okay so I'm going to strip clean this
bridle it's been used quite a bit so
it's important to make sure that it gets
stripped cleaned so that when I strip
clean it it gives me a really good
opportunity to check safety points and
if you do your bridle on a regular basis
like I am here undoing all of these
buckles the tight ones that we can get
sometimes around by the reins where they
attach to the bit and also on the cheek
piece then it helps us to keep the
leather nice and subtle I'm putting the
bit into some hot water and I'm going to
allow that to soak and that way that
also will help me to make sure any bits
of grease come off it okay so I next
need to check all of the buckles and
have a quick look and make sure I
remember where the holes are so that
when I put the Bible back together
especially if the vials being worn by
other horses I make sure that I put them
all on the right hole so first of all as
I undo it I'd give it a good clean
making sure that with my damp sponge
again having used warm water
I'm really getting in on these parts of
the leather where they Bend where the
bit goes to make sure that I try and
move as much grease as I can
now when I do this one of the things
that is always a little bit strange is
that when we clean tack we use saddle
soap as well and oddly enough we don't
actually use the soap to clean we use
the soap to help keep the leather supple
the flash strap I'm doing now and again
this is another important step because
you can get a lot of grass and grease
around where the buckle lives and where
it is when it's done up by the horse's
lips or chin area it can get really sore
so doing the nose band quickly now and I
try and always remember to make sure I
do it in a sort of order so it's sort of
quicker for me to assemble again making
sure that we give a really good
to all of the parts that are going to be
in contact with the horse's coat and as
we're doing it just keeping an eye out
for us the buckles to make sure that
stitching is secure on the buckles and
the little bits of leather known as
keepers are also secured so we're nearly
there I need to get the bit out because
obviously that's been soaking quite a
while now and I need to make sure that's
got time to dry or I find a cloth to
make sure that I can dry the bit
properly I'll get that now so we're
going to just let the bit drip for a
moment the rains again is really
important making sure that I'm checking
the buckle where the rains actually
under in the middle as well as making
sure I'm not forgetting these attachment
points for the bit and where these are
rubber rains it's important to also just
make sure that the rubber itself has got
a bit of grip because the grip can wear
and you just give those a simple rub
with them being bubble we don't put soap
on the rubber it's not needed okay
that's the clean bridle I'm then going
to use soap and there are many different
types of saddle soap and this is the
part where bizarrely enough we use the
soap to actually keep the leather
mcstuffles rather than clean it so on to
the part where using the saddle soap on
the sponge to make sure the leathers
nice and supple and I find it can be
useful to imagine that you're building
the bridle on to an imaginary horse so
hanging it on the hook can really help
so the browband gets fed through the
headpieces
and that just slides on and then i get
the cheap pieces and i make sure to put
lots of soap again not too much soap so
it goes also me in those areas that can
become quite hard and dry and then
importantly we need to fit the cheap
pieces on to the fourth hole as that's
where they were when we took the bridle
apart
so both cheek pieces on and making sure
that when the cheek pieces get done up
that the leather goes through the
keepers onto the fourth hole and just
can't seem to check that it's in the
right place this will help a bit be more
even in the horse's mouth so the next
it's the nose band and just making sure
that there's not too much soap on the
sponge and also importantly that sponge
isn't too wet otherwise I'll end up with
a foam covered bridle as we fit the nose
band again we slide up under the brow
under the headpiece through the brow
band and do the buckles up and this time
it was on the sixth hole two four six to
make sure this will be in the right
place all tucked in and secured
so the next part is fitting the bit to
the bridle and when we do this we need
to think about how the bits going to fit
in the horse's mouth so easy to get it
the wrong way round this is a snaffle
bitters and that cracker action so it
opens and closes and if we have it what
those back to front it doesn't work so
well and that'd be really uncomfortable
for the horse
so almost imagined you are the horse and
that will help you look at the bit and
try and decide whether you've got it the
right way round so you then have the
correct action and look at the shape of
the bit so we pop the bit back on and we
press down sometimes quite firmly with
your thumb to make sure the billets in
properly to the leather and the billets
on this bridle to the inside so they
were like lows to the horse's face if
this Bible had buckles then obviously
that would be the other way around and
the buckles would appear on the outside
so next is the flash straps and again
this needs to have lots of so sonic to
make sure that it's nice and soft where
it's positioned when it's done up on the
horse it's a sensitive area so we need
to make sure that it's all subtle and
soft and that comes round simply goes
through the nose band and then the reins
so for the reins again making sure that
we've got lots of soap in those fits
with your leather where they can get
just that little bit hard a little bit
stiff if they're not kept supple and we
attach those in the same way pressing
down making sure that the billets secure
and then remembering that we don't
actually soaps or the other path to the
rains obviously that would just make
them very slippy and we don't need to do
that making sure that we haven't
forgotten the middle part of the rains
where there's the buckle get that done
up and making sure that it's safely in
its keeper so that is the bridle all
clean and fit and ready for use and then
it's important to and sort of think
whatever works for you to hang the
bridle up the main thing is about it
being neat and tidy so that you can see
quite easy that it's fit it's clean and
it's ready for use
and just sorting out all these last
buckles and straps making sure they're
secure will help you know make it less
likely that you're going to lose straps
if the bridles moved from place to place
or ask anything dropping off