Paso Finos: The Horses With The Fine Step.

We have the pleasure of having a guest post today by Cori Webb about the Paso Fino breed and what makes them special and interesting. We hope you enjoy this post and learn about another breed that you may not be so familiar. We hope you enjoy the post as much as we did!


They are all strength, pure power in your hands, yet responsive and smooth as glass – los caballos de paso fino, the horses with the fine step.

I was first introduced to the Paso Fino breed around the age of seven, when I visited a small ranch that belonged to family friends, where they trained, bred, and showed Paso Finos.  I began attending local shows to support my friends, but like most people, the concept of the breed and its unique gait surpassed me.  Coming from a hunter jumper background, I only understood walk, trot, and canter, not corto, largo, and fino.  The shows nearly bored me to tears - the horses only seemed to dance around the arena.  Where was the action?  What was the purpose?  But the more shows I attended, the more I began to understand the breed and why they enthralled so many people. 

The Paso Fino is a gaited horse of Spanish descent.  It is said that they derived from a combination of the Andalusion, English Barb, and Spanish Jennet breeds, which were brought to South America by Christopher Columbus. These horses eventually migrated north and populated North America, helping to mold today’s Mustang, Appaloosa, and Quarter Horse breeds.  The horses interbred and created a smooth-gaited, sure-footed horse with exceptional beauty and stamina.  The Paso Fino was selectively bred for riding in the steep, mountainous terrain of South America.  As the breed progressed, they were sought after for their intelligence and agility, and were often used as ranch horses.  Throughout the years of selective breeding, the horses’ unique gait has remained a predominant characteristic for the breed.

In addition to their famous gait, the Paso Fino’s willingness, strength, and energy captivate the hearts of anyone around them.  Until you have ridden one yourself, it can be hard to understand what makes these horses so unique, but I will do my best to explain it to you.  When you ride a Paso, you sit back as if you were in a Western saddle, while maintaining light contact with the bit like you would riding English.  As the horse gaits, your body is nearly motionless, rocking only slightly forward and back.  The power and energy the Paso exudes beneath you is intense, with the horse’s legs moving rapidly underneath, yet the Paso is responsive and controlled.  For first time Paso riders, this combination results in an immediate smile that spreads from ear-to-ear!

But what makes the Paso Fino any different from other gaited breeds?  Most people are familiar with the gait known as “pacing”, a two-beat gait where the lateral limbs (that is, the right front and hind, or the left front and hind) move simultaneously.  This is different from the well-known trot, which is a two-beat gait during which the diagonal limbs move in succession.  However, the Paso Fino performs a different gait entirely.  The Paso Fino performs a four-beat lateral gait, meaning all four limbs move independently.  The footfall is evenly distributed in time and distance, and there is no suspension, or a time when all four hooves are off the ground.  The same motion is produced in all three gaits: the corto, largo, and fino.  The gaits only differ in speed and extension/collection.  The even cadence and lack of suspension result in an unparalleled, smooth gait.  Riders will often demonstrate this by holding a glass of water as the horse performs.         

http://pasofinohorses.homestead.com/http://pasofinohorses.homestead.com/gait_animation.gif

The Paso executes the walk as any other horse would, although some will perform a more animated walk, as seen in the Performance division, while others have a flat walk, seen in the Pleasure division.  The corto is the slower, more collected gait.  For those individuals showing in the Pleasure division, the corto is more extended and less animated compared to those in the Performance division, where the gait is flashy and quick.  The largo is simply an extension of the corto, showing a notable increase in speed and length of stride.  Horses who are able to perform the fino, which is the tightest and quickest footfall, are shown in the Fino division.  Those who are exhibited in the Fino division do not perform the walk, corto, or largo, but only execute the fino gait.  Likewise, those in the Pleasure and Performance division do not perform the fino gait.  Beyond their natural gaits, the Paso Fino is capable of performing the trot and canter.  In fact, classes such as Western Pleasure and Versatility require the horse to perform the canter.

I have had the wonderful opportunity to be involved with both the Tennessee Valley Paso Fino Horse Association and the Deep South Paso Fino Horse Association for many years now.  These associations cover the Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee regions, but welcome members from any state.  We encourage anyone interested in the breed to contact a regional association in your area to see if there is a scheduled show near you.  Who knows?  You may even get to ride one of these spectacular horses while you’re there!


