Do you know if hackamore cheeks typically are braided with fewer or more plaits than the nose button? Find out from Al Dunning and Benny Guitron, sources for The Art of Hackamore Training: A Time-Honored Step in the Bridle-Horse Tradition.
Do you know if hackamore cheeks typically are braided with fewer or more plaits than the nose button?
“Typically, the cheek braid of a hackamore is made with fewer plaits than the nose button, which creates an eye-pleasing contrast. For example, a 12-plait cheek typically carries a 16-plait nosepiece, while the 16-plait cheek is crowned by a 24-plait nose. A showy 24-plait cheek is adorned by 32-plait nose button, and so on. Some show hackamores can be so extravagant in detail as to have the mind-bending 40-plait braid. The mastery of such a delicate braid is awe-inspiring. There is, however, more to this design than mere fashion. The more intricate the braid, the smoother the finish and softer the hackamore is on the horse’s nose.”
From The Art of Hackamore Training: A Time-Honored Step in the Bridle-Horse Tradition, a Western Horseman book featuring the combined efforts of professional horsemen Al Dunning and Benny Guitron, writer Deanna Lally and photographer Robert Dawson. The book shares not only how to develop a responsive hackamore horse, but also much of the vaquero horsemanship tradition.
