Volunteer Team Talks
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Bridling
Parts of Bridle:
- Crown Piece
- Brow-band
- Cheek-pieces
- Throatlatch
- Noseband
- Bit
- Reins
How to put on the bridle:
- Place reins over neck
- Hold bridle by crown piece in left hand
- Place right hand over horse's poll
- Ask for a head down
- Pass crown piece to right hand, and guide bit with left hand
- If horse doesn't open mouth, use your finger at the side of his mouth
- When bit is in mouth, pull the crown piece over the ears being careful not to poke horse in eye
- Fasten the throatlatch so that you can fit 4 fingers between the throatlatch and horse
- Fasten noseband so that you can fit 2 fingers between the band and the horse
- Take the reins from over the horse's head, and you have successfully bridled a horse!
How to take off a bridle:
- Place reins over head
- Undo the noseband
- Undo the throatlatch
- Place right hand over horse's poll and grab the crown piece
- Place left hand by horse's mouth to take the bit when he spits it out
- With right hand, gently pull up and over the horse's ears and be careful about the horse's eyes
- Let bit come out slowly and try not to clank it against the horse's teeth
- Place bridle over shoulder and put the halter on
- Remove reins from horses' head and you have successfully unbridled a horse!
Why do we bridle?
We bridle horses because we use the bridle as one of our main aids to communicate to the horse. Without a bridle, we wouldn't have a bit, and with many of our horses then, without a bit, we wouldn't have much, if any control of them when we are on their backs since we wouldn't be able to reinforce the leg and seat aids.
Why do we fasten the throatlatch before the noseband?
We fasten the throatlatch before the noseband because this way if the horse suddenly moves his head, spooks, or puts his head down, then the bridle won't be able to fall off. The main point of the throatlatch is to keep the bridle from falling off.
What is the point of the noseband?
A noseband would be utilized to attach other pieces of equipment such as a martingale or a flash attachment. With most of our bridles, the noseband is really more of decoration then anything else. We mostly use a Plain Cavesson noseband which doesn't keep the bridle on or help steer, but is mostly for decoration.
What else do nosebands do?
Certain types of nosebands, like the drop noseband, encourage the horse to keep his mouth closed, and hold the bit steadier in his mouth. Figure Eight nosebands, also help keep his mouth closed, but allow the horse more breathing room. Flash nosebands are not as effective in keeping the mouth closed, but they do keep the bit steadier in the horse's mouth. All three of these help to prevent the horse from crossing his jaw.
Why can't the bit clank against the horse's teeth?
The bit shouldn't clank against the horse's teeth because it is not very comfortable and it can make the bridle an unpleasant memory;the horse would become hard to bridle, so it is best just to be nice and do a good, careful job of making this a pleasant experience.
Why do you warm up the bit before you bridle a horse?
We warm the bit up before we bridle especially on cold days because no one would like to have a piece of cold metal in their mouth would they? Again, we do it for the horse's comfort.
Doesn't it hurt the horse's ears when you have to bend them to get the bridle on or off?
No, it doesn't hurt their ears because horses have ears that are very flexible, and it doesn't hurt their ears as long as you do it gently and don't do anything like twisting or pulling them.
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