A bridle is an essential piece of your horse riding equipment. Choosing and fitting it perfectly is vital for ensuring a comfortable, healthy and safe ride for you and your horse. Follow this Steed & Style how-to guide with tips for the correct way to measure your horse and ensure a faultless fit.

How to measure for a bridle

Use of a soft tape measure like the kind used for dressmaking is best. It can have inches or centimetre markings. Record each measurement as you go along.

1. Crownpiece (this is the poll piece and check pieces combined)
   Measure the length of crownpiece (with cheek pieces) you require. Measure from one corner of your horse’s mouth, over the poll, to the other corner of his mouth.
2. Browband
   Measure the length of browband you require. Measure from the back edge of the horse’s ear, around his forehead, to the back edge of his other ear.
3. Noseband
   Measure the length of noseband you require. Measure around your horse’s muzzle at a point about one inch below his cheekbones.
4. Throat Latch
   Measure the length of throatlatch you require. Measure from the back of your horse’s ear, under his throat, to the back of his other ear.

Tip: Leather bridle parts may stretch slightly over time with use and conditioning. Factor possible slight stretching into your sizing decision as you select a bridle so that you can be sure it won’t become too big for your horse.

Helpful Tips:

Bear in mind that some bridle manufacturers, particularly German and French makers, produce roomier bridles than others. The difference in size may mean that if you have a horse that fits on the smaller end of full size, you may be able to move down to a cob size. Conversely, if your horse is wavering between full and oversized, you can most likely stick with a full size in a German or French made bridle.

Also, horses themselves present challenges due to breed-specific conformation and for this reason additional bridle pieces are available. For example, many Morgans have short faces that lead one to select a cob size bridle, but their wide foreheads then require a full-sized browband. To accommodate such conformation issues, some manufacturers produce breed-specific bridles.

Steed & Style has a variety of Caldene and Cottage Craft leather bridles and these can be measured to confirm if they are the sizes you are needing.

CHECK OUT OUR BRIDLE SELECTION