What does it teach the horse?

My trainer might have me take lessons on my horse in a rope bridle (hackamore I think it's called?) I keep forgetting to ask her what it is for, so I figured I could just ask here. I know I am using the vienna draw reins now to keep his head low and not throw his head up over jumps. Does the rope bridle serve the same purpose? Or is it totally different?

I have no idea - but if you get an answer from your trainer - please share. I'm curious.

WEll, I know that a hackamore is bitless, with a noseband that works with the pressure points on the horses face, nose and chin. Some horses respond better with that than to the bit, and some don't respond at all.

I'm not exactly sure what a rope bridle is unless it's just rope instead of leather.....i saw some for sale online, but it looked like it was attatched to a d-ring bit so im not sure....sorry!

The one I'll be using looks like this, only it is all rope where it touches the neck, no metal snap and there are two reins

Hmm... that looks a lot more like a rope halter than a rope bridle.

I'll research them some and get back to you. It'd be nice to find something that is bitless yet works... *shrugs*

Could be so you save his mouth (depending on your riding ability) you may be hitting him in the mouth and that may be a method of your instructor or mabey its a method of using pressure on the horses nose
Instead of his mouth. Let us know what it did turn out to be :)

Lol, To me that looks exactly like a rope halter. My guess would be that you're in your horses mouth too much (making too much contact) or maybe the horse responds better to something not in his mouth. When you said something about a rope bridle, I though you were talking about a bosal, which is what I start my babies in sometimes if they don't really like the bit:

That is a rope halter, sometimes called a rope training halter. Not something I would trail ride in (although I have )
I'm sure it will be fine in an arena situation. Its tough to hurt the horse in one of these It works pretty much off of pressure on the nose. Be careful, not much whoa in one.
It works very similar to a bosal as valleychick said

Yeah, that looks like a rope halter, one of the homemade kind. LOL! Yeah, they don't have many brakes, but they are good for using your legs more to control the horse- really, the legs/body control the horse more than the reins! ;)

I ride my gelding in that. I've taken him out on the trail around the property as well as in the ring and he's been fine.
I like it because it's not a mechanical hackamore. I feel it gives just enough pressure for him to respond, though you can make Gem stop by just sitting deep in the saddle.

I would give it a try, but I would stay in a closed arena until both you and your horse are confident enough in that to go outside the arena.