What is the purpose of & when would you use a sidepull headstall?

[Dakota Sunrise]

I recently got a sidepull headstall to sell at my tack shop and I've had a lot of people interested in buying it. I've never seen one until now and I'm just curious about when and why you would use one. Are they designed mainly for training young horses or is it just another kind of hackamore?
Just wondering.:)

[WashingtonBay]

They are another kind of hackamore, without the complexity of a mechanical curb, and they are often used for starting young horses.

They are elegant in their simplicity, not a lot to them. I wouldn't expect a lot of delicate fine tuning out of one, it's only slightly more precise than riding in a halter... but for going down trail on a horse who is fairly responsive, they'd be OK.

[natisha]

We used one on HE's KC when he came for retraining. He would fight a bit, throw his head up & do as he pleased for the most part. He was so focused on the bit (not in a good way) that it was difficult to teach him anything.
The side pull gave him a chance to relax long enough to learn rider cues & after a short time when we put him back in a bit it was a smooth transition.
We used a double rope nose & vet wrapped it because they can be soring.
They have their place but like WB stated you're only going to get so much from them.

[madelequestrian]

If you go here http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806
You can see lots of photos of me starting a horse in a side pull and the way I use it. I like them because they give you much more left and right control than a halter or Bosal and make it more black and white (like a snaffle bit) for those first few rides. It also takes away that element of stress the bit can create while they are already so worried about being ridden. We have both a leather nose version as well as a rope nose version.

[natisha]

If you go here http://www.facebook.com/pages/2011-CO-Mustang-Makeover-with-RM-Performance/119433394800806
You can see lots of photos of me starting a horse in a side pull and the way I use it. I like them because they give you much more left and right control than a halter or Bosal and make it more black and white (like a snaffle bit) for those first few rides. It also takes away that element of stress the bit can create while they are already so worried about being ridden. We have both a leather nose version as well as a rope nose version.Where did you get your leather one? I like it much better than the rope ones but have never seen one before.

[CaddoCinnamon]

I have a side pull have had it for a couple of years but I am not sure how to use it. Is there a good site to tell me how to use it. I am going to start QT in a side pull first. Doing a lot of my training differently this time. I would like more info on this piece if there is a way that I can find it.

How to start a yearling in a side pull.

[BlaiseGlaze]

I too am interested in this thread. since i only ride in a mechanical hack.

[magayle]

just googled this

http://buckarooleather.blogspot.com/2008/01/side-pull-headstalls-how-and-why.html

http://fdhorsetraining.com/Bridleshop

[Remali]

I like sidepulls because they are about as close as you can get to using a snaffle, without putting a bit on the horse. I'm not a fan of the mechanical hackamores, and not real crazy about bosals either.

[madelequestrian]

You can find the leather one by searching for "leather nose side pull". We're going to sell them on our website eventually but it wont be up for a few more months probably.

[GrungeEquestrian]

I'm big fans of sidepulls. My mare was very hard mouthed when I bought her. Trying to get her to respect a snaffle again without running off seemed impossible. She had a lot of anxiety when she was ridden. She would half listen, but you could tell what she was focusing on was the bit and how to get away from it. So after finding my aunt's sidepull I put her in that. She was a completely different horse. She stopped with just "whoa" and was much more relaxed. After a few months of riding her in it I recently put her back into the snaffle. She is much more respectful of the snaffle and very soft in the mouth...no longer bracing after a little work. I'm so glad I used the sidepull.