Bridles

The main function of the bridle is to hold the bit in the horse's mouth.

The most common bridle you will see is the basic snaffle bridle shown in the picture below. It has one bit and one set of reins. A true double bridle has two bits and two sets of reins and can offer a finer degree of control of the horse, though it does require cafefull hands to use it. A pelham has two sets of reins but only one bit - the second rein controls the curb chain which lies under the horse's jaw and acts on a reflex point encouraging the horse to flex his head.

There are variations on this basic design which are mostly modifications to the noseband; called flash, drop and grankle nosebands. They all aim to stop the horse evading the bit by providing extra control on his jaw movements, and to some extent have become a fashion item and are often used where not needed.

The bridle is made up from 6 parts

• Headpiece - which passes over the horse's head and ears and supports the bit in the mouth. It is cut from the same piece of leather as the...
• Throatlash - fastens around the gullet of the horse to prevent the bridle slipping forwards. Must not be fitted too tight or will restrict the horse's throat when he bends his head. In reality plays no useful part except for keeping the bridle on should the rider fall off over the front of the horse still holding the reins.
• Browband - a loop across the forehead which stops the bridle slipping back. Should not be too tight or loose as this can be a cause of head shaking in horses.
• Cheek Pieces - one on each side, attach to the bit and to the headpiece. These are adjustable in length with buckles and are adjusted to hold the bit in the correct position. Many people advocate adjusting the bit until you can see several wrinkles in the horse's lips. We believe this is too much. Just being able to see the bit contacting on the edge of the lips will be much more comfortable for the horse. A bit adjusted too long could bang on the horse's teeth.
• Noseband - not essential for holding the bit in place but can be used to help stop the horse evading the bit.
• Reins - attach to the bit rings beneath the cheek pieces. They should not be so short that you are caused to lean forward to hold them or too long that there is danger of the excess getting caught up in your feet or the saddle.
  
  

Martingales

You might also commonly see this bridle used with a martingale. This is used to prevent the horse from raising its head too high. It is essentially a 'Y' shaped attachment where the bottom of the Y has a loop which slides over the girth strap (before it is fitted) and is hence held in position at the horse's chest. In a standing martingale the two arms of the Y attach to the noseband.

A running martingale has rings on the two arms of the Y which the reins pass through. This allows a greater degree of freedom whilst still dissuading a high head position and is more suitable for jumping. A neck strap attached to the split point of the Y holds the two arms safely away from the front legs.

The highlighted blue in the picture below shows a running martingale fitted to Marmalade.

The How To section shows how a bridle is fitted.

Next - bits.