Tying a Hackamore

Train yourself to create your own hackamore

by Patrick Hooks

This go-'round, I would like to share with you how to tie a hackamore. For the most part, the bosal is a very good tool that has been left to gather dust in the tack room, chest or trunk, usually because the instructions to tie the mecate line onto the bosal aren't in the Webster’s. Or, if a fellow makes the mistake of untying the line while trying to adjust it to a different horse, well, he can always say, "That was all Granddaddy had to use and he didn't know about all these new bits and gimmicks we have today." That way he won't have to admit he can't re-tie it. 

Let me take a shot at sharing the way I was taught to tie a mecate line onto a bosal, making what is called a true hackamore, known in Spanish as jaquima. The horseman who taught me was around 90 years old at the time he passed this knot along. I'm betting he knew his stuff...

(click here to read the full article with step-by-step photos in our digital edition)