Bridle (riding) . A set of straps that are placed on a horse’s head in order to hold two bits (the bridle bit and the snaffle bit).
Summary
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- 1 History
- 2 Its Parts
- 3 Features
- 4 Usage
- 5 Manufacturing
- 6 Types of Flanges
- 7 sources
History
Due to the evolution of horses and the evolution of their temperament, more efficient ways were sought to exert more complete control from the bridle. This is the case of the Assyrians, who stood out for being skilled riders, used a bit that gave the rider good control in handling the mount. Later the Persians surpassed this instrument, since they modernized the bridle, making it harder, the reason was because of the type of horse they used, which was heavier.
From the 6th century BC, the bits presented greater hardness and various adaptations, it was in the year 300 BC, when the Celts modified the bridle with a curb, which over the years would suffer major adaptations; the reason was because of the great size and strength that the horses needed to support the heavy armor and weapons on their mount, in addition to their armor. It was not until the Renaissance that the bit was used, which helped the animal to keep it in balance. The first masters, such as Federico Grisons of Naples and Pignatelli, insisted on the importance of keeping the mouth light, which they obtained by using the reinforced noseband.
In the year 1550 , the importance of making the animal more flexible and developing its posture through exercises was not considered so important, since the belief was to exert force, thus obtaining obedience from the horse. During this time the double bridle appears which had the addition of the curb bit by means of a thin bridle with a fillet operated by a second rein. The use of fixed metal keys in the center of the bit is introduced, which helped the animal to secrete saliva.
The classical equestrian art was already booming in the following century, due to the influence of Frencman Francois de la Gueriniere (father of classical horsemanship), although the use of the bridle was important, it was no longer considered as an instrument of force. . At this time the softest bits were used, keeping control of the horse and the head by means of the bridle, which has been of priority interest to this day, always taking into account the mention of “legs better than hands”.
His parts
It includes the bit, the collar or bridle and the reins. The bit is a metal bar that is placed inside the horse’s mouth. The skilled rider exercises control over the horse through pressure on the bit. The collar, to which the bit is attached, is a device of leather straps placed around the nose, jaws and head of the animal. The reins are leather straps that are attached to the bit on both sides of the horse’s mouth and that go one on each side of the neck to the rider’s hands.
Features
It consists of two parts: bridle and bit. The first comprises the set of straps that, adapting to the animal’s head, serve to hold the bit in the proper position, and also the reins, by means of which the rider or coachman contain and guide the horse as they please. There are several different bridle bits and each one exerts a more or less strong action on the horse’s mouth. It is very important to adapt the bridle bit to the level of dressage of the animal and to its sensitivity to the bit (knowing that the branches of the bit are long, and their action is important, and that, for example, a bridle bit with a very pronounced passage of the tongue can also act on the palate of the horse).
Utilization
When putting the bridle on the horse, care must be taken that the bit is well placed, for which it is necessary that it does not touch the fangs (one finger above them), nor the molars. The chain must have the proper tension. The noseband must not be oppressive. The throat must be loose, but not so loose that the head will fit if the horse tries to remove the bridle. If this were shooting, it is necessary to ensure that the blinders have their centers at the height of the horse’s eyes and are quite far apart, in order to reduce their inconveniences as much as possible. The horse or pony must be relaxed for the duration of a bridle exercise; you can tell that a mount is relaxed while “chewing” on its bridle, for example.
Manufacturing
The bridles are generally made of leather, but there are also pita and other textile materials, including silk, and it is not uncommon for leather bridles to be adorned with colored silks, or with neat work of silver and gold threads, and even with precious stones, as happened in the fourteenth century. In this century it was also customary for them to wear bell pendants, whose fashion was already introduced in the last years of the previous century.
Types of Flanges
- Brida de Schoenberck.
Its most outstanding feature is that it replaces the curb chain with a strap. The quijeras are not buckled to the eyes of the portamozos, but to some rings that are at the ends of the embouchure. The bit also has a unique shape reminiscent of car bits. This type of bridle was used in the Prussian army, although its use did not become widespread because the advantages over other types of bridle are not very appreciable.
- Bridle of draft horses.
This bridle is analogous to that of saddle horses, differing in that it only has two reins and in that it usually (although not always) also has blinders and a rivet.
- western bridle
Piece of riding equipment through which the rider controls the horse, basically consisting of the head, the bit and the reins. The headrest is made up of a set of straps that adjusts to the horse’s head and serves to keep the bridle in place, which holds the reins with which the rider can direct and control the animal.
The bridle, which is the key piece for the control and direction of the horse, must be held in place, that is, in the mouth or on the nose, for which the head joins both sides of it passing behind the ears. and on the nape of the animal.
The headpiece, generally made of leather, is basically made up of two cheek pieces, the head piece, the front piece and the choke piece, with the reins being a long strap, sometimes broken, whose ends are attached to the bit.
The Western bridle was developed from those that the conquerors brought to America , which in fact did not differ much from those that would later be brought by the colonizers of British origin who arrived on the east coast of the country.
