The war bridle: relationship-builder or nasty bit?

War bridles are often seen as an aspirational piece of tack: something that represents and can only be used when there is a high level of trust and communication between horse and rider. But is this true, and how does this tack actually work?

As with a lot of non-traditional tack, the definition of what a war bridle is has changed over time, moving away from the original thanks largely to a lack of specificity in how the term has been used. In this post we'll look at the evolution of this equipment over time and consider how ethical it is to use today.

The original war bridle

The historic war bridle was primarily used for handling a horse from the ground and was formed of an abrasive rope passing through the mouth in a range of positions. This was not a tool for light or refined use. It is explicitly described as being used to subdue and dominate horses quickly during their initial handling training, with handlers using high levels of pressure that was passed to the most sensitive parts of the horse's mouth.

In Dennis Magner's 1887 book The Art of Taming and Educating the Horse, the author describes this equipment has having originated in a "very limited and crude" form "from the Comanche Indians". While this citation may not be particularly precise, we can infer that the tack's basic form originated with the Comanche Nation (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) or from the wider Shoshone (Newe) culture – of which the Comanche were once part – based in the southern central United States.

Two of Magner's many 'forms' of early war bridle, as illustrated in The Art of Taming and Educating the Horse. Note the difference in rope placement between the forms, particularly around the horse's mouth and lips.

Magner was – at least by his own claims – instrumental in developing these forms of war bridle from the very first type used by Comanche people, and were "the result of over twenty years' constant practice". The training methods employed alongside the use of this equipment were what today we would recognise as flooding, shutdown and compliance to avoid pain, but were at the time seen as highly effective methods of rapidly subduing and 'breaking' a horse.

The idea of war bridles having originated (and being typically used by) native American people has persisted into the modern day, even if it is not entirely accurate. Native people did appear to use a rope bridleless bit for riding as well as handling, but this was far from standard tack. A huge range of bridlery is documented as being used, including typical 'Western' bridles, neckropes/cordeos as well as truly bridleless.

The modern war bridle

The modern war bridle is a bridleless bit, though it superficially does not resemble any kind of traditional bit most riders would be familiar with. A bridleless bit comprises a strap (usually made of leather or rope) that passes in a loop through the horse's mouth and fastens around their lower jaw. In a direct reining (English) style bridleless bit, rings to either side of the horse's mouth provide connection points for the reins. In an indirect reining (Western) style bridleless bit, the reins both join to a point under the horse's jaw.

Functionally, this means that all the rein pressure from the rider's hands is placed on the inside of the horse's mouth, with no support or pressure dispersal anywhere else on the horse's head. The fixing of the strap around the lower jaw provides constant pressure around that area.

Should bridleless bits be used?

While they superficially represent (and are often marketed as) a move towards kinder tack for our horses, bridleless bits are anything but. The modern type may be an improvement on Magner's original cruel designs, but it is still the product of a fundamentally flawed route: that we should be applying pressure to the fine and highly sensitive internal anatomy of the horse's mouth in order to direct the animal.

As equestrians, we have a duty and responsibility of care to our horses to choose what is most comfortable for them. And in today's world, that no longer means pulling around on the inside of their mouth, regardless of how 'lightly' or 'naturally' we can claim to do so.