How to Bridle and Unbridle

In this video you will learn how to bridle and unbridle our horses

To bridle a horse the first step is to put the reins over the horse’s head. This ensures you have reins and adds another level of safety and control of the horse. Once the reins are over the head, unclip the left crosstie only. Then unbuckle the halter and rebuckle it around the horse’s neck. Holding the top part of the bridle, called the crownpiece, and the bit, gently bring the bit to the horse’s mouth. You may need to put your finger in the side of the horse’s mouth to get them to open it. Horses do not have teeth in this part of their mouth, they are born that way, so do not worry about getting bitten. Once the bit is in the mouth, flip the right ear under the crownpiece and then the left ear. Reach under the horse’s neck and bring the throatlatch over and buckle it. Make sure you can fit a fist between the throatlatch and the horse’s throat. The next step is to buckle the noseband. Make sure the noseband is underneath the cheek pieces on both sides of the horse. Taking the ring, place it on the buckle side of the noseband before buckling it. Once the horse is bridled, attach the leadrope to the ring and back the horse out of the crosstie area.

To unbridle the horse you will first put the halter back around their neck, like you did for bridling. Then you will undo the noseband and throatlatch. Do not undo the buckles on the side of the face. Gently remove the bridle from behind the ears and let the horse open their mouth to remove the bit. Place the bridle over your shoulder and rehalter the horse immediately. Once the horse is halted again, put on the left crosstie and go hang up the bridle. It is very important to not leave the horse unattended with the halter around their neck as they could put their head down and step through the halter creating a very dangerous situation.