Double Bridle - Western Riding

Western Riding

A distantly related variation on the English double bridle is the "two rein" setup used in the western riding classic vaquero tradition (also known as the "buckaroo" or "California" tradition) of developing a "spade bit" horse. Rather than use of a bit and bradoon, the trainer uses a thin bosal style hackamore over a complex type of curb bit known as a spade. This tradition originated with the same haute ecole and military uses of horses in the Middle Ages, but developed differently from classical dressage since approximately the 16th century, when Spanish horse trainers arrived in the Americas. In this tradition, the ultimate goal is use of one hand on the spade alone. A young horse is started in a bosal, then is transitioned into the spade by wearing both the spade bit with progressively smaller diameter bosals, with the rider usually carrying the reins in the 3 in 1 hold. The reins of the spade bit are romal style, with light chains or small lead weights added between the bit and the rein so that it balances perfectly in the mouth of the horse. Over time the trainer uses the bosal less and less until the horse travels with lightness and collection on the spade alone. The process of moving from a bosal alone to a "straight up" spade bit horse using the spade alone can take many years, as long as it takes to bring a Dressage horse to Grand Prix level. For practical working purposes, the modern cowboy of the vaquero or "buckaroo" tradition usually keeps a light bosal on the finished horse as a type of noseband.