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Bridles
Home » Horse Riding » Riding Equipment » BridlesBridles are well-known pieces of equipment used with horses. By means of straps that lie around the horse’s head, a bit that is placed inside its mouth, and reins used for directing the horse, the bridle offers a way for the rider to communicate his or her desires with the horse.
There are many different styles of bridles that you can choose from based on the specific needs of your horse. A hackamore, for example, is a type of bridle that doesn’t utilize a bit. It is used both to train very young horses as well as to be gentle with the mouths of older horses. There are also, conversely, double bridles, which employ two bits at once in the mouths of horses. This double bit method gives the rider very specific control and is used only with extremely advanced horses and their riders.
Aside from some bitless bridles that were mentioned earlier, most bridles do make use of this piece of metal (or occasionally other materials) inside of the horse’s mouth. They come with different mouthpieces and rings and in different styles. However, one of the most important things to understand when using a bridle is exactly where and how this bit is used. Despite what some people think, the bit does not lie on the horse’s teeth. It rests in a space between the front teeth and the back teeth and offers a degree of control and communication from the rider to the horse. Though it is designed to work by the use of pressure, with inappropriate use, it can be very painful and damaging to the horse.
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