Does my bridle fit?

Horses give us their all, and we owe it to them to make sure they are in tack that fits comfortably. We wouldn’t be happy in our jobs wearing shoes or clothes that didn’t fit, and we shouldn’t ask the equivalent of our horses. Properly fitting tack undoubtedly improves performance, and investing in a well-fitting bridle should be a non-negotiable for every horse owner.

But do you know if your horse is wearing a bridle that offers comfort, avoiding sensitive pressure points, friction and pinching?

You don’t always need a new bridle. And let’s face it, not everyone can afford one. Sometimes just adjusting your existing bridle or buying some new cheek straps can be all that’s needed.

So whether you’re buying a new bridle or doing your horse the service of checking an existing fit, here is our simple bridle fit checklist:

1. Headpiece: The headpiece needs to sit away from the bulb of the ear. This means it should sit back in the flat area of the poll, behind the ears and not be pushing forward on the ears. All of our bridles have plush gel padding over the headpiece which means they will mould softly over the poll, an area that contains a huge amount of sensitive nerves.

Fit problem? If your headpiece isn’t fitting as described, you need to size up or down. A headpiece that is too small will push forward on the ears causing irritation and discomfort. A headpiece that is too big may rub and sit too far back causing fit issues for the browband and the cheek piece and noseband. The headpiece is the anchor of the bridle and if it doesn’t fit correctly none of the other straps on the bridle will sit properly either.

2. Buckles on cheek: The buckles that attach the noseband, cheek pieces and throat lash to the headpiece should roughly line up about level with the horse’s eye. They should sit around an inch from the cheek bone to ensure they are clear of nerves near the eye. The buckles should not sit near the TMJ joint, which is delicate tissue between the eye and the ear.  The most common bridle fitting error is that cheek piece buckles are sitting too high on this sensitive area.

Fit problem? If your buckles are not sitting near the eye this is actually an easy fix. Firstly, check which buckle is sitting in the wrong spot. If it’s too high, you need to size down in that part and if it’s too low you need to size up in that part. Ie if you have a full bridle and your cheekpiece buckle is sitting too high, buy a cob cheekpiece. Check our bridle fitting chart against how many cm you need the buckle to move, to be sure.

3. Browband: The browband should sit comfortably with no tension. A browband that has tension is too small and is pulling the headpiece forward causing discomfort for the horse. It’s better to size up with browbands if in doubt.

Fit problem? A browband that is too tight needs to be replaced with a larger browband, but it’s also worth checking if the headpiece is too big or too small and pulling the browband forward or backward. In most modern styles, a browband that is too large will simply sit a bit lower on the horse’s forehead not causing any fit issues.

4. Noseband: There are many designs of nosebands so there’s no ‘one fit’ approach, however on a classic cavesson or hanoverian noseband, it should sit around two cm lower than the cheek bone. It should be done up loosely with the ability to fit a minimum of two fingers between the horse’s face and the noseband. The buckle should be centred underneath the jaw.

All of our bridles have gel padding under the noseband which means they will mould softly over the nose, improving comfort for your horse.

Fit problem? An off-centre buckle under the jaw will cause irritation for the horse and potentially distribute pressure badly.  If the buckle isn’t centred you either need a smaller or bigger noseband circumference.  

A noseband cheek strap buckle that doesn’t sit near the eye also indicates the noseband is too large or too small. Size up for a buckle that is too low on the horse’s cheek and size down for a buckle that is higher than the horse’s eye.

Does your bridle fit? And do you need a new bridle or just a new part?

If you’re not sure, ask us! Our priority is improving comfort for horses across the world. Send us a photo if you’re not sure and don’t be afraid to tell us that you don’t have the budget for a whole new bridle but want to do the right thing by your horse. We may be able to suggest adjusting buckles on your existing bridle, or just purchasing a part to improve the comfort for your horse and your performance as a team.

**Reach out to us at: **customer@lumiereequestrian.com