Cori Webb is an undergraduate at Mississippi State University as a senior studying Animal and Dairy Science. Cori has been riding horses since she was three and showing Paso Finos since she was 13. Cori is currently managing the websites for Tennessee Valley and Deep South Paso Fino Horse Associations.

Cori did a wonderful job writing an article about the Paso Fino breed. Leave some feedback in the comments and let her know what you thought! 
Thanks again, 
NotAnotherHorseBlog

Paso Fino Horse Association: www.pfha.org

Tennessee Valley Paso Fino Horse Association: www.tvpfha.org

Deep South Paso Fino Horse Association: www.deepsouthpasofino.com

Paso Largo Farm: www.pasofino.com

A Horse Box: Product Review

We LOVE horses, so when A Horse Box asked us if we were interested in writing a review for their box, we quickly said yes! If you are a horse owner, you need to check them out! If you are not a horse owner, but are looking for a present for a horse owner friend, we highly recommend A Horse Box!  A Horse Box is a subscription horse box service that sends a different box every month to their subscribers. You can choose to subscribe for one month only or six months and receive a discounted price. Subscriptions cost anywhere between $12-30. After checking out their website and seeing all the different products we could possibly be receiving in the August box, we were very excited! When our box arrived, we were more than happy with the products we received!

Here is a list of the amazing products from A Horse Box:

Silverquine Horse Wound and Summer Sore Dressing

Arnicure Equine Inflammation and Pain Relief Spray

UltraShield EX Fly Spray (For Face and Spot Treatment)

Majesty's Supplement Treats

Nicker Bait Horse Treats

15% Off Coupon to Just Dandy Beautique

40% Off Coupon to Arnicure Equine

Miniature Horse World Magazine and Equine Wellness Magazine

Brochure for Steel City Equine and Bead Works

We rate A Horse Box 5 Stars!!! We can't wait to try out these new products on our horses! We love these products, and we know our horses will love them too! Thank you A Horse Box! 

Contact Information:

• Website: http://www.ahorsebox.com/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ahorsebox
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aHorseBox

Written by: E and C
Photos by: C

Proper Bit Fit: Tom Thumb vs. Shanked Snaffle

To continue our series on bit fit, we will talk about the shanked snaffle. The shanked snaffle is used as a transition bit from a regular snaffle to the solid curb bit. This bit is a favorite for trainers and is used in a variety of western disciplines.
The shanked snaffle's effectiveness and ease of use is directly correlated to quality of the bit. A cheap variation of this bit is called the Tom Thumb bit.

Tom Thumb Bit
Picture from prochoice.com

As you can see from this bit is extremely straight from the purchase through to the shanks.
The purchase is the part of the bit that is above the copper mouth piece that attaches to the bridle. The shanks refers to the part of the bit that is below the copper mouth piece to end of the bit that attaches to the reins. The Tom Thumb bit often does not have a curved mouth piece that offers the horse tongue relief; because of this, the bit tends to sit awkwardly in the horse's mouth, often rendering the horse more pain or causing the bit not to be as effective. Due to its design with the broken mouth piece, this bit has a nutcracker effect on the mouth which is multiplied by the chin strap.

Now we will examine a higher quality form of the shanked snaffle.

View one

View two

What we notice about this bit that differs from the Tom Thumb is the mouth piece is slightly curved allowing for it to sit more naturally in the horse's mouth. The shanks of this bit are also slightly curved also to allow the bit to sit naturally while being more effective to cue the stop. This bit also has a better differentiation from the mouth piece to the shank. Being two separate pieces helps when the rider needs to go to two handed to help the horse learn neck reining. The TomThumb is one solid piece, which hurts the bit in its effectiveness. Because this bit is a transition bit from the snaffle, which is primarily used with two hands to a curb, that is used for neck reining, it is important that a trainer can switch between the two. You can see with this bit above that the mouth piece can slide up and down. This allows this bit to have a "gag" effect that signals to the horse that the chin strap is about to engage. The Tom Thumb does not have this feature.

Horses are taught by pressure and release. The higher quality the bit, the quicker the release of pressure should be. The bit in the second set of pictures slows the engagement of the chin strap allowing the horse to be signaled to stop before pressure is applied. This bit also allows for the quicker release of pressure rewarding the horse for the stop and for listening. Tom Thumb bits do not allow for a pre-signal nor do they allow for a quick release of pressure which deaden the horse's mouth to pressure.

Tom Thumb in a horse's mouth

In this picture you can see that although the reins are loose and relaxed the chin strap is still engaged causing pressure in the horse's mouth.

