Finding a bosal kidney and rope/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 at 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 not tightly braided, with few braids, and made with inexpensive leather or inexpensively processed rawhide can remove the skin directly from the horse’s nose, leaving blisters and bare areas around the dewlap. I know we’ve all seen those empty spaces and we know that most of the empty spaces are due to teams that aren’t a good fit. White spots occur when ill-fitting equipment has severely damaged the underlying tissue causing the horse incredible pain.
There are several things that you want to consider when buying a bosal. A quality Bosal is made of rawhide braided over a core that is also made of rawhide. You can sometimes find a bosal with a metal core, but most pros won’t use these because they’re 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 flex within the core itself. Bend the bosal 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 recover? It should be soft and flexible. Imagine how an inflexible bosal will feel for your horse. An inflexible bosal will leave your horse with no way out of any pain relief. This is how most behavior problems start.
Your horse is looking for that release and to 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 down.
Take a good look at the braid. Can you tell how many braids are in the braid? Next, you should look at how many “braids” in the braid have been used in making the bosal.
Here’s how to tell how many “delights” 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 12 braid braid. 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 cords. I like at least a 24 braid on the nose.
The more likes in the braid the finer the skin the braider uses and makes the weight of the bosal softer on the horse. So the more you like the braider used, the more the bosal will cost.
Now pass 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 hide.
The area where the bosal creases is on soft, sensitive tissue, so look for the bosal that glides over your own skin. The cheaper bosals have fewer braids and the leather or rawhide is bulky and has high points that will rip up your shin.
Also, I suggest you look for American-made leather and rawhide, because how the leather or rawhide was processed really matters. Chemicals used alone in imported materials can also cause harm to your horse.
Remember also that in America when we talk about leather we assume the leather comes from a cow, however many of the newer and less expensive items come from imported leather. Now you are looking at the possibility of the leather being made of 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 leather is water buffalo is to smell it. Water Buffalo doesn’t have that leather smell and always seems to have oil in it. It’s 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 have seen more clients 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’ll want to check that the braid is tight and when you’re first riding a horse, you’ll want one with some weight on 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 for 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 add significantly to the price on a bosal. They look great, but for added convenience, 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 correct size.
Do you want to know what size rope rope 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 footer better. Don’t worry 22 feet sounds like a lot of kidney, but once the rope is tied properly, part of the kidney is used for a leash.
When looking for your kidney twine, remember again, quality matters. Try not to buy a rope kidney made from tail hair. It will be “thorny” in your hands forever. The tail hair is thick and stiffer than the mane hair. On the market, the hair on the tail is more available, so it is less expensive, and the hairs are also much longer, so it is quicker to make the kidneys.
But believe me when I tell you that you will never be happy with the feeling of a Hair Mecate ponytail 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 can feel a bit prickly until the fine hair ends up wearing it down, but use a mane rope a few times and it becomes baby soft, the tail hair doesn’t.
Making a string kidney takes a long time. Quality rope reins are hand-twisted by a master mane braider. When a master braider twists the kidneys by hand, this allows them to create endless pattern combinations, all boldly designed and done in a variety of colors using natural mane. Hardly all of us have two patterns that come in exactly the same pattern.
The price of the rope kidney will depend on several things. First, if the rope is made of tail hair or horsehair. The most preferred is the rope made with mane hair.
Let’s see how many strands of hair the Mecate has. It is easy to know how many strands 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 higher number of 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 in the opposite direction, check what was used for the center of the braid. Is it horse hair? The center should be a core of braided horsehair. By using horsehair as the core, flexibility will remain in the rope.
Have you ever noticed a kidney string that never seems to ever unwind and goes in all directions? This is because the manufacturing used an inferior material for the kidney core. So while you’re turning and looking, take a look at the core.
Another great advantage of having the entire rein made of horsehair is the fact that you can easily maintain and wash the rein without damaging it. Be sure to learn how to care for your new rope kidneys.
From here the colors of the bosal and the rope are infinite. Some riders wear a bridle with or without an ear, but a bridle with a headband will also help stabilize the Bosal.