Horse mouths and Weymouths

Yesterday I made my first attempt at a Weymouth double bridle. I can say one thing...it confused me. Only after some extensive research I finally got the basic concept.
So, just for all the tackmakers out there and the performance lovers, I will explain how the Weymouth works :)

Lets start off by looking at the real thing.

Weymouth double bridle

The Weymouth double bridle is made up of a cavesson noseband, a normal snaffle bridle headstall and a slip head bridoon (aka bradoon). 

A cavesson noseband is what you will find on almost every English bridle (be it dressage, hunting or jumping). It is basically a noseband that has its own headstall and is held independently by the bit. So a cavesson is a seperate unit. The cavesson is held by its headstall by the browband (along with the main headstall/crownpiece). The picture below illustrates it better than I can explain it. 

The cavesson is a separate unit not attached to the main headstall

The next ingredient for a double bridle is the normal snaffle bridle headstall. This is the main headstall (and with 'headstall' I mean the leather straps that go all the way from one cheek, behind the ears to the other cheek). 

The Weymouth bit attaches to the strap where usually the Snaffle bit hangs from. The red arrow on the picture below points to the Weymouth bit. Pay attention to the strap that it hangs from. This strap and the throatlatch are the main headstall. They are split from the point where the browband attaches, but they are one broad leather strap behind the ears.

The Weymouth bit attaches to the main headstall

And last but not least, the bridoon, which is just a simple snaffle bit attached to a separate slip head (so not attached to the main headstall, but again a separate unit, like the cavesson noseband). 

The leather straps of the bridoon are always a little bit thinner than the straps of the Weymouth bit. The reins on the bridoon, however, are a little bit thicker than the reins on the Weymouth. The reason for this is that the rider has to steer the horse with the bridoon (it is impossible to make a horse change directions with the Weymouth bit or any other curb bit). 

The blue arrow on the picture below points to the bridoon (snaffle bit + slip head).

The snaffle bit has its own separate slip head

The entire bridle (noseband, bits, slip heads, main headstall) are held together by the browband.

I hope that this helped you understand what pieces make up the double bridle and how to attach them correctly :)

My own Weymouth double bridle: