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	English Dragoon Bridle The English Dragoon Bridle's headstall is the result of years both of research and trying to fit a variety of horses. Bridles produced for military service were almost without exception made as double bridles, having a bit for service and a bradoon or smaller snaffle for leading, watering, or linking horses together to dismount. This bridle is based largely on Morier portraits, but technical descriptions come from Hinde's and Pembroke's manual as well. While the headstall's structure with a crown, throat lash, brow, cheeks, and a noseband seem simple enough, the bridle was put together quite differently for service. Typically the throatlash and brow were buckled onto the bradoon turning it into a bridle in its own right. This left the bit with the noseband, cheeks, and crown. The bradoon was put on the horse first and the bit, with the few minimal parts of the headstall, was put on over that. This saved some of the bulk of having two separate bridles on the horse at once, while keeping the same silhouette. This practice also removed the difficulty of trying to bridle a horse with two bits at once. When untacking or watering the horse the bit could be removed to allow the horse to stretch, eat, and drink, while still being held by the bradoon. When riding, a dragoon secured the bradoon rein to his saddle, commonly strapped to the holsters often with the leadline of the linking collar. The horse was then ridden using the very sensitive bit, riding with two sets of reins in the hand doesn't seem to be a military practice until later in the 19th century. This English Dragoon bridle with bradoon shows up by the turn of the 18th century, but the style of the headstall and reins goes back another century. The early light dragoon regiments in the Seven-Years War show up using extra-light versions of this standard dragoon bridle, but all images by the 1770's show the old standard of straps and buckles back in use again for light dragoons. The headstall and reins are sold separately, given that these two parts often wear out at different rates. The bradoon strap and bradoon reins are made to be stitched to the actual bradoon, or small snaffle bit for that purpose. The bits are sold separately. These reproductions of the headstall, reins, and bradoon are finely hand-stitched with hand-twisted cord. All the buckles are hand-forged and the leather is supple English bridle. The same basic pattern remains in use for heavy dragoons through the Napoleonic wars, but in London tan leather with brass hardware. English Dragoon Bridle Headstall: $150 English Dragoon Reins: $50 English Dragoon Bradoon Bridle: $75 1776 Hussar Bridle The 1776 Hussar Bridle is the same basic dimensions, but slightly different in structure than typical French bridle headstalls at the time. This includes the earlier 'fly-swatter' tassels of strips of leather in the Hungarian style. As with so much hussar equipment at that time, this is a transitional period in hussar bridles, too. By 1779 images start to show the familiar straps forming an X between the brow and noseband, as typical in the 19th century. Unusual for the 18th century, hussar bridles generally appear with only a service bit. Bradoons start to enter Hussar use with the 1786 regulations. 18th century Hussar reins are also a slightly different pattern than those for dragoons of cavalry, but lack braided whip-like end typical by the end of the century. These later features are available to for this bridle. 1776 Hussar Bridle: $180 1776 Hussar Reins: $50 English Hunting Bridles English Hunting Bridles by fashion were intended to appear practically the opposite of military bridles during most of the 18th century. Dragoon bridles had lots of buckles for adjustment, so civilian bridles had one or none. Dragoon bridles had nosebands, hunting bridles had none. Dragoon bridles were decoratively creased at the edges, hunting bridles weren't. Perhaps the oddest difference was in terms of stitching. Dragoon bridles had rows of stitching placed parallel to the direction of tension for the greatest strength, while civilian hunting bridles had multiple rows of stitching perpendicular to the tension on the leather. All these details would be hard to believe if they weren't so unequivocally documented in life size portraits by George Stubbs, Thomas Gooch, and Francis Sartorious, to name a few. English gentlemen made a conscious effort to make riding a modern leisure activity, as opposed to an extension of military training which it had been in the 17th century and they considered it to be on the continent of Europe. Accordingly, fashion pushed for very un-military riding tack. While no originals survive, my English hunting bridles are made practically stitch for stitch to the original paintings, which are literally life-size. As in the period, I make them custom to each horse with the bit stitched directly to the bridle and reins. One small buckle allows for adjustment for the bulk of winter and summer fur. One small buckle closes the throat lash and the bridles can have decorative silk ribbon in colors of your choice wrapped on the brow band as was typical in civilian bridles. Both snaffle and pelham versions of this bridle are available, with hand-forged bits of these two types coming soon. English Hunting Pelham Bridle with Double Reins: $121.50 English Hunting Snaffle Bridle with Reins: $105.87 1812 Militia Bridle In the new armed forces of the United States, all the saddlery for mounted officers and militia light dragoons was privately purchased by the wealthy gentlemen who filled these posts. In this growing industrial country some of this equipment was very elaborate and ornate, often outshining the English and European saddlery they referenced. Hussar elements like X straps over the nose, rosettes, and metals studs show up on the couple original Federalist bridles I've examined intact. This particular American hussar-styled bridle is based on a portrait of Andrew Jackson and matches very closely a bridle diagram from a contemporary cavalry and light infantry manual. Excepting the leather rosettes and X straps, this is a fairly standard American military double bridle. It's hand-stitched in London tan English bridle leather with brass buckles and keeper loops. 