English horse bridles are all designed on a pattern.  They usually have all of a set list of essential parts.  Depending on what style of riding you choose, your bridle will have slight differences.  Some of the changes are purely stylistic. The basic parts include:

• Crown Piece
• Cheek Pieces x2
• Caveson or Nose Band
• BrowBand
• Reins

The differences begin with the caveson and browband.  The leather used can be a single flat piece, raised or even raised and padded piece.  Fox hunting bridles are traditionally made from a single strip of leather with the noseband as wide as 1 ½”. Simplicity is the style of the hunt bridle, easy to clean, sturdy and elegant.

Show hunter bridles are finer in the brow and nose.  Most are made from leather that is raised and stitched. Covering a cord with leather and stitching it down to a second piece of flat leather backing make the leather raised.  The raising makes the nose and brow look rounded.  It is a very flattering look on a horses or ponies head.  Many of the raised bridles have fancy stitching on the front of the caveson and browband, enhancing the look of the bridle.  These are especially nice on horses that have white markings on their faces.  Hunter bridles are also available in padded.  This means that the caveson and brow have an extra piece of leather, usually a contrasting color, sewn under the raised part.

Jumper bridles and eventing bridles change the regular caveson out and put in a figure 8 noseband.  Event bridles also may feature a flash caveson as well.

Dressage bridles add all sorts of extras.  The cavesons can be flash, crank, drop or plain.  They tend to be style wise a wider, black padded headstall. The padding on a dressage bridle can be contrasting in white or self padded in black.

• Flash Caveson -  A separate piece of leather that is connected at the front of the noseband that goes below the bit to close a hoses mouth when riding.  These attachments are available seperatly or sewn on to the caveson.
• Crank Caveson - A caveson that is fully padded with a roller buckle to aid in closing the noseband behind the horse’s jaw.
• The Drop Caveson – Sits below the bit bit to close a hoses mouth when riding.  It has a ring on either side so the buckle can angle down behind the horses chin.
• Plain Caveson/Noseband – It sits up in place just below the horses cheek bones.