The complete Zilco driving bridle, the benchmark of modern driving: soft synthetic material, easy care — simply rinse with water; unaffected by rain and mud, unlike leather which needs greasing after every wet outing. Available with blinkers (the classic choice for the driving horse: blinkers cut off rear vision and focus attention on the road ahead) or without blinkers for experienced horses and pleasure driving. In horse and draft sizes, adjustable to every head shape. Sold without bit, black.
A well-fitted bridle is 90% of the horse's comfort: follow our guide.
How to fit your driving bridle:
When fitting the bridle for the first time, assemble it loosely and attach a bit.
The very first step is to adjust the height of the blinkers via the buckle at the top of the cheek piece, so that the eyes sit in the centre of the blinkers, where the cup is most curved, keeping them well clear of the eyes.
Then set the bit height via the lower cheek-piece buckle, so that the bit sits correctly in the corner of the mouth. Next, the blinker straps can be shaped and adjusted to fit the horse's head. Shape them so that the blinkers stand well away from the eyes and look properly in place. The blinker straps normally sit under the browband, and their length is adjusted via the small buckle at the centre of the headpiece.
Then fasten the noseband and the throatlash. The noseband must be tight enough to prevent the cheek pieces from pulling outwards when the reins act on the bit, but not so tight as to prevent the horse from flexing its jaw to swallow and salivate freely. Being able to slide two fingers between the nose and the noseband is a good guide. The drop noseband, supplied on separate order, is adjusted according to the same recommendations.
The throatlash needs to be tighter than on a riding bridle, because it is essential that the bridle cannot accidentally slip over the ears. But it must still allow the horse to swallow and flex its jaw, including when flexing at the poll. If in doubt, apply pressure to the nose to check that the throatlash does not interfere when the neck flexes.
Check the browband, especially just behind the ears. Driving horses must be able to swivel their ears comfortably in order to hear the driver's verbal instructions from behind. The browband must therefore not interfere with or restrict the ears in any way. Horses with a broad forehead or a thick forelock sometimes need a larger browband for extra room.
