This section covers the rope items we make that are used for riding, training or both.  Scroll down for info on each design,

*Rope hackamore

*Half Bosal Riding Halter

*Half Bosal hackamore

*Enduro Bridle

The Lodge Ropes Hackamore is a complete set up, tied and ready to ride.

The Hackamore consists of a 22 Ft mecate style rein made from 100% Australian made 1/2" marine Double Braid rope.  The halter end has a mota (tassle) while the running end is ‘weighted’ with a correctly formed double braid back splice, then finished with an Australian leather double laced latigo flapper. 

The quality marine rope transmits your most subtle aid directly to the horse.   This rope is perfect for Natural Training and Riding applications.  Soft & smooth yet strong & tough.

The Natural Horsemans Rope Halter is hand tied with matching 100% Australian made 6mm Double Braid rope.  This halter instantly rewards your horse for  yielding to pressure, a basic foundation principle of Natural Training. 

Your choice of size: Pony, Cob or Full.  We are pleased to custom tie your halter to your specifications if your horse is between regular sizes at No Extra Charge

Price Aud$60.00   

Colours:Red, Black, Purple, Pink, Electric Blue, Hunter Green, Beige,  Dark Brown, Slate Grey, Pink/purple fleck, Black/red fleck, Black/purple fleck, Black/blue fleck, Black/pink fleck, Black/beige fleck,Pink/purple fleck, White/red fleck   and Beige/Brown or Pink/Purple zig zag pattern.

LodgeRopes Hackamore Options.

We use a simplified method for attaching the mecate rein to the riding halter. Pic A above shows the use of a simple ‘sheet bend’ knot through the chin loops of the halter.  This easy to tie method allows easy adjustment to the length of the rein loop and can be tied in 3 seconds.  It still provides the weight to allow the halter to hang in a neutral position.  As the mecate rein provides a lead rope, the halter chin loops are no longer required as an attachment point for a rope. 

Our simplified method has proven itself as safe and reliable, at the same time providing the desired characteristics for successful bitless riding.  This system also allows the mecate to be tied to the halter chin loops to provide a 22ft Training rope & Training Halter combination.  

Pic B shows a popular variation of the traditional western wrap & tie method that has confused people for years.  This method was originally used with a rawhide bosal to adjust & weight the bosal to the correct shape and position.  The Parelli PNH  mecate is tied above the Fiador knot in the traditional style.  If you wish to use the Western traditional wrap & tie method, the horsemans halter will need to be tied as a ‘special’ with longer sections above the Fiador knot.  As always, we are pleased to tie the halter to suit your needs.  The obvious disadvantage of this design is that it cannot be used as a normal halter due to the nose opening being oversized without the mecate attached.

When ordering a hackamore, please make sure you clearly state which style of hackamore you require. 

When you receive your LodgeRopes Hackamore, it be supplied tied & ready to ride.  

Any questions or for more info on this item, email cypresslodge@iprimus.com.au

The LodgeRopes Half Bosal Bitless Bridle/Riding Halter started out as a Volvo Estate station wagon and ended up being a Maserati.   We wanted to make a halter that was kinder on the sensitive nasal region of our horses, so we simply increased the surface area of the noseband by wrapping 6mm smooth double braid around the noseband of our standard halter.  The physics was simple, increase the surface area and the pressure per sq inch will decrease over this specific area.  Clean design, easy to use and safe, in other words, the Volvo Estate of halters.

The new halter was used around the Lodge for all the usual applications and it appeared to be meeting its design requirements as a softer kinder rope halter.  Shadow was saddled up and the new halter was put on for a ride.  Shadow likes new tack; he is one of those beasts that love the attention that comes with new gear.   The difference was immediate, at this point I must say Shadow was a bolter, rearer and quite a nasty piece of work when he came to us, but improved greatly through Natural Training techniques and took kindly to being ridden in a halter. 

This Half Bosal Riding Halter made Shadow more responsive to any rein cue. 

We were amazed, what was it about this halter that made such a difference? 

It had to be the coiled rope noseband, but how?? 

Please note:

These rope riding halters are not made with magic rope, The horse will only do what it has been trained to do, but we have always felt that the halter movement around the face, when a direct rein is applied, gave a sloppy cue which results in sloppy responses.

The Half Bosal is a refinement of the standard rope halter and is meant to be used as a riding halter.  Although it can be used as a regular halter, it is more suited for a horse that has already learned to give to pressure.  A standard rope halter and a program of groundwork exercises will help develop the desired cue and response needed for bitless riding. 

Check our No Fuss Reins, made to compliment the Half Bosal Riding Halter.

Price AUD$24.00  Colours Purple, Black, Red, Blue, Hunter Green, Pink, Beige,  Dark Brown, Slate Grey, Black/purple fleck, Black/blue fleck, Black/red fleck, Black/pink fleck, Black/beige fleck, Pink/purple fleck, White/blue fleck, White/red fleck and  Beige/Brown or Pink/Purple zig zag pattern.    Or custom mix and match.

The LodgeRopes Half Bosal Hackamore combine our popular coiled noseband riding halter with a Parelli style western rope hackamore.

All the details on the Half Bosal are above, we have added a 22ft mecate rein tied with the traditional western wrap & tie method.  This knot allows the noseband sizing to be adjusted by adding or removing wraps of the mecate rein.

The rope is our usual all Aussie made 100% polyester marine double braid,  soft &  smooth, tough & strong, low stretch and UV resistant.

Standard sizes pony, cob, arab, full, warmblood or draught or fully custom made to your horses measurements at no extra charge.

