Yes. Sleister makes a mechanical hack with a leather noseband. Google "mechanical hackamore" and you'll see tons of different styles with all kinds of nosebands, from wire wrapped torture devices to leather.

There's more to the leverage than just the shanks, though they play a huge part. The thinner and more ridged the noseband, the stronger the hack is. The wider and more flexible the noseband, the gentler it is. For the curb, a chain is more severe than a leather strap, and the thinner the chain the stronger the hack.

You use a mechanical hack just like you would use a curb bit. Neck reining, no or extremely light contact, and absolutely NO jerking. The hack works by exerting pressure on the nose, chin and poll. There are extremely sensitive nerves on the horse's chin, where the chain lies, so a strong hand can be extremely painful for the horse.

Mechanical hacks are not meant for green horses or riders just like a curb bit is not. They can either be a delicate form of communication between horse and rider or they can be cruelly abused leverage bits.

If you're having bit issues, I'd go to a sidepull to teach her to direct rein, and then just let her wear a snaffle for awhile each day to get used to it. Put it on a one-ear headstall, remove the reins and just let her wear it. It'll pull off easily if it gets caught, and she'll get used to wearing the bit. Be aware that most horses don't really like bits and would much prefer to not wear them.

...............CherryHorse Blog..................