Everything you need to know

About hackamore bridles

Anatomical

Hackamore bridles

Are you looking for a hackamore bridle? Then you are at the right place. FR Equestrian offers all kinds of hackamore bridles made out of the highest quality leather for optimal comfort.

What is a

Hackamore bridle

A hackamore bridle is a bitless bridle that has two shanks on each side of the bitless bridle. The longer the shanks of the hackamore bridle the more leverage they have.

why choose a

Hackamore bridle

One of the main benefits of using a hackamore bridle is that it allows you to have more control over your horse. Hackamores work by applying pressure to the horse's nose and face, which gives you more leverage when you need to stop or turn your horse. This can be especially helpful if you are working with a young or inexperienced horse. Hackamore bridles have an instant release.

Hackamore Shanks Explained

Hackamore shanks are the metal/brass parts that bring hackamore bridles together. They can be found on each side of the horses head. Every hackamore shank works differently. FR Equestrian offers three different kinds of hackamore shanks. The Star, The Seahorse and The Love hackamore shank.
Below we will explain the working of each hackamore shank.

The Star hackamore shanks FR Equestrian

The Star shanks

The Star hackamore shank features a star-shaped ring. The star Hackamore shanks can be used in three different ways. The reins can be attached to hackamore 1, hackamore 2 and sidepull. The sidepull mode is just like a regular sidepull bridle. Hackamore 1 has a little leverage and hackamore 2 has more leverage. The longer the shanks are the more leverage and the more "control" and the sharper the hackamore bridle is.

These shanks can be purchased together with your bridle or separately.

The Seahorse hackamore shanks FR Equestrian

The Seahorse shanks

The seahorse shanks are the sharpest shanks fr equestrian has to offer. The seahorse shanks are real eye catchers. The Seahorse shanks are approximately 7 centimeters. The longer the shanks the more leverage they offer.

These shanks can be purchased together with your bridle or separately.

The Love hackamore shanks FR Equestrian

The Love shanks

The Love shanks feature two heart shape shanks. The heart shanks are around 4-5 centimeters long.

These shanks can be purchased together with your bridle or separately.

Are bitless

Hackamore bridles safe?

Bitless riding is considered to be safer and more controlled than riding with a bit. According to a study carried out by the Certified Horseman's Association, horses that had never been ridden bitless were calmer and performed better than those who had previously ridden with bitted bridles.

how do i take care

Of my hackamore bridle?

Each of FR Equestrians hackamore bridles come with leather care sheets. These Leather care sheets explain exactly how to best take care of your leather bridle.

All about hackamores

Do you have any questions about hackamore bridles? This part of the page is solely dedicated to answer all your questions about hackamore's.

We are here happy to help. If you are unable to finding an answer to your question let us know here and we'll help you out.

Hackamore bridle information

What is a hackamore bridle?

A hackamore bridle is a bitless bridle that that has two shanks on each side of the bitless bridle. The longer the shanks of the hackamore bridle the more leverage they have.

What does a hackamore bridle look like?

A bitless bridle with shanks is known as a hackamore.

Hackamores are occasionally seen on trail rides, in the jumper ring, and in western fast games like barrel racing. The mechanical hackamore's shanks give it leverage, much as a bit does in a traditional bridle. The shanks of a hackamore are attached to the nose and chin piece as well as the headpiece.


Where to buy a hackamore bridle?

You can buy the best hackamore bridles at FR Equestrian. Each of our hackamore bridles are anatomically designed and made out of the best quality Buffalo leather with Nappa leather padding.

Combing Quality, Comfort and Design for the perfect ride.

Shop Hackamores

Are hackamore bridles safe?

Bitless riding is considered to be safer and more controlled than riding with a bit. According to a study carried out by the Certified Horseman's Association, horses that had never been ridden bitless were calmer and performed better than those who had previously ridden with bitted bridles. At the end of the day however how you use your hackamore bridle has a big influence on how safe it is.

Hackamore bridle sizing & fit

How to fit a hackamore bridle

You can determine yourself if your hackamore bridle fits your horse correctly. The noseband should be fitted as any other bridle. You should be able to put 2-3 fingers underneath your horses noseband on the middle of the noseband. The noseband its self should be placed 2 fingers underneath the cheeck bone. If you are unsure if your hackamore bridle fits correctly please contact us here and we would be more than happy to help.

What size hackamore do I need?

Each of FR Equestrians hackamore bridles have a detailed sizing chart. You can find these sizing charts on the bridles product pages. To fit a hackamore correctly we recommend you to take a look at "How to fit a hackamore bridle"

Which hackamore shanks do I need?

When choosing the right hackamore shanks for you and your horse you need to keep in mind "The longer the shanks, the more leverage." So if you are in need of more leverage we recommend to go for a longer shank and if this is not the case we recommend to choose our star or love hackamore shanks which are both shorter and have therefor less leverage.

At the end of the day it does come to play on how you use your shanks.

Hackamore bridles in competitions.

Are hackamore bridles allowed in dressage?

In some countries hackamore bridles are allowed in dressage and in some countries they are not. In the Netherlands hackamore bridles are not allowed in dressage. Please check with your country's Equestrian federation for the accurate, up to date rules about bitless bridles in competitions.

Is bitless bridle the same as a hackamore?

Not all bitless bridles are hackamore's. A hackamore is a type of bridle most commonly used bitless. There are combinations of bitted bridles together with a hackamore however we do not sell nor make these as they are very harsh. A bitless hackamore on its self is not necessarily harsh.

Are hackamore bridles allowed in hunters?

In some countries hackamore bridles are allowed in hunters and in some countries they are not. Please check with your country's Equestrian federation for the accurate, up to date rules about bitless bridles in competitions.

Are hackamore bridles allowed in showjumping?

In some countries hackamore bridles are allowed in showjumping and in some countries they are not. Please check with your country's Equestrian federation for the accurate, up to date rules about bitless bridles in competitions.

At FR Equerstrian we offer a great variety of bitless bridles such as Sidepull bridles, Hackamore bridles, Cavemore bridles, Multi bridles as well as Cross-unders.