Often, new horse owners, and sometimes long-time owners with no formal training, have a hard time getting the bridle on a horse and getting the horse to accept the bit. Here is a short tutorial on how to properly bridle a horse.

Now, before I start, it should be understood that there are many reasons why a horse might be hard to bridle. For instance, a horse with an abscess in its mouth might find the bit very uncomfortable. A horse that is head-shy may not let you get close enough to get the bridle on its head. Once physical discomfort and other behavioral issues are ruled-out, however, using the proper technique in bridling a horse will make things much easier on the owner as well as the horse, and will eventually convince the horse that receiving the bridle isn’t such a bad thing, after all.

Now, let’s assume you have the horse haltered, standing, and ready to be bridled. Let’s do a little preparation work. Lay your hand on top of the horse’s head, just behind his ears. The horse should lower his head for you. His head should be at a comfortable working height for you as you bridle him. If he doesn’t, you need to teach him to do this.  Here’s how:

Place your right hand on top of his head, just behind the ears, and with your left hand, take hold of the lead rope right at the halter.  Put pressure on top of the head, while adding weight to the halter with the other hand. It doesn’t have to be a lot of pressure, just enough that the horse feels pressure and it is a little uncomfortable or irritating to him. Eventually he will bob his head a little.

When he does, and I mean exactly when he does, release the pressure from both hands and rub the horse’s neck.  Do it again, and again, each time holding the pressure a little longer, asking him to lower his head a little further. Pretty soon, the horse will figure out that when you place your hand on his head at the poll (where the neck and skull meet), you want him to lower his head. You can actually train the horse to lower his head and put his muzzle in the dirt, if you want to, but I see no reason for that. I just want him to pay attention and lower his head while I bridle him.

Now, if you are going to leave the halter on under the bridle, you are ready to start. If you intend to remove the halter, unbuckle or untie it, but do not completely remove it. Instead, while retaining control of his head, let the nose band slip off his nose and rebuckle the halter around the horse’s neck.  Often I will see people simply drop the halter to the ground as they bridle the horse, or wrap the bridle reins around the horse’s neck. Make it a habit to keep the halter and lead rope on the horse while bridling and always retain control of your horse. If you are out on a trail or horse camp and you completely remove the halter while bridling, the horse may well decide he’s free to wander back home and you might end up on foot for the remainder of the trip!

Now, with the halter around the horse’s neck, drop the reins on the ground, or loop them over your arm, so they don’t get in your way. Place your right forearm on top of the horse’s neck, such that your right hand is hanging over his forehead between his ears.Your forearm and elbow on the horse’s neck gives you some control while you are handling the bridle with both hands.

Now take the top of the headstall in your right thumb, so that the bridle is hanging with the bit below the horse’s mouth. Take the bit in your left hand and capture the horse’s muzzle between the cheek pieces of the bridle. This give you a little more control (not really, but the horse thinks it does, and that’s what counts!). Cradle the bit in your left hand, as shown in the photo below. Your thumb should be on top of the bit, with your first two fingers under the bit, and your last two fingers outside the bit shank. The chin strap should be lying on your wrist, as shown.

The way the bit is positioned in your hand is important, as you will see in just a minute. Now, drop the bridle down, by bending your right wrist (the one on the horse’s head) down, to where the bit is hanging just below the horse’s lips. Now lift with your right wrist (not the one with the bit in it), gently lifting the bit up between the horse’s lips. Some horses, at this point will simply open their mouths and you can lift the bit right on up into position. Most, in my experience, will not, and you will need to coax them to open their mouth.

Do this by inserting your thumb between the horse’s gums in the side of his mouth.

You will feel his tongue. Wiggle your thumb a little and the horse will open his mouth. When he does, simply lift with your right wrist (again, the one on top of his head) and lift the bit into position. At this point the horse will close his mouth on the bit and hold it while you hold the bridle in place with your right hand. Check to make sure the chinstrap has come into the correct position behind the horse’s chin.

Now, holding the top of the headstall with your right hand, slip your left hand through the headstall and pull his off-side ear (the right one) through, then do the same with the near-side ear, or simply tuck it through with your right thumb. Let the headstall settle into place behind his ears. Adjust the mane and forelock, so that there are no uncomfortable tangles or lumps of hair under the bridle. Now check to make sure the brow band is in place and not covering an eye or bothering his ears. Check the other side of the bridle to make sure the throatlatch has not gotten hung up in the bridle. Now pull the throatlatch under the horse’s throat and buckle it. If the bridle has been used on this horse, or a similarly sized horse in the past, you will likely see a mark on the throatlatch where it has been regularly buckled at the correct position. Use that mark as a reference, but check anyway, to make sure it is not too tight or too loose.

The only purpose of the throatlatch is to keep the bridle from slipping off over the horse’s ears, should it somehow get snagged on something, or in case the horse should try to rub it off on a tree or post. It should not be tight. Check the fit by slipping your fist between the horse’s jaw and the throatlatch, as shown in the photo. Now check to make sure the bridle is sized properly and that the bit is hanging in the right place in the horse’s mouth. If the bit is too high or too low, adjust both sides of the bridle’s cheek pieces until it is right.

The bit should rest between the horse’s gums on the bars between his front and rear teeth. Normally, you will see one or two slight wrinkles in the sides of the horse’s mouth if the bit is in its proper place. A bit that hangs too low can bang against the horse’s front teeth and become uncomfortable. A bit that sits too high can hit the molars, or allow a horse to “get the bit in his teeth”. If that happens, you can lose control of the horse in a hurry (ergo the common phrase relating to a stubborn or out-of-control person). Many horses, particularly geldings, grow “wolf teeth” just in front of their molars that can interfere with the bit and become uncomfortable if it is not in the correct position. Many owners have these teeth removed when the horse is young.

Contrary to uneducated, but common opinion, a bit is not uncomfortable in a horse’s mouth. Even the harshest-looking bit is only harsh when it is used improperly by the rider, when the horse is not trained sufficiently to the bit, or when the horse is disobedient. Many bits are made of “sweet steel” and actually taste good to the horse. Some bits have a “cricket” or roller that the horse can use its tongue to play with. This sometimes calms a horse with a nervous temperament.

Now, to properly un-bridle a horse, simply reverse the process.  First, get a rope or halter around the horse’s neck. Remember, always be in control. Now, unbuckle the throatlatch. Next, put your right hand on top of the poll to ask the horse to lower his head. Now place the right hand and forearm on top of the horse’s head and neck for control. Hook the top of the headstall with your right thumb. Place your left hand under the horse’s mouth. Slip the headstall over the horse’s ears and gently lower the wrist, lowering the bit into your waiting left hand. Be careful not to bang the bit against the horse’s teeth as you lower the bit.

Maintain control of the horse’s head throughout the un-bridling process, as some horses will want to immediately spit the bit out and raise their head. Spit and run! This is a bad habit and should be stopped. If the horse attempts it, simply raise the right wrist and pull the bit back into the horse’s mouth and retain control with your forearm on the neck. Wait until the horse is compliant before removing the bit from its mouth. Removal of the bit should be a reward for good behavior, not for spitting and running.

Watch the video I made on this topic. It will help you understand some of the details above a little better.

How to Bridle a Horse
Hope it helps.