Most natural horsemanship practitioners advocate use of a type of rope halter that has a thinner noseband and heavy heel knot reminiscent of a bosal style hackamore for groundwork, and, for some, riding. Usually use of a lead rope is promoted, which doubles as a lead line and a short longe line. Some, though not all, practitioners work horses bridleless, or consider bridleless work to represent the culmination of their training. Once a horse is under saddle, most practitioners advocate use of either a loose-ring or a full cheek style snaffle bit, and rope reins that include slobber straps and a lead rope section on the left side characteristic of a hackamore's mecate, sometimes called a "McCarty outfit." All practitioners emphasize that communication should be possible through light or minimal rein contact with the horse's mouth, encouraging primary use of weight and leg aids. Natural horsemanship and riding disciplines that emphasize steady, light contact are not incompatible, however. One practitioner has suggested that use of a patented design of bitless bridle can create more effective control of the horse, and solve other problems related to bitting. However, the benefits of a bitless bridle have been questioned in light of recent studies showing that the cross-under design puts significant pressure on the poll and under the chin, while soft tissues such as the tongue are actually better suited to handling pressure from a rider's hands than hard tissues like the nose bone and the palate, though bitless designs may still be suitable for horses with mouth injuries.