The Collector

Steve Metcalf, Pilot Point, Texas

The Collection

Metcalf, a world-champion trainer, is reluctant to call his assortment of hackamores a true collection. “I’ve acquired these for my profession,” he asserts. “My hackamores are well-used. If it looks new, it didn’t work for me.”

His 40-some hackamores were made by notable craftsmen, including Luis Ortega, Tom Kerr, Jay Adcock, and close friend Don Brown. Metcalf began acquiring the pieces when he was a kid. But most came into his hands in his 20s when he began his professional training career.

“A hackamore rides really good,” he shares. “Quality hackamores have feel and life to them, and they all ride differently. If used correctly when training a young horse, you’ll have a better horse for using a hackamore and become a better horseman.”