1812 Militia Bridle with Reins: $260 Jacob Brown Bridle The Jacob Brown Bridle is among the more ornate bridles surviving from the War of 1812. The cheeks, noseband, and X straps were covered in gold-washed lead-filled studs in addition to the gold-washed buckles on the original bridle. Gold-washed eagle rosettes sat at the corners on the brow, and at the center of the X straps over the nose. Instead of buckling cheeks into the crown, the cheeks and crown are all cut as one large piece. The cheeks actually adjust upon themselves where they return from the bit. While it's a strange feature from a modern perspective, this seems to be common feature on early 19th century American military bridles. My reproduction copied the original bridle stitch for stitch in English bridle leather. I even had rosettes cast off the original bridle. The buckles are indistinguishable from the original buckles. All this hardware was silver-plated to match the silver lace of the officer's impression of the customer who commissioned it. The basic bridle comes with brass studs, but gold or silver plating, and the rosettes are extra. The original bridle was for a very large head-headed mount. If your horse has a relatively short head, tell me so I can adjust the proportions accordingly. Jacob Brown Bridle with Reins: $262.50 Confederate Halter Bridle Confederate Halter Bridles seem to show up first in the western theatres of the Civil War, but they became common all over in Confederate service quite quickly. They saved the trouble of a seperate bridle and halter. My reproduction is all hand-stitched with hand-twisted cord twisted from hemp thread and black shoemakers wax. London tan and black English bridle leather are both available, as is a variety of hardware from brass crown and horseshoe buckles to iron wire roller buckles. The rings or squares are hand-forged iron. Leather shortages made webbing reins quite common, generally stitched directly to the bit. This treatment is also available. Confederate Halter Bridle: $183 Confederate Web Reins stitched in place: $35 Civilian Halter Bridles Nosebands built right into the cheeks, a very traditional feature of eighteenth century military bridles, were actually quite common in the first half of the 19th century. They show up in the Hamilton Smith image of an US Light Dragoon. The US 1833 and 1841 regulations both distinctly state nosebands as part of the bridle cheeks. In civilian use this style of bridle headstall seems to have been very common with Spanish saddlery. A little less than half the bridles shown in images out of the early spanish west show this classic bridle structure. This civilian bridle style was quite common, side by side with the more familiar six-buckle nineteenth century headstall. In Confederate use the 1864 Iwonski painting of four of Terry's Texas Rangers, clearly shows this type of bridle on the lead horse. It's unclear if these were ever an issue bridle, but as a common civilian style they seem to have been quite useful in service. The integral noseband made an ideal place for a rope tie, allowing the bridle to act as a halter at the end of the day. I hand stitch these in English leather; a variety of civilian buckles are available. Civilian Halter Bridle: $150 Civilian Halter Bridle Reins: $50 6 Buckle Bridle The 6 buckle headstall bridle was a popular civilian style through the 19th century. They're available in a variety of leathers and buckles. These bridles in black leather with wire roller buckles seem to have been made in vast quanties in the early years of the Civil War for Confederate troops. The civilian and Confederate produced styles are available hand stitched in English leather. 6 Buckle Bridle with Reins: $145 Private Purchase Bridle This private purchase bridle is one of many officers' styles that shows up in images. The noseband is set in the manner typical of many 19th century driving bridles. The noseband sets on the returns for the cheeks, allowing it to slide to where it's most comfortable for the horse. The noseband and matching brow gave a good military silhouette, and the noseband itself helps stablize the upper branch of the bit. The image of the charger attributed to an anonymous Captain Webster is one of many images that distinctly shows this style of bridle. In black leather, it seems to have been popular among Federal officers. Private Purchase Bridle with Reins: $274.40 Ornamental Crown Buckles While there are exceptions to every rule, especially when it comes to 18th century English officers, officer's bridles often were made in the same basic pattern as the enlisted versions, but with much more elaborate buckles and keepers. Ornamental brass buckles and keepers hand cast and finished in France are available. Typically the ornamental hardward was also used on the breast plate and crupper, to ensure they all matched. They are priced per buckle or keeper; call for availablity. Silver- or Gold-Plated Buckles Much of the ornamental hardware prior to the 1830's was either solid silver or gold-washed. The former is prohibitively expensive, and the latter technique isn't done any more. However, electro-plating brass hardware is available, which gives the same finish with the same metal. There really is nothing quite like it. This service is priced per bridle; call for availablity.