Size Guides

Select a width which is appropriate for your dog. For the length measurement, please measure around your dog’s neck where the collar would naturally sit. You should be able to fit two fingers easily beneath the tape . Alternatively, if you have an existing collar, measure from the hole you would usually use to fasten the collar, to the end of the strap at the buckle end (do not include the buckle). When your collar is made, this measurement will determine the distance from the base of the buckle to the centre hole. This means that you have a little bit of adjustment if your dog gains or loses weight, or if you need to use the collar on a different dog. If you need any help measuring your dog, please get in touch via the contact button above and we will be happy to advise.

The buckles on the cheek pieces should sit in line with or just below the horse’s eye. If you use different bits for different disciplines, you will benefit from having spare cheek pieces in different sizes so that you can swap the bit without compromising the overall fit of your bridle.

The point where the headpiece separates into two straps should sit so that it is hidden by the browband. The straps for the cheek pieces should be long enough that the middle hole is in line with or just below the horse’s eye. The headpiece itself should not be so wide that it rubs the back of the horse’s ears. An anatomical headpiece must be the correct shape for the horse’s head, giving good clearance behind the ears in order for your horse to feel any benefit. It is recommended that you book a fitting for this.

The browband should not be so tight as to pull the headpiece forward into the horse’s ears, nor should it be so long as to bounce up and down on the horse’s face whilst the horse is working. Aim to be able to fit two fingers comfortably underneath it at the front without it pulling against the bridle.

The loops on the browband must be the correct size for the width of the headpiece to pass through it. Too big and the browband will slip down; too tight and it may damage the straps on the headpiece.

Some horses may benefit from a browband which is tapered to a thinner width at the loops to avoid rubbing the top of the TMJ and/or base of the ears.

Like the browband, your noseband - irrespective of style - should be neither too tight, nor too loose and you should be able to fit two fingers comfortably beneath the strap at the front. To determine how far up or down the noseband should sit on the horse’s face, you should be able to place two fingers between the top of a cavesson and the facial crest (the bony protrusion at the bottom of the horse’s cheek). If you are using a grackle, the straps should not lay directly over this crest. Nosebands that are fitted too low can damage the soft tissue and thin bone structures of the horse’s nose. If in doubt, ask your saddler or bridle fitter.

The headstrap on your noseband should not interfere with the cheekpieces. If you use a curb or leverage bit (e.g. a Pelham, universal, dutch gag, etc.), your cheekpieces should buckle to the strap in front of the headstrap on your noseband. If you use a snaffle (e.g. loose ring, eggbutt, etc), the cheekpieces should buckle to the strap behind the headstrap. Aim to have the buckles on the headstrap in line with those on the cheekpieces.

This should never be done up tight. It must be loose enough to allow free movement of the horse’s head and jaw. It is a myth that a tight throat lash (or, heaven forbid, one with a knot in it) will prevent a bridle coming off in the event of a fall. The buckles will ideally do up in line with the buckles on the cheekpieces and noseband.

Your reins should be long enough that your horse can stretch down without pulling you out of the saddle, but not so long that when the horse is working in a correct outline, the loop of rein at your hands is long enough to risk getting your foot caught in it.