Better bit in horse's mouth. Relaxed

Chin Strap view. In relaxed position, chin strap is not engaged. 

With the higher quality bit, when sitting relaxed in the horse's mouth, the chin strap is not engaged, allowing the bit to sit comfortably in the horse's mouth. You want the purchase to align with the line of the horse's mouth and be a seamless transition from mouth, to bit, to bridle. As you can see with the higher quality bit. Look back up to the TomThumb, the bit is almost sitting perpendicular to the line of the bridle and mouth, this causes the chin strap to be engaged.

The quality of your bits are very important to the happiness and ease of training that horse encounters. Skipping out with a cheap bit can cause your horse pain leading to a variety of problems such as but not limited to: head tossing, holding head up to evade pressure, running through the bit, rearing, bucking, chewing the bit, putting tongue over bit, refusing to be bridled, and a variety of other problems. Cheap bits can lead to pinching of the lips of the horse, and/or rubbing the side of the mouth. By buying bits made with better materials or better design can change the way your horse rides or even how well they can be trained. It is important to transition to more severe bits slowly and when your horse is proficient with milder bits. Your training and transitioning bits are the most important bits to a training program, no matter the discipline. More important than quality of the bit is the fit. By remembering that two fingers between the headstall and cheeks, with one wrinkle in the corner of the mouth is the general rule for bridle fit. You should always be able to get two fingers between the chin strap and chin. Too tight and the more pressure the horse feels in the mouth. Too loose, the more you have to pull before chin strap is engaged. Remember to always check your tack for dry rotted parts or parts that has come loose. Nothing ruins a ride like your horse running away without a bit or way to stop them!

Happy Trails.






Written by: C 

Getting the Heart Going

Horses First; The Rest Later

Perfecting the Stop

There is only one other thing in riding that is important for a safe and enjoyable ride and that is to effectively stop your horse. Without an effective and reliable stop, you are often putting yourself and your horse in danger.

Before your horse should even be ridden, they must be easily flexed to either side and give to pressure on the ground. A horse should immediately give his nose to the pressure by lowering and bringing his head onto the vertical when pressure across the nose or from the bit is given. The horse must first master this on the ground before attempted under saddle. By teaching your horse to flex to either side will prepare the horse to disengage the hindquarters making an emergency one rein stop in the saddle much easier. From the ground, when asked, the horse should be easily backed with minimal pressure on the nose or in the mouth. 

Practice flexing the horse to either side and also ask them to give to backward pressure. When pulling back, they should drop their head and bring the nose onto the vertical. The lighter the cue for these to happen will help you when you are ready to stop the horse. 

The key to a good stop is a great back. One exercise I recommend when a horse is becoming difficult to stop, is to immediately back them up after every stop. This also works well for a horse that stops heavy on the forehand. The horse will begin to anticipate that after every stop they should immediately be ready to back. The outcome is that the horse will stop deeper with the power of the hindquarters rather than bracing on the forehand.

Collection is a major component of stopping. Without collection, a horse's stop can be bouncy and rough. One way to help them collect themselves and really use their hindend is to do roll backs into the fence. It teaches them to listen to your cues and lower their hips to turn and stop. By sitting deeper in the saddle before you cue for the roll back should be the first indication for the maneuver. The better the horse gets at listening and understanding the cues, the less you will use to cue him for the roll back. This will translate into stopping any where in the arena. When you sit deeper in the saddle, your horse should stop under neath himself, squarely. 

****A rollback on the fence does not involve you jerking the horse around into the fence.******

Other great ways to sharpen your horse's stop is to implement the half halt. By squeezing and releasing the reins to slow them before the cue to stop. Using this instead of one continuing pressure on the mouth can save your horse's mouth. 

***For experience riders**

You can use a martingale or training fork to help enforce the giving to pressure and rounding the frame of the horse. This helps teach them to collect themselves and stop more squarely and smoothly. 

Changing to a more severe bit should always be the last resort. A good thing is to gradually go up in severity. A great step up bit from the snaffle would be a Jr. Cowhorse bit or something similar.

Everyone should know the emergency one-rein stop. This is when all else fails and your horse is running away from you, pull your rein all the way around. This disengages the hindquarters (the engine of the horse) and makes them follow their nose. The one-rein stop is most effective if you have adequately taught them to flex and disengage their hindquarters. Don't think some horses can't run straight even with their head turned around the other way!

