Bridles: Ensuring The Right Fit

Horses are much used in South Africa. Equestrian disciplines are popular, and both horses and donkeys are still utilised as working animals on farms and in townships. Despite this, many horse owners are unaware of the importance of a properly fitted bridle. Vicki Sokolich, an equine complementary care expert, explains that a poorly fitting bridle can result in significant damage to the physiology of the animal. Janine Ryan reports.

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Saddle fitting is a well-known vocation in the equine industry, and the importance of a saddle that fits well is undisputed. Many studies have been conducted on the effect of a poorly fitting saddle on a horse’s physiology, its ability to perform optimally, and its general well-being, psychology and willingness to work.

In contrast, the importance of a bridle that fits well has been largely ignored, and scientific studies on the subject are scant.

“Bridles are one of the most unacknowledged pieces of tack that riders own,” says Vicki Sokolich, an equine complementary care expert and owner of Equi-Silhouette. “There are numerous types of bridles that have been manufactured for different disciplines. However, they’re all based on the basic bridle: the snaffle bridle (English), or the traditional Western bridle (headstall). The differences between these two are the pressure points that each places on the horse’s head.”

The pressure points are the poll/ brow, nose, and side of the face. “Each bridle has a suggested fit in order to maximise your horse’s comfort for the discipline. It’s imperative that you follow these guidelines to ensure you’re not impinging on the vital cranial nerves,” says Sokolich.

In his article, ‘Bridle fit is as important to horses as saddle fitting’, Jochen Schleese, a certified master saddler and equine ergonomist, writes: “The most severe problems arise in the neck/base of the skull if the bridle fits badly (where the headpiece lies), but a noseband or flash that’s buckled too tightly will also cause problems here.”

BEHAVIOURAL PROBLEMS

Sokolich explains that all the pressure points of the simple snaffle bridle are at the exact points where the sensitive facial nerves originate.