SARAH: Hi, I'm Sarah from SmartPak.
And today we're going to be talking about assembling Western bridles.
As you can see here, we have a lot of different options when it comes to choosing a Western
bridle. One of the primary differences is how the headstall is put together. In this
example you see, we have the Rockin' SP Single Ear Headstall, which has just one ear piece,
versus the Rockin' SP Browband Headstall, which has a full browband across the top.
Another common difference is the types of closures that you see on the different pieces
of tack. As you can see with this example, this headstall has a tie end, whereas the
browband headstall has a buckle end. The main difference between the two closures is really
personal preference on how quickly you want to be able to change them out. If you have
a headstall that fits your horse really well, but you like to change your bits frequently,
the buckle end might be a more convenient option for you for those quicker changes.
Both the single ear and browband Rockin' SP headstalls come with the tie end or buckle
end options.
Just like the headstalls, different reins have different closures based on your personal
preference. The Rockin' SP Split Reins come in a tie end or buckle end option. And the
Rockin' SP Laced Barrel Reins come with a convenient quick snap closure. These reins
feature Conway Buckles at both ends, which allow for some adjustability, as well as snaps
at the ends for easy on and off.
Now that you're familiar with all the pieces and options, let's start putting a bridle
together. We'll start with the Rockin' SP Single Ear Headstall with the tie end. And
we take our headstall and we set it to the side, and the next piece is our bit.
One of the most common misconceptions is that bits can go in either way, but there actually
is a frontwards and a backwards, and so you can put your horse's bit in backwards by mistake.
Fortunately, it's really easy to tell which way the bit should be facing. When you take
your bit, you look straight down from the top and you should be able to see a gentle
curve in the mouthpiece. You want that curve to bend outwards, so it's pointing out of
your horse's mouth.
Once you know which way your bit is facing, you start with one end of your headstall,
pass the leather through,
and then simply tie your ends closed. There are different ways you can tie the ends, and
often it's just a matter of personal preference. You can use this simple knot, or you could
double-knot it for a little more security.
Once you have the first side securely tied, you move on to the other side of the headstall.
You pass the leather through, and you tie that side, as well. It's important when you're
feeding the leather through the top portion of the bit that you make sure that you don't
have any twists in your headstall. If you had left this around the barn, and it had
gotten a flip in it, you could tie your bit on without even noticing and then when you
go to put it on your horse, realize that he has a very unhappy expression on his face.
So you want to make sure once you tie the first end on that you lay your headstall out
flat and make sure that you don't have any twists or turns. Then you feed the leather
through, and you tie that side, as well.
In addition to making sure that your headstall doesn't get flipped or twisted, you want to
make sure that the shanks of your bit aren't flipping over as you're tying them. Your shanks
should always bend towards the back.
Now that you have your headstall attached to your bit, it's time to move on to your
reins.
We're going to be using the Rockin' SP Split End Reins. So, they have the tie
end just like our headstall did, and that's really helpful because you can take a look
at the headstall and you can see that the tie ends end with the tie on the outside.
You want to do the exact same thing when you attach your reins. You feed the leather through,
and then you tie it off.
And you can always double check your work making sure that your reins match your headstall.
As you're tying the reins on, you might notice that sometimes the holes, especially on new
reins, are a little bit small, and the ties can have a little bit of a hard time going
through. Sometimes holding just below the leather and twisting can actually help feed
that through a little bit easier for you. And if you've had your bridle for quite some
time and your ties are starting to wear out, we do sell replacement ties at SmartPak.com.
Because we're using a shank bit, there's one last step to finishing off this bridle and
that's adding the curb chain.
Just like we did with the tie ends on the headstall and the reins, we want to make sure
that the enclosure on the curb chain faces out. So we feed the leather through, buckle
our curb chain closed and feed it through the keeper.
As you attach your curb chain to the other side of the bit, you want to make sure that
all of the links of the chain are lying flat - that you don't have any twisting
or anything that's getting caught up.
When you are first putting it on, you'll want to attach it loosely and then adjust it, so
it fits comfortably on your horse.
And just like that, you're done.
Now we're going to put together the Rockin' SP Browband Headstall, and we're going to
be using a snaffle bit this time.
On the browband headstall, as you remember, we have the buckle
ends, so that's going to make putting on the bit quite a bit easier - pun intended.
For the bit, just like we had with the shank bit, you will be able to see the correct curve
in the snaffle and make sure that you have a bit that points out. Snaffle bits are also
really nice to be able to check with, because when they point out, the two mouth pieces
actually lie flat against each other. If you fold them inward, they won't quite lie flat
because of the natural bend of the mouthpiece.
As you're attaching your snaffle to your buckle end, you can feed it through, buckle it closed,
and back through. On the other side,
you make sure that your snaffle bit is not twisted,
feed your leather through, and buckle it closed. Much quicker to put a bit on and off with
a buckle end versus a tie end.
If you thought that was fast, wait until you see us put on the Rockin' SP Laced Barrel
Reins. With their quick clip closure, all you have to do is make sure that the correct
finished portion of the leather is facing out and clip it on.
Then you want to make sure that you don't have any twists in your reins, so you feed
them through evenly,
and you can attach the other side.
And just like that, your bridle is assembled.
These are just some examples of assembled bridles that we put together, but keep in
mind that you can mix and match headstalls, bits, and reins to suit your horse's individual
needs and your personal preferences.
When you go to try your new bridle on your horse, keep in mind that bridles are fully
adjustable for a reason. You should be able to fit your new bridle to your horse's individual
shape. When you put it on, you might want to start with it a little bit bigger than
it looks like it should be, so that that way it's definitely not going to be too tight
when you first fit it. Also keep in mind that your ear pieces and your browbands can move
up and down, so you don't want to have any unpleasant pinching that could make things
difficult for your horse and make riding unpleasant. Definitely make sure that you adjust it to
a place that is comfortable for him, and you'll both enjoy your ride.
I hope this has been helpful. Don't forget, you can buy all the products you saw today,
as well as more Western tack and apparel, at SmartPak.com. #haveagreatride