Bosals/Hacks/Side-Pulls

Please tell me everything you can about bosals, hacks, and side-pulls. I was thinking about using something bitless but I don't have much experience in that area...Thanks!

If I was going to go bitless completely and wanted something more than a rope halter, I would definitely go with a bosal. Of course though, I am a western rider and sidepulls strike me as much more of an english thing (not sure though). As for hacks, I think that there are different kinds. I will stick with western as that is what I know. There are what are called "loping hackamores" which are basically just a soft rope version of a bosal and there are mechanical hackamores. I personally don't like the mechanical hacks at all. There are certain people and certain horses that use them and get along great but I just don't like them cause they have the potential to be incredibly harsh.

I don't know if you are looking for something for just pleasure riding or for showing/competing but I just use a rope halter and lead rope reins when I want to go bitless during pleasure rides.

There's quite a bit of information on them out on the net. Why don't you do some googling, then come back here with more specific questions.

I used sidepull on my girls to start them. HOWEVER my paint didn't like it, and after I switched them to the bit and tried to go back to sidepull my qh didn't like it either. I used the gentlest possible sidepull (just like a wide leather halter with reins attached - awesome hand-made thing for the price I got on ebay). I tried bosals once, but my horses are not trained to neck-rein so it didn't work for me. Also personally I don't like the pull on nose for either bosal, true sidepull (with the stiff piece on nose), and I absolutely dislike mechanical hackamores. You have to have very soft hands to use the mechanical hack.

Just wondering WHY do you want to go without bit? Any teeth problems or something?

^^ I'm really glad to hear that a bosal was the best because I was starting to hear really good things about them..For hacks,just now I've already ruled them out--Potentielly dangerous", "can hurt horse's nose and breatheing tubes", etc..We do mostly trail riding [pleasure riding], and he is seriously herd-bound; he will jump off a cliff whith me hanging on his mouth just to have his nose back in his bud's butt, so I needed something with power, but I also wanted something that can be mild at the same time and it sounds like a bosal is just that..Right?

^^ Well, there are a few reasons:
1) I wanted to try something new..I simply cannot find an adequate bit for him that has a little power, but can be mild too...I've been working with him in the ring with a snaffle, hoping he could maybe use it for a while and see, but I really think he might like something bitless.
2) He throws his head with 90% percent of the bits I've tryed with him.Most of them are simple grazing curbs..Nothing specal. I recently have just been retraining him in the ring with just a halter and a Slow Twist D Ring Snaffle.
3) Believe it or not, there are no teeth problems that I know of..He just got them floated a few weeks ago.The throwing the head business is simply him trying to get around/above/below the bit so he can get back to his friends.

As long as it is fitted correctly and used correctly I believe the bosal is the best. It goes off of leverage, but you can use direct reins if necessary. Next I would say the side pull. I'm not very familiar with these, but I prefer the bosal because of it's leverage. I would never use a mechanical hackamore. I feel they are more severe than neccesary and can be cruel. Even though in soft hands nothing has to be cruel. However, if you have soft hands and good horsemanship you don't need such a strong device. And even soft hands must be firm in an emergency situation or when a horse spooks, ect and then the horse will have undergone unjust pain. That's just my opinion.

Does he neck-rein? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I always thought horse needs to know that well to be ridden in bosal. I may be wrong though.
BTW, sidepull doesn't give much of stopping power, so if your horse likes to take off or hard to stop, it's not the best one to go with.

Just curious.... Did you try just rope halter with reins attached? If your horse listens to you it's the best (and cheapest ) way to go. I also would recommend to try rope halter before getting more expensive bosal: some horses simply doens't like the pull on nose. Also did you try just plain simple french snaffle on him (that's the gentlest one) to see how he'll like that one? I'm NOT trying to talk you away from using bosal (don't get me wrong), but I'm concerned he may like bosal even less. It really worth to try different stuff before putting money in (GOOD balanced bosals are not that cheap lol!).

^^ Well,
I have tried a rope halter and a lead, a regular halter with reins, and the snaffle I've been working with him on is a slow twist d ring snaffle. I do want to make myself clear that I ONLY DO THIS IN THE RING. I would NEVER ride him in a halter on the trail..Runaway horsey .. I used to use a TT for a little while, and I will NEVER use one again. Then I moved to a simple TWH bit, and that allowed me to work with a loose rein; but when his fellow horse mates take off, he starts crow-hopping, counter-cantering [lol,i know that's not what he's doing but it feels like it],gaiting extremely collected [trying to get behind the bit], etc..It is somewhat controllable, but I have to be entirely in his mouth; therefore I would NEVER go on a trail whith just a simple halter..But then a bosal might be the same? A hack is TOO strong, but are bosals strong ehough? What BIT would you advise? *confused>.<*

Oh, and he DOES neck rein! Eek..how do you edit your posts?