How to Tie a Mecate on your Hackamore Rawhide Bosal
Posted by John Brand on
Watch this video and learn how to tie a mecate on your rawhide bosal just like the Vaqueros (cowboys) of the old west. This particular "rig" was the favorite of the Californio Vaqueros when starting young horses for head set and control, before they were moved in to the bridle.
In this video you can watch Buckaroo John from Buckaroo Leather Products walk you thru how to tie the mecate to suit your needs and size.
Buckaroo John starts with a basic rawhide bosal and the cowboy harness leather hanger headstall. This headstall does not have hardware, just a basic wrap around tie in a cowboy knot for adjustment.
Buckaroo John is using a 23' cotton mecate to tie around the bosal. You can use a cotton, nylon, horsehair, alpaca and yacht rope mecate. The most common type of mecate used by the natural horseman is the cotton/nylon mecate. The Traditional style of mecate is the horsehair, it was used by the Vaqueros of the old west.
Begin by:
Taking the tassel end of the mecate through the "v" part of the bosal, making sure it is facing away from your hanger headstall.
Wrap your mecate around the "v" portion of the bosal 3 times.
Push the mecate down snug.
Reach from underneath and pull down the mecate to form your reins in the length you need.
Push down the mecate inside the "v" portion of your bosal.
Pull the popper end of the mecate and continue wrapping the mecate around 2 times above your reins.
You can adjust the number of wraps to accommodate the size of the opening in the bosal. The less wraps you have the larger the bosal opening to accommodate a larger nose.
The more wraps of the mecate on the bosal the smaller the bosal opening to accommodate a smaller nose.
Take the popper end and put it back down in between your last 2 wraps. If you have done it correctly the popper will come across your reins.
The popper end is used as a light lead when you are off your horse. Or you can be like the Vaqueros of old and use the popper in the western style by tucking the popper in your belt while riding.
Bosal
Cotton Mecate
