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Step 1
Pick the kind of material that best suits your purpose. Real leather is the most attractive, but it's expensive and harder to care for. Nylon is cheaper, stronger and easy to take care of, but you can't use it for competitions. Synthetic leather combines the look of leather with the ease of care and strength of nylon.
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Step 2
Look at the quality of the hardware, leather and stitching. Choose softer leather that's easier to control. Avoid fancy bridles that follow trends and pick classic, conventional styles to get the best bridle for a lower price.
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Step 3
Choose the color of your bridle. You'll want a bridle that matches your saddle in a color that doesn't clash with the color of your horse. The weight and thickness of the material you choose depends on how your horse is built. Choose fine material if your horse has a dainty head and thick material if your horse has a wider head.
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Step 4
Measure the head of your horse for the headstall from one corner of the mouth to the other. Measure for the brow band from just to the right of the right ear to just past the left ear. Measure for the nose band around the nose so that you can add two fingers under the bone that sticks out on your horse's nose. The nose band affects the bit action and many riders don't use one.
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Step 5
Try one of the new bitless bridles that is painless. With this bridle, horses are nudged over a larger surface area rather than having pain and pressure applied to their sensitive mouths. If you do use a bit, make sure it fits right. A 5-inch bits fit most horses, but to be sure, measure the width of your horse's mouth at the spot where the bit rests and add 1/2-inch. Or you could try a few different bridles on your horse and see if there's 1/4-inch of the bit showing on each side of the mouth. When you find a bit with 1/4-inch showing on each side, take off the bridle, measure the bit and buy that size from your tack shop. You should ask for a snaffle bit. It's the gentlest bit.
