Different types of bridles

There are many types of bridles with different types of nosebands for your horse. But which is the best bridle for your horse? By looking at the discipline, the level you ride and what your horse prefers, you can determine the type of bridle. Each horse may react differently to a certain type of bridle and its pressure distribution. Signs that your horse may experience the bridle as unpleasant: head shaking, holding the head in the air while putting the bridle on or contact issues. This may also be due to the type of bit in the mouth.  

Different types of bridles:
Snaffle bridle with a combined noseband  
This snaffle bridle has a high noseband with an extra strap attached to it that goes diagonally under the bit, the flash strapp. The flash strapp is designed to keep the bit quiet and stable in the mouth. So it's not used to shut your horse's mouth. The combined snaffle bridle is one of the most commonly used bridles that does not have a strong impact (if properly attached).  

Snaffle bridle with a low noseband  
This snaffle bridle has a low noseband that runs over the bit. This ensures a quiet position of the bit, but gives a different pressure. This noseband gives pressure on the horse's mouth, nose and lower jaw. Make sure the low noseband is not too low and that at least 2 fingers fit between the nose and the noseband.

Anatomical bridle 
An anatomical bridle is a bridle that reduces pressure on crucial points of the horse's head, but also relieves the nerves and blood vessels and gives more muscle freedom and comfort. However, the anatomical bridle must fit well otherwise it can actually give pressure again.   

Double bridle
A double bridle is a bridle with a high noseband to which two bits can be attached. The high noseband gives a lot of freedom around the horse's mouth. This bridle is mainly used in higher dressage.   

Mexican bridle 
A Mexican bridle has a noseband that attaches crosswise around the horse's nose, just below or on the cheekbones. This bridle is mainly used for jumping and eventing. This is because it has a sharp effect the moment the horse opens the mouth and gives extra pressure on the nose. The bridle is not meant to be too tight, as the horse must still be able to move and relax its jaw. 

Bitless bridle  
A bitless bridle is, as the name suggests, a bridle to which no bit is attached. When you ride bitless, the pressure comes from somewhere other than the bit. There are different bitless bridles, each with a different working and pressure:  

-Sidepull, this gives pressure on the horse's nose.  

-Jaw-crossed, this gives pressure on the horse's nose, jaws and neck.  

-Chin crossed, this gives pressure mainly on the horse's chin and nose.  

-Hackamore, this gives pressure on the horse's nose, chin and neck. The longer the scissors, the bigger the pressure becomes  

-Bosal, this gives pressure only on the horse's nose. 

Rules for attaching the bridle
Wondering if your horse's bridle fits properly? A bridle should not be too tight and should not leave pressure marks. Sometimes a small adjustment, such as loosening one hole, can make a big difference to your horse's comfort.

Headpiece
First we have the headpiece, it is situated behind the horse's ears, which can also be a sensitive spot. Check carefully that the headpiece does not press on the ears and make sure that a thumb still fits under the headpiece. A well-fitted headpiece is important because it distributes the pressure of the bridle across the neck. The headpiece lies over the atlas, the vertebra that connects the spine to the horse's head. It is an important attachment point of nerves, tendons and muscles. Also, all the buckles attached to the headpiece must be in the right place. They should be roughly in line with your horse's eye, preferably at the level of the upper corner of the eye (seen from top to bottom).

Browband
The browband of the bridle is also there so that the bridle does not move. With the browband, make sure it doesn't press or pinch; this can be very unpleasant for the horse. The browband should rest lightly on your horse's forehead, about 1.5 to 2.5 cm below the ears. A browband that is too tight can pull the cheek pieces too far up and pull the headpiece against the ears. Too far down, oversized browbands hanging over the cheekbones are also uncomfortable for a horse. A browband should fit so that about two fingers (on top of each other) fit under the front of the browband.

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Cheek pieces
The cheek pieces are the straps to which the bit is attached. With the cheek pieces you determine the height of the bit in the mouth. It is important that you get this just right. If the cheek pieces are too loose, the bit will hang too low in the mouth and rattle. Neither should the cheeks be too tight, as the bit will hang too high in the mouth. Three fingers should fit side by side between the bit and the horse's head. You can also see from the wrinkles in the corner of the mouth whether the bit hangs too high or low. You may see two wrinkles in the corner of the mouth, if you see more of them then the bit is too high, if you see fewer or none then the bit is probably too low.

Throat strap
The throat strap prevents the bridle from simply sliding over the ears. The throat strap also helps stabilise the bridle by preventing it from tilting from side to side. This strap does not need to connect with the head. Between the throat strap and the horse's jaw, you should be able to put a large fist so that the horse has enough room to bend.

Noseband
With a combined noseband, you should be able to put two fingers at the top of the nose between the noseband and the horse's nose. Also, the noseband should be about 2 fingers below the cheekbone.

A low noseband should be above the fragile end of the nosebone. If it is too low, the noseband pinches off the nostrils. When the low noseband is fastened, at least one finger should fit between the noseband and the nose.

Flash strap 
If you have a bridle with a flash strap, the same applies; two fingers should fit between the strap and the horse's nose.