In the spirit of this month’s focus, I am going to discuss the headgear used in National Reined Cowhorse Association (NRCHA) events. The training and molding of a cowhorse is rooted in the early Spanish Vaquero Tradition of highly trained and well reined working cowhorses. The class divisions in NRCHA events are modeled after this progression and begin with starting fledgling cowhorses in a snaffle bit.
The Snaffle Bit – Most people are familiar with this sort of bit. A snaffle is used with two hands and is the first step in the process. In cowhorse events the snaffle must have a “D” or “O” ring type measuring no more than 4” in diameter on the inside of the ring. They must have a broken, smooth, 2 piece mouth piece being a minimum of 5/16” in diameter with a gradual decrease to the center of the snaffle. Horses are shown in the snaffle in the 3 yr old year at Futurities and in Limited Aged Events in the 4 & 5 year old years such as the NRCHA Derby and NRCHA Stallion Stakes. The snaffle allows you to use both indirect and direct rein guidance and offers the most versatility when training young horses to do all those show stopping maneuvers! In working cowhorse, the ability to steer your horse at any speed is crucial and the snaffle allows you a lot of lateral movement and direct control of your pony’s nose. It is a tool that many trainers go back to when they run into problems with a particular horse. It has often been said that if you can’t get it done in a snaffle, you’ll never get it done right!
The Hackamore – As 4 & 5 yr olds, cowhorses are shown in a hackamore, also known as a bosal. The hackamore must be round and made of either braided rawhide or leather. Reins are called mecate, are usually made out of braided horse hair and are used with two hands. It is designed to offer direct rein pull as well as teach a horse to stay between the reins in preparation for the bridle. The hackamore division is open to any horse 5 years of age and under that has not been shown down the fence in a bridle. The divisions offered are the Open Hackamore (open to any rider), the Limited Open Hackamore (for riders who have not earned more than $10,000 in horse shows or Limited Aged Events), and the Non Pro Hackamore (open to approved Non Pro riders only). There are also some special events where horses can only be shown in the hackamore such as the NRCHA Hackamore Classic which just took place in Paso Robles, CA. This can be a tricky piece of equipment to learn to use simply because some horses are not responsive to a hackamore at high speeds, and that can be trouble! Other horses, however, are better in a hackamore than in a snaffle because of the leverage action that a hackamore offers.
The Two-Rein – This is a combination of a smaller hackamore and a bridle. The rider may use any number of fingers in between the hackamore reins and romel reins but may only use one hand on the reins and the hand may not be changed. Horses are allowed to be shown in this class at any age if they have never been shown in a bridle class but only for one year. During this year horses may be shown in both the two rein and the bridle classes. Now this is a tricky set-up, but the cool thing is that it is very specific to NRCHA events. The Open Two Rein class has always been the only two-rein class, but this is the first year NRCHA is offering a Non Pro Two-Rein Class. It is my first experience showing in the two-rein and I confess it is quite complicated. It takes a real hand to get it all working right and though it is often called the cheating class (because you can stick your fingers all through the reins) it is really hard to learn to be a good cheater!
The Bridle – This is the culmination of the training process, the crème de la crème, the finished cowhorse. The bridle class is defined by the horse being shown one handed in a spade bit using romal reins. The spade bit must have an unbroken bar mouthpiece, with a minimum diameter of 3/8 inch, as well a one inch or higher port measured from the bottom of the bar to the top of the port. There must be an operable cricket, or roller, incorporated into the mouthpiece of the bit. The cheeks must be connected at the bottom and the overall length of the bit cannot be longer than 8 ½ inches. There are bits of all variations within these parameters. This bit may only be used with a leather chin strap. Romels must be held in one hand with the thumb up, the non rein hand must be on the tail end of the romel and no fingers are permitted through the reins. There are many classes offered for Bridle Horses: Open Bridle, Limited Open Bridle, Non Pro Bridle, Novice Non Pro Bridle, and Youth Bridle. There is also a reasonably new event called a Bridle Spectacular that is added to many of the NRCHA’s major events. This is a 3 event competition for Bridle Horses only consisting of herd work, rein work and fence work. We even have a version of this, a Bridle Classic, in the Northwest in June at the Paul Dice Memorial!
Broken Equipment in a Show- If a piece of equipment breaks during a class, the rider may continue to show so long as it is not hazardous to rider or horse. If the fence work directly follows the rein work, broken equipment can be repaired, but the rider has only a one minute time period and can’t leave the arena or get any help from outside the arena. In the past I have lost stirrups, broken breast collars, but the best equipment failure story I have just happened at the April NWRCHA Show. I was in the Non Pro Bridle class, showing Playboy, and had finished my dry work and was boxing my cow. All of a sudden I realize I have no left rein! My romal had come unhooked from the bit and I was very one-sided. I almost pulled up, but knowing I would face endless ridicule from the guys and lose my shot at a year end award, I cowgirled up, turned the corner and trusted my pony! Luckily he was a good boy and we circled up to many hoots and hollers. It was exhilarating, but the fence work can be dicey enough with two reins. The joke for the weekend was that I started a new division called the One-Rein class. I don’t advise entering, but it is a testament to how great a finished bridle horse can be!
Coming Events:
June 1-4 WRHA Classic – Monroe, WA for more information go to www.wrha.net
June 9-11 Paul Dice Memorial – Spanaway, WA NWRCHA Show with a Bridle and Hackamore Classic for more information go to www.nwrcha.com
June 20-25 NRCHA Derby – Paso Robles, CA for more information go to www.nrcha.com
Copyright © 2008 The NW Horse Source, LLC
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