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About Bridle fitting
Most people will understand the importance of a correctly fitted saddle and potential problems a poor fitting saddle can cause, however we rarely consider the fit of a bridle.
However the consequences of a poorly fitted bridle can cause discomfort for the horse at best, at worse it can cause sores or the horse may develop resentment and behavioural problems.
These become highlighted when you attempt to put the bridle on, or even whilst riding.
Buying the Best Fit
Its always important to buy the best fitting tack for your horse or pony, but it's not always easy. Many horses will be a combination of different sizes and unless you want to buy two bridles you will normally find that you - or more importantly your horse, has to "make do".
This is easy to avoid when buying a Pink Equine Bridle, as we offer a "Mix and Match" of sizes, enabling you to combine different sizes of virtually every part of the bridle, giving you a virtually bespoke solution at an "off the Peg" price.
Simply state when you order, which alternate sizes you would like and we'll make you up a bridle.
Bridle Parts
A Bridle consists of several parts
1. Noseband
2. Browband
3. Headpiece
4. Cheek Pieces
Nosebands
There are many designs of Noseband, here at Pink Equine we have the following:-
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Plain Noseband - this noseband is commonly used in snaffle bridles and consists of a single padded band that goes around the horses nose. It provides a comfortable fit without restriction to the horse's mouth.
It is ideal for horses who are generally quiet in the mouth and don't generally fuss with the bit. |
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Flash Noseband - also known as a "hanovarian drop" , has an additional strap to the Plain Noseband that does up under the bit and around the mouth, it can be fully adjusted to different degrees depending on how much control you require over the horses mouth.
It is ideal for horses who may open their mouths or attempt to put their tongue over the top of the bit. |
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Grackle - The grackle noseband is sometimes referred to as a "figure of eight" and has a two part action, it crosses the nose of the horse quite high and then crosses again under the horses jaw.
It is ideal for horses who have a tendency to open their mouth and cross their jaws. This type of noseband is very popular on the showjumping circuit. |
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Crank Cavesson - sometimes known as a "pull back" noseband, this noseband is very similar to the plain noseband and is commonly used on Double Bridles. The difference of the Crank Cavesson noseband is that the back has a padded section and provides an additional degree of tightening.
It is ideal if you require a little more control over the horse's mouth where a Flash Noseband would not be advisable or is not allowed in competition. It can equally be used without being tightened, as a plain noseband.
For this image we've shown you the back part of the noseband so you can see how the pullback function works. |
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Browbands
A Browband is the part of the bridle that goes across the horses forehead, its use is to work in conjunction with the headpiece to keep the bridle in the correct place.
The right browband will highlight the best features of your horses head. You should be able to fit no more than two fingers underneath a browband. A well fitting browband should sit across the horses forehead and should not droop down.
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| Pink Equine offer several types of browband, padded, crystal and coloured crystal. .All are made using top quality leather and only genuine CRYSTALLIZED ™ - . Swarovski Elements. Whilst many competitive sports (such as Show jumping or Eventing) are happy for you to fully embrace your love of colour or crystals, it's always wise to consult the rule book before entering any competitions to double check that it's allowed. |
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Headpieces
The headpiece is the part of the bridle that sits on the horses crown and you attach the cheek pieces to. Depending on your bridle choice, you will have one of the following headpieces made available.
Plain - This headpiece is not padded and consists of one length of leather. It is the most common headpiece found on a snaffle bridle.
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Comfort Padded - This headpiece has additional padding over the horses sensitive poll area, it is generally more used in competition bridles and in conjunction with double bridles.
Its function is to alleviate potential pressure on the poll area.
All Design & Technik Bridles, even the Lemico ones feature Comfort Padded Headpiece's as standard. |
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Cheek Pieces
Bridles available on this website come with two types of cheekpieces "Hook Stud" and Buckles. The purpose of the cheek pieces are enable the bit to be connected to the bridle. You get two cheekpieces per bridle.
Buckle - As the name suggest, each cheekpiece has a buckle as opposed to a hook. All DT Saddlery Bridles feature buckles. |
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Hook Stud - This type of cheekpiece is the most common found on British Made Bridles,
The cheekpiece secures to the bit via a hook and loop method. All Pink Equine Bridles available in the Leisure and Junior Sections of our website have cheekpieces with Hook Stud Billets. |
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Trying a Bridle
When you put a bridle on for the first time, you should follow the following steps.
Make sure the Cheekpieces are buckled into the Headpiece on the second or third hole.
Make sure the Noseband is buckled up only with the strap that is looped through the headpiece. The actual padded part of the noseband should not be buckled.
When putting the bridle on, it should be easy to slip the headpiece over the horses ears without the bit pulling tightly in the horse's mouth, if it does, undo the Cheekpieces another hole to give more room.
When the bridle is on the horse, adjust the Cheekpieces so that the bit sits in the horse's mouth with no more than a couple of wrinkles.
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Adjust the throat latch so that you can fit four fingers (sideways) between the strap & the horses cheeks, but no more.
Adjust the browband so that it sits just below the horses ears at each side.
Adjust and fasten the noseband so that the noseband is neither too tight or too loose around the horses nose. You should be able to fit two fingers in between the horses nose and the noseband.
If your bridle has an additional flash strap, secure this around the horses nose so that the buckle rests a few centimeters under the tab that attaches it to the main part of the noseband . This is to ensure that the buckle doesn't pinch the sensitive area around the mouth.
Once you are happy with the fit, secure the strap ends into the keepers to ensure they don't flap around.
If any of the buckles are tightened on either the top or the bottom hole, then you should consider changing that part. Otherwise follow the checklist below. |
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Does the browband look tight across the horses forehead, or pull the headpiece inwards so that it pinches the horses ears. Or does it look too large - check to see if you can fit more than two fingers underneath. | You may need to change the size on this part | It Fits | Can you fit 4 fingers (sideways on) underneath the throatlatch when its done up around the second or third hole. | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part | Do the Cheekpieces sit straight along the top edge of the horse’s cheekbones, without cutting into the cheeks or interfering with the eyes. Does the bit sit in the horses mouth with no more than a couple of wrinkles. | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part | Is the Noseband Strap (the bit that goes over the head) in line with the cheekpieces. | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part | Are the cheekpiece buckles fastened at the second or third hole. | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part | Does the noseband fasten so that the buckle strap sits neatly inside the two keepers. | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part | Does the Flash strap (if you have one) do up so that there is around 5cm or less left on the end of the strap once tightened | It Fits | You may need to change the size on this part |
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Summary
We hope that you have found this guide useful. If you find when you have tried your bridle on that any part doesn't fit, simply send that part/parts back and we'll give you the next size up/down.
If you are finding measuring a little tricky or would like a second opinion on the fit, you can always email us a picture of your horse wearing the bridle (close ups preferable) and ask our thoughts on it. We're more than happy to help. You can email us on admin@pinkequine.com
Our main aim is that both you and your horse or pony are 100% happy with your purchase and we're here to help.
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