Bridle and/or bit fitting consultation

Really learn to understand and adapt to leaning problems!

Irene is a certified “ Professional Bridle Fitter ” (bridle is the English word for headstall) of the PBF.
She is also a certified bit fitter from the ICPBC (International College for Professional Bitfit Consultants).

To understand why some bridles and bits work and others don't for each individual horse, Much attention is paid to anatomy. A well-fitting bridle and bit are just as important for a horse as a well-fitting saddle.

Did you know, for example, that many muscles attach under your bridle? For example, several muscles allow your horse to bend laterally, but also the back strap attaches under the headstall. A poorly fitting bridle can therefore cause numerous problems that affect the horse's entire body.

From the hyoid bone, a muscle runs directly to the shoulder on both the left and right sides, and another muscle runs directly from the hyoid bone to the sternum. You can imagine that an improperly fitting bit can cause enormous pressure on the hyoid bone. This pressure incorrectly loads the muscles that run to the shoulder and sternum. This can cause the horse to move less freely from the shoulders or to move "into the chest." When moving "into the chest," the horse pushes its back away and leans its chest forward. Because the back is pushed away, the hind leg cannot properly step under the weight. This already indicates that an improperly fitting bit can affect the entire horse's body.

During a bridle and/or bit fitting consultation, we first perform a static examination of the horse. We pay attention to various anatomical features of your horse that are important for choosing the right bridle or bit. We also examine the reflexes, symmetry, and mobility of muscles and joints. We also perform a static examination of the horse's own bridle and bit.

After reviewing the various findings, we naturally also examine the horse under saddle. A static check already provides a lot of information, but the additional biomechanical information gained while riding is essential.

Your horse's training status and the resulting shift in balance influence the choice of bridle and bit. Stability always comes at the expense of flexibility, and vice versa. For example, we might make a different choice for a young horse than for an older one. A young horse often lacks balance and stability. By choosing a bridle and bit, we can give that horse more stability. When that same horse is further along in its training and has sufficient natural balance, it's desirable to give it more flexibility for lateral movements, for example, and we'll make a different choice for the bridle and bit. Naturally, the rider's level, experience, and riding style also influence this.

The costs for a bridle consultation are €75.
A bridle consultation can be arranged either at our premises (20x60 outdoor arena) or on location.
For distances greater than 10 km from our shop, we charge a call-out fee of €1.50 per km based on the outward journey (via Google Maps). For multiple consultations at the same stable, the call-out fee can be divided by the number of participants.

A bridle and/or bit fitting consultation takes about an hour and a half, so please keep this in mind when scheduling an appointment. Please have your horse ready when we arrive. It should be clean, but not saddled. And make sure you have all your riding gear ready so we can start riding your horse right after the assessment and a feel-out.

You can also come to us for fitting bitless bridles!