Something that can scare even the most experienced driver, is having a bridle fall off. 

Why does this happen?

There are a few reasons a bridle could fall off. These are the ones I run into often when helping customers with harness fit.

• Do NOT tuck your equine’s forelock under the crown piece of the bridle. Sometimes equines have TONS of forelock and people worry they can’t see properly with it hanging down. So, they twist it or braid it and then pull it straight back, between the ears and tuck it under the crown. This causes the crown piece of the bridle to pull up, making the bridle not fit correctly. In the photo below you can see how the thickness of the forelock is actually lifting the crown making it not sit behind the ears nicely. Instead the crown is pressing against the bottom part of the ear. Kirsty said Jasper showed signs of discomfort when she did this! 

• DO trim at least a small bridle path for the crown of the bridle to sit in. If you have an equine with a very wide neck and a thick mane, a bridle path can mean the difference between the bridle fitting correctly or the bridle coming off while you’re driving. Below is a photo of the bridal path cut on a fjord horse with a very thick mane. You can cut a bridal path with scissors or clippers.

• If you are using a bridle with the blinders please use a nose band. The nose band helps balance the blinders as well as keeps the cheeks close to the equine’s face, when everything is adjusted correctly. Sometimes, someone will contact me that even with the nose band buckled the cheeks are pulling away from the cheeks. This typically happens because the winker stays haven’t been adjusted. They need to be bent so they aren’t digging into the forehead of the equine. This will allow the cheeks to lay flat. All the parts and pieces work together to ensure proper fit.

• If you have an older bridle with brass hardware, check to be sure your brass buckles have stainless tongues and NOT brass ones. Brass is softer than stainless and can bend, allowing the buckles to come open.

• If you have a bit with a copper mouth piece check it often as copper is soft and does wear away, become thin and then break. Ask me how I know this! LOL

What are some tips and tricks to ensure bridle safety?

One of our customers shared her personal story about her bridle mishap and how she solved her issue!

QT, my ten year old 41” driving pony, once put his head way down and when when head came up, his bridle was off!With a tight throat latch! I had a death grip on the reins, the bit was still in his mouth, muzzle to chest I am sure, with the bridle hanging upside down in front!

Luckily, my husband was with us this once. At the time QT was terrified if anyone got out of the cart, other than when we were back to the ranch, to unharness.

I finally managed to get him to stop from his panic, while my husband was trying carefully to get out of cart, halter in hand, and up to his head.Thankfully Dave was with us, or results may have been very different.

I don’t get to drive much, only narrow gravel roads, with trucks, tractors, implements, etc, to worry about. QT is traffic safe, luckily, but a fear of strangers or anyone but me, to this day.He has mellowed out a lot in the eight years I have had him, but still very leery of anyone coming up to pet him.

My “safety net” with QT is a Driving/Grooming collar, which I purchased along with my ComfyFit harness (which I love!), and two carabiner hooks connecting the collar to his bridle.Collar is on when I remove halter to put bridle on, then just two quick snaps and all set to drive.I keep his lead rope coiled up at my cart’s dashboard, then QT’s halter hangs from back of cart, should I ever need it.

Another way people avoid having the bridle come off is to add a gullet strap to their bridle. The gullet strap connects the chin strap to the throat latch:

A properly fitted driving bridle ‘should’ never pop off. Make sure your bridle is fitted to your equine’s head correctly. The blinders should be away from the equine’s eye, preferably wide open so they can see in front of them, but not behind. The photo above of the gray horse in her bridle, is a perfect example. We also have a few other blogs about bridle fit:

• The Bridle
• Harness Hacks
• Harness Fit from one of our Ambassadors
• How to adjust the Winker Stay on a Driving Bridle

If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!

info@chimacumtack.com

mindy@chimacumtack.com

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