Top 3 Tips For Buying The Best Horse Bridle

When purchasing a horse bridle, you need to consider it more than just an accessory for controlling the horse. They should be comfortable for the animal and also look good. Today, the market is full of horse bridles and fortunately, you will have no dearth of choices. However, the downside is that you may feel overwhelmed. The below paragraphs list the most important decisions you will have to make for purchasing the perfect horse bridle:

1. Choose the material

Material of a horse bridle decides its price and the care you will be required to give it for keeping it in good shape. The cheapest one is made of nylon; the material is strong and can endure a good amount of pull without going out of shape. Next are synthetic bridles, which have a nice appearance and are a good choice if you are taking your horse to a show. Both nylon and synthetic bridles come in a variety of bright colors. Leather bridles are priciest; they are high on looks, have superior durability but require maintenance. Shades in leather are limited to blacks and browns. 

2. Style and weight of bridles

The straps of a horse bridle could be wide or narrow. Narrow straps make the accessory look dainty while wide ones make it look sturdy. Hence, small and delicate looking horses would look good in bridles with narrow straps and bridles with wide straps are ideal for big horses. The weight of the accessory is an important consideration. Lighter bridles look much better on slim and tall horse while short and stubby horses look smart in heavy bridles. Bridle styles are numerous and you should look into various types before choosing one.

3. Measure before you buy

You will need to measure your horse’s headstall, which is the stretch that starts from one corner of the mouth, goes over the poll until the other corner. Bridle throatlatch prevents the bridle from slipping off when the horse shakes his head or rubs it against a surface like a tree bark. Hence, the throatlatch should never be too loose. You will need to take measurement starting from the right ear going beneath the animal’s throatlatch until the left ear. Once you have the measurement, add to it the width of your four fingers held together; the extra length would prevent undue restraint to the horse’s head movement because of the horse bridle. Last, the brow band, which holds the accessory together, runs from one ear to the other. From the left ear, calculate the distance until a little past the other ear.

Why a Bitless Bridle Could Be Better For Your Horse

Bitless horse bridle consists of loops wherein one runs over the poll and the other one goes over the nose. The cross-under bitless bridle is most popular. The reins connect to the noseband and form a cross under the chin. Hence, the pull is exerted over the entire head of the animal making it less stressful for him. A bitless horse bridle offers the same level of control over the animal as the other type. 

What is wrong with the bit?

Since horses have been trained with bitted bridles for centuries, it may seem pointless to go for a bitless bridle. Nevertheless, from the point of view of the animal, the bit may have never been comfortable. For an animal, having something in its mouth all the time could well be a cause of trouble. Using its mouth, it is supposed to perform a variety of actions crucial for its survival like eating, swallowing, and breathing. Now, when a piece of metal is placed in its mouth, it may become a cause of a host of troubles like infection in the mouth, problems in teeth, breathing trouble and so on. The possibility of occurrence of the problems heightens even more when an unclean bit is placed in the animal’s mouth. 

Research and random data show that bitless bridles are somewhat better

Training a horse means domesticating it, which does not have to be painful or troublesome for the horse. When a horse is introduced to a horse bridle, he naturally finds it awkward at first and the bit just makes the bridle wearing even more awkward. Trainers have confirmed horses accept bitless horse bridle better than the other type. 

In a research conducted in New South Wales, Australia on 4 horses aged 2 years old by Dr. Amanda Warren-Smith and Jessica Quick, the result showed better behavior in the 2 horses that were trained in bitless bridles. The four horses were introduced to bridles for the first time. During the initial stage of their training, the ones wearing bitted horse bridle developed the habit of chewing for longer duration than the other two and kept their mouths open while running. These behaviors subsided in the later stages of the training. However, a few of other mannerisms did not subside, which included more frequent head shaking and faster heartbeat than the other two. According to the trainers, the horses wearing bitless bridles understood commands faster than the ones wearing bitted bridles.