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Your bridle comes in lots of pieces; each one can be adjusted to make a good fit for your horse. If your horse have a very small face, like an Arabian, you might want to find a smaller size than the horse size. Most bridles come in Cobb (pony), Arabian (for western), Horse, and Warmblood. It is good to use someone else's bridles to see what will fit your horse well. The sizes are normally standard, and sometimes a leather punch can help you fit it better.
When you have determined the size and have gotten your bridle, you need to approximate the bit and cheek piece adjustment before putting on the bridle. You can do this two ways. First, you can just hold the bridle to your horse's head and fuss with it until the bridle matches the length from the poll to the corner of his mouth. The other way, you can place the bridle over his head, adjust the cheek piece on one side, leaving the other unattached to the bit. When you have gotten to a good place, you can open your horse's mouth, and slid the bit though. Attach it fairly low, and make sure that both sides are evenly adjusted when you make your fit. You want to see one to two wrinkles in the corners of the horse's mouth. The bit is designed to be slightly lower than where it meets the side of his mouth, especially snaffle bits; so if it is too low, the bit might hit his teeth, or have too much movement in his mouth. This can be very painful for him.
Pull the sides of the bit out away from the horse's mouth. Is there a lot of room between the corners of his mouth and the bit? If so, your bit is too big. You want the distance to be minimal, less than a centimeter, possibly a half to a quarter centimeter. For a large horse, a good place to start with sizing a bit is 5 ΒΌ", but sometimes their mouths are much smaller and demand 5" bits. If you think your bit will pinch the horse, it is probably too small, or it might require some cheek protection. Ask your saddler to assist you in finding the perfect fit for this bit.
When you have found a good place for the bit and cheek pieces, move on to fitting the caveson. You should always bridle and unbridle your horse with this unattached; you will risk the horse panicking if he is unable to open his moth to drop the bit or accept it. You want the horizontal nosepiece to fit approximately two fingers, or slightly more, below his jawbone and the top line of the caveson. When adjusting the back buckle to tighten the caveson, do not clamp his mouth! You want to be able to have two fingers fit between the jaw and the caveson. This will allow the horse to softly chew on his bit, and let him breath during exercise. Otherwise, you are compromising his relaxation if it is too tight.
Look at the whole bridle. Does the brow piece sit flush to his forehead? Does it pinch his ears? You want the brow to rest evenly against his skin and not pinch any part of his head. This could make a very painful exercise and lead to head shyness. Adjust the throatlatch underneath the point where his neck meets his jaw. You want three to four fingers (vertically) to fit between the skin and the leather. There is a lot of movement in this area, and it needs to be loose; otherwise you risk choking the horse. Check to see that your reins reach his withers and beyond. Make sure you have a good fit before you decide to work your horse in this equipment.
A new bridle is always stiff. Neatsfoot oil is a great suppler, but I would only use it once or twice. It tends to rot the stitching after time and continual use. I suggest for the first couple of uses, cleaning your bridle completely and conditioning it twice. Good luck!
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