Blog requested by A Cowgirl's Ambition. Twitter: @CowgirlAmbition  

Written By: C

Be inspired

The only textbook you'll ever need

Ride More Worry Less

Product Review: Hoof Wraps Brand™

Recently after a trail ride, my young mare started showing signs of stone bruise. I was searching for something that could give her a little cushion and protection as the sole of her hoof healed. I found the Hoof Wraps Brand™ at my local Tractor Supply. It was a great alternative to keeping my mare in a stall and buying diapers and duct tape.

The Hoof Wraps Brand™ hoof wrap features a foam pad that is held on to the foot with a strong nylon wrap that secures with heavy duty Velcro. The Hoof Wrap states that their wrap is a one-size-fits-most, fitting everything from a horse that wears a 00 to a size 2 shoe. The hoof wrap is specially designed to be tough enough for a horse on turn out. Since my mare in on 24/7 pasture access, it sounded like a perfect solution to give her some comfort and speed up the healing without her having to be stalled.

Nylon outer of the Hoof Wrap Brand™ hoof wrap

Instructions are printed on the inside of the wrap.

I was surprised how easy it was to use. The nylon was very strong and was difficult to pull apart once stuck together; this gave me some ease of mind knowing she wouldn't be able to pull the Velcro apart. Although one person can put this on their horse, my mare only wanted her toe to touch the ground so I needed someone to hold my mare's foot flush to the ground to ensure that I was getting the wrap tight and secure.

What I liked most about the product was that as soon as I put it on my mare, she showed reduced limping instantly. The Hoof Wrap Brand™ hoof wrap effectively protected her feet from the hard ground and the foam provided cushion to the foot making it more comfortable for my mare to walk.

I left the hoof wrap on over night and checked her the next morning and she still had it on. It had stood up to a night of walking around a 40 acre pasture.

Wearing the hoof wrap gave my mare enough cushion and protection for her to heal more quickly from the stone bruise while still maintaining turn out.

What I did not like was that the wrap was "one-size-fits-most." My mare wears a 00 size shoe. She is on the small end of their suggested fit sizes. The wrap slightly gapped at the front of the foot.  The wrap is supposed to fit like the picture below.

Properly fitted Hoof Wrap Brand™ Hoof Wrap

To make sure the wrap was secure, I wrapped it with Vet wrap.

The wrap had slightly rotated around the foot over night, but nothing too major. I put the wrap on for her to wear over night another night without the vet wrap and she came back the next morning without it, somewhere lost in my pasture.

I would recommend this product to any horse owner that has a horse that is dealing with an abscess, stone bruise, tender footed after throwing a shoe, or anything that might require your horse needing some extra cushion and protection. The nylon outer is very tough, but the cushion would need to be changed every other day because it does get compacted. If your horse is like mine and wears a 00 shoe, I would recommend wrapping it as I did.

You can find more information on this product and other products offered by Hoof Wraps Brand™ on their website, http://hoofwraps.com/.



Pictures 1-3: are from the Hoof Wrap Brand™ website hoofwraps.com
Picture 4: SmartPak Website
Picture5:taken by C

Picture Wednesdays

What You Need to Know About Thrush

Attention horse owners:

• Does your horse's hooves have a foul odor? Im not talking about the usual odor, I mean a really bad odor.
• Is there dark discoloring on either side of the frog in the sulcus?
• Does the hoof sole flake off easily?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your horse could have a bacterial infection known as thrush. If you do not check your horses hooves often, thrush can go unnoticed for a while. Thrush is not accompanied with lameness in the beginning stages, but if it goes untreated, lameness can develop. The bacteria grow best in moist, warm, unsanitary conditions with low oxygen.

Treatment of thrush includes:

• Picking out the feet 2x daily.
• Applying a commercial thrush treatment such as Kopertox, Thrush-XX, Thrush Off, or applying a home remedy such as a diluted bleach mixture or iodine. (Remember to pick hoof thoroughly before applying thrush treatment, and ask a vet before using home remedies to make sure it is safe for your horse)
• It is best to keep your horse in a dry, clean environment to allow for healing. Once a horse has had thrush, it is more susceptible to get it again.

Prevention is similar to treatment:

• Pick horses hooves daily.
• Keep horses environment as clean and dry as possible.
• If your horses are stalled, remember to clean out their stalls often.
• Remember, proper farrier care can prevent a wide variety of hoof problems.

