LEATHER SPANISH BRIDLE

HOW TO PLACE THE HEADSET
When placing the bridle, the first thing to take into account is the animal's state of mind; he may be calm, making our work much easier; but it is also very likely that he is nervous and raises his head, as if avoiding being "hooked"; it is important to know how to act in any of these situations.

• TO PLACE THE BRIDLE ON A CALM HORSE
  
  • Check that the noseband and stifle are unbuckled
  • Place the buckle of the reins over the headstall and hang the bridle over your left shoulder (making sure the browband is facing out)
  • Stand to the left of the horse. Take the bridle from the block and remove the halter
  • Pass the reins over the horse's head, holding them at the neck while you remove the bridle. Hang up the bridle after removing it, otherwise the horse may become entangled in it
  • Take the bridle, holding it by the headstall with the right hand and letting the bit rest in the left hand or vice versa, whichever is easier for you
  • Bring the bit close to the horse's lips and insert your thumb in the corner of its mouth, which will force it to open its mouth
  • As soon as the animal opens its mouth, gently insert the bit, while lifting the bridle towards the ears
  • Once the bridle is in the horse's mouth, you can use your left hand to gently pass the bridle over the horse's ears
  • Adjust the noseband and the stifle
• HEADSETTING AN UNCONCERNED HORSE
  It will undoubtedly be much more difficult to headstall a horse that is restless and raises its head. If this is your case, we recommend that you follow the steps below:
  • Check that the noseband and stifle are unbuckled
  • Place the buckle of the reins on the headstall and hang the bridle on his left shoulder (making sure that the browband is facing outwards)
  • Stand to the left of the horse. Take the bridle from the stable and remove the halter
  • Pass the reins over the horse's head, holding them at the neck while you remove the bridle. Hang up the bridle after removing it, as otherwise the horse may become entangled in the bridle
  • Hold the bridle with your left hand. Pass your right arm under the horse's jaw and around his head, holding it with your hand
  • Hold the uprights with your right hand while still holding the horse's head, so that he cannot lift his head
  • Use your thumb to open the mouth and introduce the mouthpiece, while you raise the bridle towards the ears. At all times you should keep your hand on the horse's head so that he cannot lift it
  • When you have the bridle in the mouth, you can use your left hand to gently pass the bridle over the horse's ears
  • Adjust the noseband and the stifle
  ADJUSTING THE HEADSETOnce we have managed to place the bridle on the horse, it must be adjusted correctly, to ensure maximum safety and comfort.
  Check each element of the bridle one by one:
  • Cheeks: keep in mind that shortening or lengthening them will modify the position of the bit
  • Headstall: it should rest on the nape of the horse's neck. The saddles should be buckled on both sides of the headstall, at the same height and just above the eyes
  • Frontalera: it should be low enough so that it does not rub the horse's ears. Once it has been fastened, there should be enough slack to allow the toes to pass through comfortably. Keep in mind that if it is too long, it will move backwards and if it is too short, it will press on the base of the ears, causing pinching and rubbing
  • Stifle: once adjusted, it should make enough room to allow your hand to pass between it and the horse's jaw. If it is too tight, it will make breathing difficult when the horse's head and neck are lowered
  • Noseband: after adjustment, there should be enough space to pass two fingers between the noseband and the jaw. It should be at a height of approximately 2.5 cm below the cheek bone
  • If the horse is to be bridled or led at the rope, the reins should be crossed and buckled around the neck

The bridle is the framework of straps that is placed on the horse's head and through it we guide the horse by means of the orders we give with the reins.
In general, bridles are made of leather, but there are also cheaper models made of nylon or synthetic materials with special characteristics, as in the case of Raid bridles.
TYPES OF HEADRIDES

• Stable bridles: Quite simple and easy to use, since the usual use is to lead the horse by the hand and tie him up. The most common material is nylon or leather.
• Bridles made of leather last longer, but their price is higher compared to those made of nylon, which are of lesser quality.
• Bridles for roping: Used by riders in exercises in which they stand on the ground directing the horse.
• They are provided with a serretta, which is a leather part located above the nose, usually made of a stronger type of leather and accompanied by one or more rings at the top of the same to be able to hook the rope.
• Riding bridles: The usual ones in the disciplines of dressage or show jumping.
• They are made up of exactly all the parts of the rope bridle.
• Cowboy bridles: Very similar to the riding bridles, with the inclusion of a mosquero, which are leather strips placed over the forehead to scare flies away from the horse's eyes. Their use is mainly focused on the discipline of cowboy dressage.
Embroidered bridles: These are those with embroidery and ornamentation to adorn the horse, whether in morphological competitions, harnessing or for horse fairs.

PARTS OF A HEADSET

• Frontalera
• Stifle: it is knotted at the height of the horse's jaw, and it must be possible to pass a hand between the stifle and the horse's jaw.
• Muserola: although it is not necessary for the bridle to have it, it is recommended.
• Muzzle: the muzzle is the part of the bridle located inside the horse's mouth, it is the part in which they can give bites. There are several types;
  • The fillets are divided into two parts, while the bit is a single piece.
  • Bits are harder for the horse's mouth, so be careful not to pull hard on the reins.
  • Pelhams are a variant of bit for horses that do not follow the fillet, but they are not very precise and should be used by experienced riders.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT SIZE
Choosing the right size for our horse is an essential factor, although in many cases this factor is not taken into account.
We should know that there are several sizes for each bridle, although the most common is the FULL or STANDARD size.
Sizes are generally divided into the following categories, assigned in some cases to horse breeds. Although it is not a fixed rule since this can vary according to the line of the horse:

• FOAL (foal) = very small head
• COB (Arabian horse)= small and very fine head
• FULL (standard) = Arabian, PSI, Anglo Arabian, Central European type head but with a thin head
• XL (extra large)= French Saddle, Hanoverian, and all the wide-headed Central European lines.

It will be convenient to confirm that it is the correct size for the head of our horse and where you can best check is in the browband, because both the noseband and the stifle are adjustable and does not mark us if it is the correct size but the browband leaves us no doubt.
Therefore we must look at the following: If we can not insert 2 fingers in the frontalera is that the headstall is small and will be pushing the ears forward making the horse feel uncomfortable and may even show some sign of protest that we have not appreciated.