Cradle Bridle (Complete Set)

$470.00
$470.00

Please allow 1-3 weeks of Shipping time.

The Cradle Bridle is the result of a collaboration between famous bit maker, Ron Myler (Myler Bits) and Pat Parelli. They teamed up to design a bridle that would enhance clarity of communication from rider to horse therefore helping the horse feel more confident with contact. When using a bit, 100% of the pressure or communication is in the horse’s mouth – on the tongue and the bars. Horses are emotionally sensitive in the mouth and are easily confused and frightened when a rider makes mistakes or does not yet have enough ‘feel’, and some horses have ‘baggage’ and are very afraid of the bit. The Cradle makes a big difference because it has five points of contact, which helps to overcome tension and fear. It literally cradles the whole head, hence the name “Cradle Bridle”!
Not sure which size Cradle Bit to choose?

For best results, complete a Horsenality Preview to determine the best Cradle to use for your horse by STARTING HERE

Features & Benefits

The five points of contact with the Cradle are:

Nose, Chin, Bars, Tongue, and Poll

The Cradle Bridle features two types of mouthpiece, two types of chin strap (elastic or solid), a braided noseband and a support string. It also has a specially designed headstall that is easy to adjust and has a specially placed concho on the browband to accommodate the support string that holds the soft noseband in place.

The best reins to use on the Cradle Bridle are the Parelli Finesse Reins that you can easily snap on to either the big or small rings of the bit itself, as needed or desired. Choose your rein length according to the size of your horse.

More Info

Choosing the Right Mouthpiece

Choose the right mouthpiece (bit) design for your horse – C1 or C3. Knowing your horse’s Horsenality is the key here as some horses like more tongue contact while others like more tongue relief, which is provided by a slight port or upward bend in the mouthpiece.

  • C1 – Snaffle style: It has a jointed mouthpiece and provides equal contact to the tongue and bars of the mouth. Best for most Right Brain horses and young horses just starting out in a bit.
  • C3 – Large tongue relief: A wider port in the mouthpiece that gives maximum tongue relief and contact on the bars. Best for most Left Brain horses.

There are two rings on the bit as options for positioning your reins.

  • BIG RINGS: Give you more direct contact with the horse’s mouth. Better for lateral and latitudinal flexion and in situations where you need more control.
  • SMALL RINGS: Give you more contact with the nose. Better for horses that are bracey about vertical flexion or who are afraid of the bit.

Adjust the Fit:

The Cradle mouthpiece needs to fit snugly in the corners of the horse’s mouth but without stretching the lips and causing wrinkles. A snug fit is important for the bit’s stability. The specially designed headstall has a single buckle on the crown that allows you to adjust the height.

Adjust the position of the noseband. It needs to sit on the nose, just below the bridge (middle) but above the soft part of the nostrils – feel for it. Simply lift the attached support string to the desired height and wind it around the concho in the middle of the browband to secure it. (You can make a knotted loop if you like, but we recommend not doing this in case you use it on different sized horses).

Adjust the chin strap. Choose the elastic strap to start with. The solid strap is more advanced and is best used by, or under, the supervision of a Parelli Professional.

This is not a curb, it does not work for leverage, it is part of the Cradle. It must not be too tight or too loose. Pull the little knots through the loop on the other end until the strap is resting against the horse’s skin but is not tight. (Hint: The knots are for fitting, not for added pressure.) When you take the Cradle on and off your horse, simply unhook it from the other side so you don’t have to keep pulling the knots through the loop.)

Check that it is the right fit by lifting the noseband up off your horse’s nose. You should have about a ¾ inch gap. It is not designed to be tight nor to restrict your horse’s ability to open his mouth or move his jaw.

Prepare your horse on the ground before you ride with the Cradle Bridle for the first time.

  • Ask for neutral lateral flexion to the left and to the right.
  • Ask your horse to yield backward for a step or two with both reins.
  • Ask your horse to vertically flex and hold it.
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Reviews

Customer Reviews

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Parelli Student
Unlocking New Potential: A Fun Journey with the Cradle

First off let me say, "I am having so much fun"! In my warm ups before I would attempt snakey bends, when she was right brained. It was not always successful for us. Now I have been experimenting with lateral moves "very slight", which I've never been able to do. Now I'm able to soften her and get her to work the left side of her brain. This always backfired in the past creating a fight & resistance in her. Granted my hands have been too rough, but being able to feel so much more with this cradle allows me to be softer. Allows her to not fight me, but ask questions and go into a learning frame of mind. She experiments now too, I like that! I've never enjoyed so much SITTING TROT on her, WOW!

When we are tracking on the rail she has always dropped her shoulder or just veered away to the inside. It has become a game I couldn't change or win.

All my corrections would cause resistance. Today for the first time EVER I was able to just slightly move my inside hand laterally placing the rein against her neck, she softly put a bend in her neck and glided her body back on the rail following my feel "I was shocked" this was at the trot. When cantering I got the same opportunity. The adjustment was so slight with her response just as soft. It was if I was just reminding her not so much a correction.

My other main observation is that she's not so impulsive. I had to play point to point today before we could do any cantering. This was all very new to me. Point to point has always been leap to leap LOL.

She still fusses a little with her mouth, but Not consistent. I'm listening & trying to more feel what's going on. When she fusses I try something different or check to make sure my hands were not to fast or rough. I'm going to also experiment with a C3 Next week to see how she might respond to that.

She is changing so much, is it really all due to this new cradle? With everything she has been offering me the last few weeks it has opened up doors for my ability to progress in my riding. I have not had the opportunity yet but I do want to film her, to share with you the changes she has made. I think you remember how she moves & I would love for you to see what your new tool is doing for us.

A
Ann Kiser
A Game-Changer for Bandit's Collection

I have had fantastic results with the Cradle, with my horse Bandit... He is well into Level 3, but we were really struggling with collection (particularly at the canter). He would push his nose out, go really fast, chomp constantly, etc. We were getting marginal results with the suspension rein. This was with the Mylar Comfort Snaffle.

The moment I put the Cradle on, it was a completely different picture. His mouth is dead quiet (finally tongue relief for my LB-I horse!). From the first ride, I could feel his back come up under me, his canter is almost too slow now, and I am getting consistent "blow outs" at the canter. His collection is not perfect at the canter yet, but it takes so little to ask him to round up, and he is oftentimes asking to drop his head and round his back when I release the feel. I am also now able to really feel what it means to "move my horse’s shoulders over", as the overall communication with all of his body parts has surpassed anything I have felt before. I am riding him with the solid chin strap and on the small rings. He does not seem to care between the 2 chin straps, and I broke my elastic one (long story - my fault!), but I imagine I will keep him in the solid one even when I get my elastic one replaced.

My friend, Debby, also bought a cradle, and I have to share a response she got. She rides her horse everyday, and her parents live on site, so they see her ride all the time. When we got home with the bridle, we put it on her horse. She got immediate results as well, with her horse rounding and softening. Her dad walked up and asked me, quite seriously, who Debby was riding. When I told him it was the same horse he sees everyday, he did not believe it until he looked closer. If that's not honest feedback, I don't know what is!