Bridles, Bits, and their Components
By Hank "Hoss" Randolph

Bridles

The bridle is usually made of leather or nylon and is made up of a crown piece, cheek straps, throat latch, brow band, bit, nose band, and one or two reins.

If a curb chain is used on a bit, it is held in place along the horse's chin groove by a thin piece of leather known as a lip strap. The bit may be attached to the bridle by a sewn-in leather loop, by buckles or metal fasteners in the shape of hooks, called billets.

Bits are usually made entirely of metal, but frequently the portion that sits in the horse's mouth is made of nylon. Bits are generally classified as: curb (or bit), snaffle, pelham or double (curb and snaffle).

A bit is a single bar in a horse's mouth with shanks and a curb chain to provide leverage - controlled by a single rein.

A snaffle bit is a single bar (usually jointed) without a shank, controlled by a single rein.

A pelham is a single bar with a shank and a curb chain controlled by two reins.

A double bit is two separate bits - the snaffle and the curb.

A port is an elliptical semicircular or inverted U-shaped hump in the middle of a bit to make it more severe and to discourage the horse from putting its tongue over the bit.

A gag is a type of snaffle bit supported from a pulley so that when pressure is exerted, the bit rises in the horse's mouth.

When the bridle is placed on the horse, the following should be checked for proper adjustment:

a. the bit - regulated by the cheek straps

b. curb chain

c. throat latch

d. if used, the cavesson (nose band)

Hackamore

A hackamore is a type of bridle without a bit that is often used for breaking and training horses. Control is provided through pressure just above the muzzle rather than pressure of a bit on the sides of the mouth.

When removing a pelham or double bridle, both the throat latch and curb chain should be unfastened. When two reins are used on a pelham or double bridle, the snaffle reins are slightly wider and are fastened with a buckle. The two pieces of the curb rein are sewn together.