Bridle

For other uses, see Bridle (disambiguation).
A hunt seat style English bridle
Western show bridle

A bridle is a piece of equipment used to direct a horse. As defined in the Oxford English Dictionary, the "bridle" includes both the headstall that holds a bit that goes in the mouth of a horse, and the reins that are attached to the bit. It provides additional control and communication through rein pressure (Oxford English Dictionary, n.d., para. 1).

Headgear without a bit that uses a noseband to control a horse is called a hackamore, or, in some areas, a bitless bridle. There are many different designs with many different name variations, but all use a noseband that is designed to exert pressure on sensitive areas of the animal's face to provide direction and control.

The bridle was devised by Indo-European herders of the Pontic-Caspian steppes to control horses between 3000 BC and 2000 BC.[1][2]

  1. ^ Bayarsaikhan, Jamsranjav; Turbat, Tsagaan; Bayandelger, Chinbold; Tuvshinjargal, Tumurbaatar; Wang, Juan; Chechushkov, Igor; Uetsuki, Manabu; Isahaya, Naoto; Hudson, Mark; Shiraishi, Noriyuki; Li, Yue; Zhang, Chengrui; Eregzen, Gelegdorj; Caspari, Gino; López-Calle, Paula (2024). "The origins of saddles and riding technology in East Asia: discoveries from the Mongolian Altai". Antiquity. 98 (397): 102–118. doi:10.15184/aqy.2023.172. ISSN 0003-598X.
  2. ^ "The Indoeuropeans, Horse and Bridle in the Bronze Age | Stratum Journal". www.e-anthropology.com. Retrieved 2024-09-25.