Photos from:

www.ezpetsupply.com

www.equinehoofpro.com

A Proper Sale Ad

When it comes time to sell your horse, a proper and informative sale ad can increase your chances of a successful sale. Facebook livestock sale pages have skyrocketed in the last year or so, and while it can be a great way to get your horse out to many people easily, an insufficient ad will prolong the selling process.

A proper ad should contain the following:

A description of the horse.

Age of the horse.

Gender of horse.

Height.

Breed.

What the horse is best suited for.

A brief history of the horse.

Whether or not it is registered. (a link to allbreedpedigree.com would be great or picture of papers)

Training level of the horse: green broke, etc.

Suited for beginner, intermediate, or experienced rider. 

Any vices such as cribbing, or windsucking.

A phone number or email address.

Price. 

A conformation picture or many pictures.

A video of the horse's movement. 

A proper picture is very important. Often times inadequate pictures can deter a buyer. Here are some helpful hints to making a good picture:

1) When taking a conformation picture, take the picture with the horse square (legs straight and weight distributed proportionally on each leg) and you standing perpendicular to the horse's side. 

2) Three Quarter shots are most flattering to a horses's conformation and build. Standing slightly in front of the horse, face the horse's shoulder. Take a picture with all of the horse's body in the picture. You can do this also by standing behind the horse and taking the picture toward the hip. 

3) Make sure that there is not anything distracting in the back ground.

4)Please groom your horse.

5) There should not be any other horses in the picture.

6) Kids standing on the back of a horse to show how gentle it is does not sell a horse. 

7)Don't take a picture of your horse while he is grazing.

8) A screen shot is not an acceptable picture.

9)If the horse is wearing tack in the picture, make sure the tack is properly fitted.

10)The more educated you sound in your ad, the more likely you will deal with educated people, ensuring a good home for you horse.

11) Collages are not acceptable pictures.

12)Good spelling and grammer are a must! Get a dictionary! 

Sample ad:

Yella Money is a coming 9 year old, 16hh gelding. Trail horse extraordinaire but could do very well in the halter and Hunter Under Saddle ring.  He has been used in my lesson program and was ridden by a 9 year old girl in youth rodeos but doesn't like to go fast. Has been used to team pen but it is not his forte. Safe for a advanced beginner. He is great for a farrier. He has been ridden in Christmas parades and used for birthday parties. Only vice is that he is a dominant gelding but when pecking order is established he is quiet in the pasture. He loves to take care of kids. Very easy to handle and will load himself. http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/yella+money

$8500

Video upon request. Reach me at justanotherhorseblog@gmail.com

3/4 picture

Not the best conformation picture but would do

Fitting the Rope Halter

In recent years, rope halters have gained popularity as natural horsemanship has come to the forefront. A favorite with trainers such as Clint Anderson, Buck Brannaman, and Pat Parelli, the rope halter is a great training tool. Rope halters can have knots tied along the nose band for quicker response. A rope halter works off the pressure points of the horse's face and head, thus making it such a popular training tool.

Horses have pressure points on either side of the bridge of the nose as well very sensitive pressure point behind the ears. When pressure from the halter is placed on these sensitive areas, the horse moves away from the pressure creating the release.

Rope halters are often double stranded and made of a stiff but soft rope. The stiffness allows for the halter to hold shape but are soft enough not to cause damage to the face. The better quality rope, the better the halter. Rope halters can come with or without knots that lay on either side of the nose. Rope halters with knots are primarily seen on horses in training and caution should be taken with these halters as they can do serious damage to the nerves if mishandled. 

Rope halters are great for training a horse to flex and lighten in the face. Often a young horse's first ride is in a rope halter before they are introduced to a bosal or a snaffle as the pressure from the halter is something that already familiar to a young horse.

Most people do not know how to properly fit a rope halter or tie one, thus they shy away from using them. A rope halter should be fitted to the horse's head just as you would fit a nylon or leather halter. 

I think pink looks amazing on Belle!

Tying the rope halter:

Once you slip the nose band on the nose and flip the long piece that goes across the poll to the left side you are are ready to tie. 

The Eyelet should be on the left side of the horse's face and the loops in which the lead rope attaches should be under the jaw. 

The eyelet 

Once the halter is positioned for tying, take the long piece and thread through the eyelet as shown:

Placing the poll strap through the eyelet

Once you put the poll strap through the eyelet, pull the strap to desired tightness. This should pull up the halter and the halter should fit the horse snug but still loose enough for the horse to open its mouth. Now loop the poll strap behind itself as shown:

Poll strap placed behind itself

Once you have done this, thread the poll strap through the loop you have just created.

