I won't use one, and I know the people who make them not too far from me. They create some pretty nasty bruising on the face, and in the wrong hands have been known to crush facial bones. I like my horses better than that.
Yes horses respond quickly; just the moment they discover just about ANY movement of their head gets face bones beat on.

 

I haven't seen them before and they do look rather harsh.

Having said this, the fact that the mare stood quietly after she realised she was being controlled says that you are being to soft with her.
I would expect a young not well handled horse to perhaps be awkward the first time with the farrier. By the third visit I would expect her to be perfect.

 

here's what a google search brought up:

I guess it's the metal ' bosal' that gets obediance. I've seen my trainer use it once, on a horse that had it in mind to kill somebody. but, they got past that, and neve needed to use again.

 

It’s just another gimmick marked at New & Amateur horse owners. It is a bosal made of steel with leather over the nose & is designed to inflict pain. The bars of this device puts steel again the horses “lower jaw” so when you shake the lead it smacks the horses lower jaw with the steel.

There is no fix all miracle device on the market that is a substitute for knowledge and proper training.

 

I was under the impression that they were mostly used by farriers (and marketed to farriers) to 'get around' poorly trained horses to let them handle their feet. It is not the farrier's job to train horses to stand and let their feet be handled. If you find a farrier willing to train your horse for you, pay him extra and take good care of him because that is not his job description. It is the owner's responsibility to train a horse to stand and let its feet safely and comfortably be handled. If the owner cannot get this done, they should be willing to pay someone else to train their horse to stand correctly for a farrier.

Like most other gimmicks, they are no more harsh than the hands that use them. Many tools can be anything from a slight reminder to behave to a torture device that can draw blood and actually injure a horse. The person using it controls which it is. NO TRAINING DEVISE should be used by anyone that cannot control their temper.

 

I was under the impression that they were mostly used by farriers (and marketed to farriers) to 'get around' poorly trained horses ...
Like most other gimmicks, they are no more harsh than the hands that use them.

I know nothing of these, bar this thread & quick google. They look like they're a sharp steel bosal that puts all the pressure on the bridge of the nose. I agree with all you say Cherie, in general, but I just feel there's too little scope for using something like this well, and far too much risk. Looks sharp enough that even little bumps could cause damage, let alone if the horse was reactive or fought against it... or got hung up in it.:-(

Yes, I saw there were many comments pertaining to/from farriers about them, and I can well understand that motivation:evil:, although I personally disagree with that way of dealing with a horse (I will offer to help train the horse or I will tell the owner it needs to be better before I'll trim, if they're really difficult/untrained). But I also saw ads for these bosals being great for 'breaking colts' and I think with that approach/equipment/mindset, the term breaking is about right.:-(

 

Never saw or used one of those, but way back when we were working with young, untrained horses that needed footwork (or any other uncomfortable procedure - emergency vet treatment - they weren't ready for), we would occasionally break out the twitch.

I'm still not sure why they worked, but after a few moments with a correctly applied twitch, and the horse would almost fall asleep. Sure made things safer for the humans. I don't know if twitches are commonly used anymore, but 30 years ago, every farrier and vet I knew carried one.

 

When I test-rode my fox trotter, they were riding her in a metal bosal like that. I got on and test rode her and all of a sudden I was like a totally newbie that was clueless on how to steer. I'm sure I looked like a total clueless beginner.

But I bought the horse and asked the guy what I should ride her in and he said a halter. :think:

So I brought her home and have been riding her in a bit like a normal horse ever since. I still don't know what the deal was with the metal bosal, but the horse rides fine in a bit. He had a bunch of horses he was training (and selling) so I can only imagine that must have been some sort of favorite training equipment of his. But yeah, he definitely rode with it. I even rode with it. I didn't like it. I didn't know how to ride with it at all. :?

 

Thanks for all y'all's input! It was just a new device for me so I was curious what the general consensus was on its effectiveness, dangers, etc.
Always interesting to learn from y'all! Thanks!