Full range of colours,  mix and match colours if you wish…no worries

Price AUD$65.00

The hackamore is a riding tradition, the word itself is an anglicized version of the Spanish ‘jaquima’, meaning tied halter.   A Hackamore consists of a ‘mecate’ rein that is connected to a halter (or bosal) to provide a set of reins and a lead rope.  The mecate reins are traditionally made from horsehair but can be rough on the hands, the Lodge Hackamore is soft and smooth on the hands.   The quality marine grade double braid rope used is not cheap, in fact it is darn expensive and there is 7 meters of 1/2" and 6 meters of 6mm rope used to make each Hackamore.  We really wanted to offer this item at a cheap price so that it would be affordable to riders wanting to experience the next stage of training and riding.

Tying a Hackamore:  There are so many ways to tie reins to the halter that it can become confusing.  The test of any technique or method is to ask the following questions:

1)     Is it safe for the rider/trainer?

2)     Is it safe for the horse?

3)     Does it perform its required task?

4)     Does it work every time?

5)     Do I understand why it works?

If the answer is yes to every question, every time, then it is fairly safe to say the technique is sound.  This applies to equipment, training techniques, in fact, life in general.   So with the general disclaimer that we don’t know everything and are always willing to learn something new, here is our method.  We find it a lot quicker and easier to tie a double sheet bend knot than the traditional wrap & tie method that has confused people for years.  The idea is simple; you want to have a loop for use as a rein and a length of lead rope.   The knot must be secure but still easy to undo.  The rein knot at the fiador knot must allow the halter to hang from your horses’ head in a neutral position allowing the hackamore to work like a joystick directing your horse.  All this is achieved with the simple sheet bend knot.. We believe in the KISS system (Keep It Simple Stupid).  The halter supplied in the Hackamore is tied to use the loops and simple sheet bend.  If you wish to use the traditional wrap method above the fiador knot, simply let us know and we will make your halter to suit at no extra charge.

Is The Hackamore a necessary training tool? 

Necessary, probably not.  Desirable, definitely!

It is a great training tool and takes the ground work into the saddle.  It’s all about communication, and a good quality hackamore allows clear communication with your horse.  A Hackamore is also great value for money.  Add up the cost for the following list of gear: 12ft lead rope, 22ft lead rope, rope halter and reins. The Hackamore provides all of this in one package.

Bitless Riding and Natural Horsemanship

There is a new wave of interest in the art of riding without a lump of metal in a horses mouth, mainly associated with the spread of Natural Horsemanship.  We decided to have a bit of a look at the standard rope halter and its origins.

The two pics above show a Spanish leather bosal hackamore and a rope halter.  The Halters noseband and chin strap replace the traditional braided rawhide bosal, cheek strap replaces the hanger and the gullet piece and throat latch substitute for the fiador.  The designs seem to be identical, so this seemed a good point to start researching the relevant training programs.

The Spanish ranchers of the Americas brought their riding techniques with them to the New World.  The vaqueros started and trained their horses in a hackamore.  The traditional hackamore consisted of the Bosal, Hanger & Fiador.  The bosal is usually a braided raw hide leather nose band that was shaped to fit the horse.  Correct location and fit is important, as the bosal must hang in a neutral position just above the nasal cartilage-facial bone join.  The bosal must be correctly weighted to allow the heel knot to swing or drop under the horses chin when rein pressure is released.  The fiador helped to keep the bosal in the correct position, limiting the forward movement of the heel knot of the bosal.  The fiador also acted as a throatlatch.  A long horsehair rope, called a mecate, was used as a set of reins and also provided a lead rope.  The mecate was wrapped around the bosal above the heel knot to adjust and weight the bosal.

For about the first 2 years the young horses learned the basics, to neck rein, back up, halt and cut and work cattle without a bit in their mouths.   Only those horses that proved their worth as working cow ponies went on to be bitted at about 5 to 6 years old.

The training was progressive, allowing the young horse to develop.  Training started in a heavy hackamore with a ¾ inch diameter bosal, but after the first seasons work, the thicker bosal was replaced with a lighter 5/8 inch version.   Following the second season the set up was changed to a light 3/8 to ½ bosal that was also shorter than the previous.

The transition to a bit was achieved by placing the bit in the mouth while the hackamore was still in place.  Lightweight reins were then attached to accustom the horse to weight in the mouth due to movement.  Gradually the bit was lightly used and eventually the hackamore was removed.

Interesting training regime but a little too long for our modern need for instant results.  This is where the horsemen like Pat Parelli come into their own.  Pat more than anyone else took what he had learned from his peers and molded it into a step by step approach that is easy to market.  Some call his Natural Horsemanship system the Amway of horse training.   Like so many others, we came to Natural Training via Parelli and have nothing but respect for the system and the man.  Especially his ground work consisting of the 7 games (we have found 5 of the games a must, the other 2 depend on the horse).  These teach the horse to give to pressure, actual or implied, and allow an easy transition to bitless riding.

It was the Parelli system that triggered our interest in hackamore riding.   Parelli offers a hackamore that consists of a modified basic halter and a 22 Ft mecate rein.  With our horses accustomed to moving in all directions on the ground and giving to light pressure in a halter, the transition to bitless riding was a natural progression for the rider and the horse.  The rope halter had become a bitless bridle and has proven to be beneficial for a couple of our head-tossing ponies.

For many of us, the availability of good bitless riding equipment has allowed us to reverse the training system of the Spanish Vaqueros….. we take our horses that were started in a bit and then prepare them to accept bitless cues and techniques often with desirable results.  One benefit we have observed in some of the horses we have played with here at the Lodge, is that when educated to accept halter riding techniques then reintroduced to a plain snaffle bit, a lot of the earlier bit problems or ‘quirks’ had disappeared or at least, reduced.