The hackamore phase is the most important training a horse will receive in his life; it is during hackamore training that the horse learns to be consistent with balance and feel. I put my horses into a hackamore when I feel they are as good as they will ever be in the snaffle bit. If the horse is not responding to the snaffle bit training before moving onto the hackamore, it will upset the whole training process.
Putting a horse in a hackamore correctly requires a lot of time riding him in it and a lot of patience-both are required to keep a horse flexible, light, and responsive.
A rider does this by asking much of a horse at an early stage while at the same time not asking for a lot of speed. It is better to ask a horse to try harder and handle more speed as he advances in his training. Moving too fast in the beginning while introducing the horse to the hackamore can make a horse very sore in the nose and chin areas which can cause nervousness. . . .