How to Put an English Bridle Together

You finally got around to cleaning your bridle. You wisely took the bridle apart to clean it thoroughly, and you have run into a problem: you have no idea how to put it back together. Never fear! Putting a bridle together is actually quit simple- so lets get started!

Materials:

• browband
• crown
• throatlatch
• noseband
• cheek pieces
• reins
• bit

Place all the pieces on a towel or table so you can clearly see them.

Lay your crown and throatlatch flat and find the side that has a buckle on the long skinny side. This side is your end piece.

Find your browband.

Slide the browband through the crown and throatlatch with the long skinny side on the outside. Your browband should be through the crown and throatlatch completely.

Center the browband so each end of the browband is where the crown and throatlatch begins to split into the two.

Find your noseband.

With the noseband facing the same way as the browband, slide the small leather strap through the keepers of the browband and underneath the headstall.

Buckle the noseband to the strap you just slid through the headstall.

Find the cheek pieces, there should be two.

Buckle a cheek piece to the thick strap of the headstall. The buckle should be facing outwards.

Repeat step 10 on the other side.

At this point, your bridle should look like this:

If you have made an error, it is easiest to fix that now before we attach the bit to the bridle.

Hang the bridle assembled so far onto a hook or ask someone to hold it for you. It is easiest this way to see exactly where all the parts are.

Hold the bit as if you would put it into the horse’s mouth.

While standing behind the bridle, drop one side of the bit into the cheek piece.

Place the other side of the bit into the cheek piece keeper and buckle. Keep in mind that if you have a cheek pieces that have buckles or ties, they always point to the outside as not to rub the horse. If your bridle has a hook you always keep the hook to the inside. Remember, the leather always lays flat.

Repeat step 15 on the other side.

Find your reins and choose one side to start on. Buckle one side of the reins to the bit ring directly underneath the cheek piece. Just like attaching the bit, any buckle or tie should face outwards, and any hook buckle should face inwards.

Keeping the reins straight, repeat step 17 to the other side.

Double check your work. All leather should be flat, the noseband, browband and bit should be in the same direction. The throatlatch should be behind the cheek pieces. The reins should be directly behind the cheek pieces on the bit.

It is easy to get twists in your reins, but don’t disconnect them from the bit to fix this, just find the buckle in the middle of the reins and disconnect them and fix.

When you put your assembled bridle on the horse, it most likely will not be adjusted properly. Before you ride, adjust the bridle.