How do I put a bridle on a horse?

The editors of My New Horse start by brushing dirt and debris off the horse's head, and Your Horse (a UK magazine writing for pony owners) says to tie the pony with a headcollar on and an adult close by.

Open the bridle up too. Your Horse suggests undoing the noseband and throatlash before you start, so there is nothing to fight with once the bit is in. If you are working with a headstall that has a browband, make sure the straps are not twisted and the buckles are where you expect them.

Then decide where the halter goes. The sources agree on the goal, which is to keep control of his head while it is free, and they differ on the method. My New Horse unbuckles the halter and lets it hang loose behind the poll. Julie Goodnight, writing for EquiSearch as a spokesperson for the Certified Horsemanship Association, unbuckles it, slips it off and refastens it around his neck. Your Horse pushes the headcollar back behind the ears. Pick one, and ask your instructor which they prefer.

Finally, stand on his left side, up by his neck, facing forward. All three sources work from the near side. If your barn has its own rules for tying and untying, follow those, and ask your instructor to watch the first few times.

Here is the order My New Horse gives, with Goodnight's and Your Horse's additions marked.

• Brush his head, untie the halter and take it off or slide it back so his head is free but you stay in control.
• Stand on his left. Rest the reins on his neck (split reins go over the neck too).
• Hold the crownpiece in your right hand and cup the bit in your left. Slide the bridle up his face until the bit touches his lips.
• Ask him to open his mouth (see the next section), then slide the bit between his jaws, taking care not to bang his teeth.
• Lift the crownpiece over his ears, guiding each ear gently under it, and settle it on the bridle path. Square the browband.
• Check that every strap lies flat and nothing is twisted.
• Fasten the throatlatch loosely, then the noseband (pass the ends under the cheekpieces and keep the band straight) and the curb strap if the bridle has one.
• Pull the buckle ends through their keepers so nothing flaps, then undo the cross-ties and bring the reins over his head.

The sources describe the same move with small differences. My New Horse presses gently on the bar of the mouth with the left thumb until he opens, and Your Horse says to press the thumb gently into the corner of his mouth if he will not open. Goodnight keeps her fingers on the mouthpiece, waits for him to open, then raises the headstall so the bit sits high and clear of his teeth.

Goodnight warns that mishandling the teeth, ears or bit can make a horse head-shy and harder to bridle later. That is the reason for the two rules the sources share: no banging the bit against his teeth, and no grabbing at his head.

If you are on a pony or a young horse and the bit will not go in, Your Horse says you may need an adult to help with this step. It is a two-person job for a new rider more often than people admit.

What kind of bit is in the bridle matters to the horse, but not to the steps. If you are not sure what yours is, our bit size page and our snaffle, pelham, gag and hackamore page cover the basics.

That is Goodnight's order: the off-side (right) ear first, then the near-side (left). My New Horse says to guide the ears gently under the crownpiece and to handle the forelock if the bridle has a browband.

Some horses do not like their ears touched. Go slowly. If he pulls his head up out of reach, none of the sources above gives a fix for it. Ask your instructor to show you how they handle a horse that raises his head, and see the section on resistance below.

Once the crownpiece is on, look from the front. The browband should sit across his forehead, and the crownpiece should not be sitting on or squeezing his ears. Your Horse puts it simply: the crown sits behind the ears and the browband lies across the brow.

The sources do not match at the throatlatch, so the table shows each one.

These checks assume the bridle is the right size to begin with. If you cannot get it to fit with the holes available, read our bridle sizes page, and see nosebands explained for what each noseband style is supposed to do.

After you ride, look at his face. My New Horse says to check for rubs and hairless patches. If you find hair loss or a sore spot, ask your vet and have a saddler or bridle fitter look at the bridle.

That is Goodnight's advice in a 2014 column on her own site about a horse that started fighting the bit after his teeth were floated. Her view was that he was afraid of being hurt again, and she says it is always important to rule out a physical or medical problem first.

Her suggested training approach is gentle: go through the motions of bridling without the bridle, and back away the moment he relaxes. She says to avoid grabbing or restraining his head, and that it can take anywhere from an hour to a week. This is her method for one horse in one column. A trainer who can see your horse will give you better advice than any page.

For a pony that is simply reluctant, Your Horse offers the thumb-in-the-corner trick and an adult helper. For anything beyond that, our gentlest bit page explains why the sources say a bit's reputation depends on hands, fit and training as much as on the bit.

None of it is hard, but it is easy to rush. Each line below comes from a step the sources spell out.

• Banging the bit against his teeth (My New Horse, Goodnight).
• Letting the crownpiece catch an ear on the way up (My New Horse, Goodnight).
• A twisted noseband or cheekpiece. Check that everything lies flat (My New Horse).
• A throatlatch you cannot get fingers under. See the table above for the range the sources give.
• Straps left out of their keepers (My New Horse).
• Skipping the face check after the ride for rubs and hairless patches (My New Horse).

Our bridles and reins category lists English bridles and Western headstalls, many sold with reins and some sold without. If you need a halter for the tying part, our halters and leads category has them, and our page on how a halter should fit is the next one to read.

If you are putting together a first kit, our new rider checklist puts the bridle in context. If you hear a word you do not know at the barn, barn words decoded may have it.