Find a bosal kidney and mecate/bosal: The good, the bad and the ugly!
Bosal casts that do not cause pain to your horse.
If you are looking for a rope rein for the first time, you may be surprised by the price range. A Bosal can range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Let’s face it, quality costs.
Unfortunately, less expensive bosals that are poorly braided, sparsely braided, and made with inexpensive leather or inexpensive processed rawhide can strip the skin directly from the horse’s nose, leaving blisters and bare spots around the dewlap. I know we’ve all seen those gaps and we know that most gaps are due to equipment that doesn’t fit well. White spots occur when ill-fitting equipment has severely damaged the underlying tissue causing the horse incredible pain.
There are several things you want to keep in mind when shopping for a bosal. A quality Bosal is made from rawhide braided over a core that is also made from rawhide. You can sometimes find a bosal with a metal core, but most pros won’t use these because they are too stiff.
You want to find a bosal that is flexible enough that it can be gently molded around your horse’s face. Go to an accessory store and compare the $30.00 bosal to the higher end bosal. You will notice a difference in stiffness, stiffness and flexibility within the core itself. Fold the bosal over a few times, give it a few twists and see how it feels in your hands. Is it giving and forgiving? Can you shape it while it’s in your hands? Will it flex and bounce back? It should be soft and flexible. Imagine how an unyielding bosal will feel to your horse. An unyielding bosal will leave your horse with no way out of any pain. This is how most behavior problems start.
Your horse is looking for that release and return to a place of comfort, so look for a bosal that is built on a rawhide core for the most flexibility. You’ll be glad you spent the extra money, because a quality bosal is almost impossible to wear out.
Take a good look at the braid. Can you tell how many braids are in the braid? Next you need to look at how many “braids” in the braid have been used to make the bosal.
Here’s how to tell how many “pleasures” are in the braid.
Look at just one of the laces and count how many rawhide laces go under it. If you count 3 just multiply by 4 and you have a braid of 12 braids. A quality bosal with at least a 12-braid braid on the cheeks, but you want more on the noseband. Since the weight of the bosal will be on your horse’s nose, you’ll want the laces to be made of thinner, softer laces. I like at least a 24-braid braid on the nose.
The more it pleases in the braid the finer the skin that the braider uses and makes the weight of the bosal softer on the horse. So, the more pleasing the braider used, the more the bosal will cost.
Now run your hand over the bosal. Is it hard on your hands? Does the braid have high points and more volume that pulls on your skin? Doing so will also pull on your horse’s skin.
The area where the bosal puckers is over soft, sensitive tissue, so look for the bosal gliding across its own skin. Cheaper bosals have fewer braids and leather or rawhide is bulky and has high points that will rip your shin.
Also, I suggest you look for American-made leather and rawhide, because it really does matter how the leather or rawhide was processed. Chemicals used alone in imported materials can also cause harm to your horse.
Also remember that in America when we talk about leather we assume that the leather comes from a cow, however many of the newer and less expensive items come from imported leather. Now you’re looking at the possibility that leather is made from water buffalo. Leather that is made from water buffalo has more natural oil, is stiffer, not as flexible, and severely chemically processed, some even being processed with urine. So keep that in mind with imported leather. It is important. An easy way to tell if the leather is from water buffalo is to smell it. Water Buffalo doesn’t have that leather smell and always seems to have oil on it. It is more polished.
Like most training equipment, you want to find a piece that will last, that is right for you, your training methods, and your horse. I’ve seen more customers buy cheaper equipment and pay vet bills later. Ask yourself, what is it worth to you not to inflict any pain on your horse? That is the highest price you and your horse will pay.
When looking at the bosal you will notice that the bosal has a large knot on the back of the bosal. This knot goes behind the horse’s chin. The knot provides weight so that when a rider touches the rope, the change in weight is perceptible to the horse. You will want to check that the braid is tight and when you are first riding a horse you will want one with some weight in the knot to help the horse respond to the pull.
Bosals come in a variety of diameters. To start a green horse, you want a bosal with a larger diameter. More experienced trainers start with the 3/4-inch bosal. It has more weight for an easier feel on the horse and spreads the pull over a larger area. As a formation process you can go to a smaller diameter.
The colors on the bosal and the design can get complicated which will significantly increase the price on a bosal. They look great, but for practicality, you can save a few bucks and skip the design. They sure do look pretty in the ring though.
The elaboration of a Quality Rope Rein.
Let’s start with the right size.
Do you want to know what size rope rein to use for your newly purchased bosal? Most people, even trainers, have no idea what size or how many threads you should have. You want to use a rope rein that is at least as thick as the diameter of the bosal. So if you buy a 3/4-inch bosal, look for a 3/4-inch rope rein.
The standard length for a horse-sized rope is 22 feet. If you are using the rope on a Cob sized horse or pony, you may like the 16 foot ones better. Don’t worry, 22 feet sounds like a lot of kidney, but once the rope is tied correctly, part of the kidney is used for a leash.
When looking for your kidney rope, remember again, quality matters. Try not to buy a rope kidney made from tail hair. It will be “prickly” in your hands forever. The hair on the tail is coarse and stiffer than the hair on the mane. In the market, tail hair is more readily available so it is less expensive and the hairs are also much longer so it is faster to make kidneys.
But believe me when I tell you that you will never be happy with the feeling of a Hair Mecate tail in your hands. The hair on the mane is finer, thinner, and softer than the hair on the tail. The first time you wear the mane hair, it may feel a bit prickly until the fine hair ends up worn, but use a mane rope a few times and it becomes baby soft, the tail hair doesn’t.
Making a rope kidney takes a long time. Quality rope reins are hand-twisted by a long-haired master braider. When kidneys are hand-twisted by a master weaver, this allows them to create endless combinations of patterns, all boldly designed and done in a variety of colors using natural mane. We hardly all have two patterns that come in exactly the same pattern.
The price of the rope kidney will depend on several things. First, if the mecate is made of tail hair or horsehair. The most preferred is the mecate made with mane hair.
Let’s see how many strands of hair the Mecate has. It is easy to know how many threads the rope is made of. Just count how many threads there are before the pattern repeats.
If the kidney is a solid color, give it a twist in the opposite direction of the twist. In a quality mane braid, the hair is easily parted and it is easy to count the number of strands on the rein. The more strands will add much more strength and provide less stretch on the kidney.
The third thing that will determine the price is the material used in the center of the rope: its core. While you have it twisted the other way, check what they have used for the center of the braid. Is it horse hair? The center should be a core of braided horsehair. By using horse hair as the core, the flexibility will remain in the cord.
Have you ever noticed a string of kidneys that never seems to uncoil ever and goes in all directions? This is because the manufacture used an inferior material for the kidney core. So as you turn and look, take a look at the core.
Another great advantage of having the entire rein made from horse hair is the fact that you can easily maintain and wash the rein without damaging it. Make sure you learn how to care for your new rope kidneys.
From here on, the colors of the bosal and rope are endless. Some riders wear a one-ear or no-ear bridle, but a browband bridle will also help stabilize the Bosal.