FITTING A BRIDLE
Before putting a new bridle on, hold it up to your horse’s head and check it is roughly going to be the correct size.
Undo all the keepers (the little loops that keep the excess leather from sticking out), so alteration will be as easy as possible.
Put the bridle on and check straight away if the bit is the correct size as, if it is not, there is no point carrying on as none of the other fittings will be correct.
The bit should have a finger space on each side and seem to sit nicely in the horse’s mouth. There should be 2 small wrinkles at the corner of his mouth without him appearing to smile as in the last picture. When you pull the bit gently down, it should not touch any teeth. If you take up gentle contact with your reins whilst riding, the cheek pieces should not bow out.
You should be able to slide 4 fingers between the thoatlash and the horse’s face when the throatlash is hanging straight down. It should be tight enough to prevent the bridle being pulled off but loose enough to not restrict the throat at any point.
The browband should sit 2 fingers below the ears and 2 fingers should slide easily between the horse’s face and the browband.
The cavesson noseband (I will cover the alternatives at the next level) should lie 2 fingers below the projecting cheekbone. You should be able to easily fit 2 fingers between the centre of his nose and the noseband.
The reins should be long enough to easily touch the saddle but not so long they hang down in loops when riding.
Final Thoughts
The aim is that the horse is as comfortable as possible. If it looks tight or is causing the horse to not look relaxed then it is not fitting correctly.