How history has shaped our use of bits and bridles

Bits and bridles have been used for millennia to control and communicate with horses. In this article, Janine Ryan looks at the history of the equipment, as well as the most common types used today.

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Over the centuries, the bit and bridle have been used by horse riders, from the military to the aristocracy, to control and manage a horse under saddle. However, the bit and bridle have both evolved significantly over the years, and choosing the correct bit and bridle for a horse has become a real science. Bits and bridles vary in how they are used and the action that they exert on the horse. In order to get the best out of a horse, it is necessary that the rider or horse owner ensure that the horse is fitted with the right bit or bridle. This fit will largely depend on the horse and its temperament and/or the discipline in which the horse and rider partake.

BITS

The mouthpieces of bits are usually made out of metal, with stainless steel the most popular option. However, some bits also incorporate metals such as copper, to encourage salivation, or may be covered in rubber or plastic. The bit is attached to the bridle (see boxes), while the mouthpiece goes inside the horse for the purpose of control. Depending on the type of bit, the action of the mouthpiece will vary. In conjunction with the reins and other parts of the bridle, the bit exerts pressure on the horse’s mouth, jaw and poll, which signals the action that the rider wants the horse to complete.

EVOLUTION OF THE BIT

Gerhard Politz, for Dressage Today, wrote in a 2008 article that the earliest records of metal bits used with horse bridles date from roughly the time between the 14th and eighth centuries BCE (Bronze and Iron Ages). Concurrently, however, the use of bits made from horn, bone, wood, sinew, rawhide and rope were used by more primitive tribes as well, Politz wrote. As these materials wore out quickly, metal bits quickly began to replace bits made from these.