Flat Bosals are easily in my top 3 favorite bosals! They work for young colts, problem horses, softening, speed events, and many more. If I was told to start 100 colts and could only bring one rig, I would bring a Flat Bosal.
The Flat Bosal is not a new design, it has been around for hundreds of years. Though they are not nearly as popular as their round counterparts, their versatility cannot be overlooked. What makes the flat bosal unique is its sliver-like (flat) shape. This shape changes how the bosal sits on a horse’s face. While most bosals sit on a horse’s face with the body and nose button resting firmly against their skin, the flat bosal sits upon a rounded edge. This edge is roughly ⅝ of an inch. When the rider is lightly using the mecates, the flat bosal’s nosbutton will rotate slightly on that ⅝ edge. This is very light for the horse and will mimic the feel of a bosal with a ⅝ nose button (most ½ inch bosals have a ⅝ nosebutton). As the rider uses their reins more, the nosebutton will rotate further and end up with the flat portion of the nosebutton against the horse’s nose. This section of the bosal is usually around 1 ½ inch wide. Due to the sudden increase in surface area by nearly double, the rider is affording the horse a much more obvious cue. The increase in surface area does not increase severity nor sharpness but rather makes each cue clearer and easier for the horse to understand. This works great for horses that get amped up and need a more direct hand, or a young colt who doesn’t know left from right. If the rider should pull the reins even more, the nosebutton will rotate downward onto the bottom edge. This will again focus the pressure onto a ⅝ section of the nosebutton. It is a more stern cue used for horses that may need more authority from time to time. This signal works well for horses that may get amped up during speed events, or a young colt who may take to bucking. What is nice about this hackamore is how it can essentially mimic three different bosals due to the different pressure applications from the nosebutton.
It seems as though the magic of the flat bosal is mostly isolated in the nose button, but there is more. The construction of my flat bosal consists of two lengths of lariat bound together and sealed. These two pieces of lariat offer the horse a larger amount of weight as well as limit the amount of bend the bosal has. Flat bosals are generally stiffer than most. The other neat quality of the body is how shapeable it is. Being constructed with a lariat core means that the bosal will easily conform to the contours of the horse’s face and therefore offer more signal to the horse.
ᴛʜᴇ ʙᴏꜱᴀʟ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴘᴏꜱᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄᴜꜱᴛᴏᴍ ᴍᴀᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱᴏʟᴅ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ. ᴘᴍ
ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ʏᴏᴜʀꜱ.
Johnny Flores Horses