How to Fit an English Bridle

Properly fitting an English bridle on a horse is the difference between a happy horse who likes to put on a bridle and a horse that will fight you every time. A horse's head and mouth are very sensitive, which is one reason why bridles are used to control and teach a horse in the first place. A bridle that pinches and causes pain only teaches him that bridles are bad news. If your horse is uncomfortable putting on a bridle, giving him a treat when slipping a properly fitted bit into his mouth is one way to retrain him to enjoy wearing it.

Things You'll Need

  • Measuring tape
  • English bridle, proper size
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Instructions

    • 1

      Measure the distance from the center of your horse's poll, the location between his ears at the top of his head, to the corner of his mouth to determine the bridle size.

    • 2

      Compare this number to the size of the crown and cheek piece on the bridle to determine if you need a pony, cob or full, sometimes called horse-size.

    • 3

      Place the bridle on your horse, leaving the straps looser than you anticipate is needed.

    • 4

      Move the cheek-pieces, the rings next to your horse's mouth, so the bit sits at the side of your horse's mouth. Check the bit size to make sure it fits comfortably in his mouth and doesn't pinch the sides or slide around.

    • 5

      Move the noseband, the strap that fits across your horse's nose, so that it sits about a finger-width from your horse's cheekbones.

    • 6

      Tighten the buckles, so that two fingers can fit between the horse's skin and the bridle strap at the cheekpieces, noseband and browband.

    • 7

      Attach the throat latch, the strap that goes straight down from the horse's ears under his throat, so that your entire fist will fit between the horse and the strap.

    • 8

      Check the browband to make sure it is straight across your horse's forehead and is resting across the hollow area under his ears. If your horse shows signs of discomfort, remove the bridle and check to see that the horse does not have an underlying condition making the bridle uncomfortable.