Placing the poll strap through the loop

Pull the strap to tighten the knot. Congratulations! You have tied a rope halter!

A correctly tied rope halter

Often time it is beneficial to place the poll strap behind the throatlatch of the halter to keep the excess from swinging about and potentially slapping your horse in the face. 

Excess placed behind throatlatch. (I did not edit this photo to show you how bright this halter is!)

Rope halters should fit a horse just as a nylon or leather halter should. The nose band should not be drooping and hanging on the nostrils, it should lay midway up the face the cheek strap below the start of the cheek. The throatlatch should fit behind the jowls. The poll strap should be directly behind the ears. A loose halter will be easier for the horse to hurt himself or get loose. Always check to make sure your halter is properly tied and fitted before used to tie a horse to something like a hitching post. 

Caution:
Rope halters should never under any circumstances be left on a horse in turnout. This halter is designed to not give or break, thus your horse will be injured if he gets the halter caught in something. 

Do not tie a horse with a rope halter unless the horse has been properly trained to tie an give to pressure. These halters are made specifically not to break or give. The more a horse pulls on the halter the more pressure on the poll and the tighter the knot gets. Do not tie a horse without supervision or use to break a horse to tie using this halter without guidance from a trusted trainer.

Proper Bit Fit: Snaffle/Hack Combo

Today will be discussing the snaffle/hackamore combo bit.  This bit is a favorite with riders that do speed events such as barrel racing, pole bending, or cowboy mounted shooting. This bit provides rate and lift for the horse as well as a little more stop. We have to remember any bit can be harsh in  the hands that it is in, but this bit should be used by an experienced rider that has quiet hands.

Combo bit front view

Combo bit side view

The bit that I am using for an example is a bit that features a twisted wire sweet iron snaffle with a gag action as well as a rope nose. The blue is vet wrap that has been wrapped around the nose band to provide protection to the nose of the horse. This bit is good for a horse that has a tendency to drop their shoulders and/or  does not possess a lot of natural rate. The snaffle and gag action is the first to engage, allowing the horse to think about slowing down before the hack engages pressure on the nose. The chain chin strap thus engages putting pressure on the bars of the mouth from the snaffle and the action of the hack that is common in most mechanical hackamores. It may be helpful before you introduce this bit to your horse is to introduce your horse to the action of a gag bit and then to the action of a regular mechanical hackamore such as the "Little S" hack so that the horse is not frightened by this bit.

To properly fit a bridle with this bit it is common to use a smaller headstall than one that you would use with a snaffle or curb or at least a very good adjustable headstall. Remember the first part of fitting this bridle is that the cheek piece should fit against the cheek of the horse with two fingers width between. 

Proper width between the cheek and cheek piece-Two fingers width.

Bit properly fitted to the horse. 

When the bridle is fitted correctly, the bit should sit in the horse's mouth like a regular snaffle should. Most of the attention should be placed on the hack component of the bridle because this is where most of the stopping power is contained. 

The hackamore component of this bridle has the power to break or seriously damage the soft cartilage and nerves of the nose. So proper placement is a must. When fitting the rope nose, first you need to find where the cartilage of the nose ends and the bone begins. To find this, use your thumb and forefinger to feel down the bridge of the nose. At the end of the bone, you will feel it narrow as you get farther down towards the nostrils. Find where the bone starts to narrow and place your fingers there.

Finding where the bone begins in the nose. 

Once you find where the bone begins, the rope nose should lay at least two fingers width above where you have marked with your fingers. 

Two fingers width between the end of the bone of the nose to the rope nose. 

Often horses with smaller muzzles, it is difficult to keep the hack in the proper position. It can be useful to tie a piece of leather from the rope nose to the headstall between the ears.

The chin strap should also be properly fitted to ensure that the bit functions as intended. As with all chin straps, two fingers should be easily inserted between the chin and in this case, the chain.

Two Fingers width between the chin and chain.

This can be a great bit for both training and competition in the right hands. I caution that this bit is a severe bit and should only be used on horses that are aged and finished. This bit can be great to use in training to make the horse a little more sensitive and reactive to aids and then compete in a regular gag or mechanical hack.  In competition, this bit helps the rider use minimal force to cue the horse which is great for the quick speed needed for speed events.

The snaffle/hack combo bit properly fitted.