Unknown said...

I've got a pair of Crazy Ropes reins, and used them on Sunday for a couple of hours on the trail. They are nice and have a nice weight to them. I just ordered a pair of her braided reins for my daughter.

Unknown said...

P.S. Her snaps are very high quality. Also, if you're picky about your length, I would recommend ordering her reins with slobber straps so you can adjust length; or order the 10' reins and cut them (and reattach the snap) for your custom fit - that's what I'm doing.