Is it okay to use the same bridle on 2+ different HEALTHY horses?
February 62010
I only have one bridle at the moment with many horses. They are all healthy and have had their shots. They obviously know each other and are turned out together and what not. I never really heard that you couldn’t but I’ve never really been sure, it just popped up in my mind. It wouldn’t be a problem for me to get my hands on some more bridldes if it were to be a problem though.
Yeah, actually my horses get coggin shots once a year. 
Yes, It’s perfectly safe. If they’re turned out together, drinking out of the same trough and eating out of the same bins they’ll all get the same disease anyways if something does come up.
As long as the bridle fits each horse specifically… even if you have to do minor adjustments for each horse. The bit would be my only worry since every horse’s mouth is different so what fits one horse great, might not fit the next so well and can cause disscomfort.
It’s not an issue right now, but you might want to think about picking up 1 or 2 extras just in case… not to mention its always good to have an extra incase one breaks.
February 6th, 2010 at 8:00 am
Totally fine, i do it all the time with my baby and my mare. As long as they are for example they were a F/S size bridle and they both are F/S then yes thats totally fine. But if one is a W/S and one is a F/S then no. The only reason school horses have different bridles is because of the difference in bits.
hope this helps.
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February 6th, 2010 at 8:35 am
Yes you can. Its definitely not a problem. If the horses wear the same bit and the same size/type of bridle. Then no.
Ive do it all the time
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February 6th, 2010 at 8:55 am
yes along as u clean the bit before using it on a difrent horse use water and horse soap
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February 6th, 2010 at 9:34 am
Thats is perefectly fine. Just make sure you clean it every day at least. well 3 times cleaning a week is a good idea!
enjoy your horses!
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February 6th, 2010 at 9:45 am
If every horse has the same size head and mouth that the equipment fits properly, is ridden in the same bit and are all exposed to each other on a daily basis it’s not a big deal, although I would recommend rinsing.
If the horses don’t meet the above criteria, especially the being exposed to each other every day, don’t do it. A horse can be a carrier of an infectious disease and you wouldn’t know it because they don’t look sick. Swamp fever is like that, which is why you have to have a coggins test done every few years. Using the same bit on multiple horses can spread those types of diseases.
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February 6th, 2010 at 10:22 am
Assuming it fits them all, and they all STAY healthy, nothing wrong with it I guess. Although if any of them gets sick, all of them would get it like immediately.
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February 6th, 2010 at 10:57 am
I use the same bridle on a couple of my horses, but never let anyone else use it. These are horses that live together, share water troughs and feed troughs, so sharing a bit isn’t much different.
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February 6th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Yes it’s okay. As long as the fit is correct. Rinsing the bit is a good idea, but not required after every use, 2 or 3 times a week would be good. Not everybody can afford specialized tack for every horse they own or work with.
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30+yrs riding, training and raising horses
February 6th, 2010 at 11:41 am
Your horses don’t get ‘coggins shots’ once a year because there is no such thing as ‘coggins shots’. The EIA test draws blood for testing.
If it’s no problem to get more bridles, get them. Each horse should have it’s own bridle. Bit fitted to the horse, headstall adjusted to the individual, etc. If you consider things like contagious diseases a problem, there’s your reason to get more. One bridle between many horses makes about as much sense as wearing someone elses’ underwear. . .
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50+ years in horses
hpts
February 6th, 2010 at 12:27 pm
I don’t see a problem, as long as the bit and buckles are right for both of them.
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February 6th, 2010 at 12:39 pm
yeah its totally fine, ive used the same bridle on 2 different horses before. just make sure you give it a quick wipe of with a cloth or a rag or something that is clean.
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owns 5 horses
February 6th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Yes, It’s perfectly safe. If they’re turned out together, drinking out of the same trough and eating out of the same bins they’ll all get the same disease anyways if something does come up.
As long as the bridle fits each horse specifically… even if you have to do minor adjustments for each horse. The bit would be my only worry since every horse’s mouth is different so what fits one horse great, might not fit the next so well and can cause disscomfort.
It’s not an issue right now, but you might want to think about picking up 1 or 2 extras just in case… not to mention its always good to have an extra incase one breaks.
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I use the same english/western bridle on both of my horses. I have to make minor adjustments because of their head size, but other than that it works out great.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
A coggins test is for Equine infectious anemia (EIA) NOT swamp fever
And you need to have this done every year or you cannot haul or show your horse anywhere.
Big training barns use the same bridles on all of the horses in the barn, according to what bit they want to ride a particular horse. If most of them rode in particular bit they would not go out and buy 15 of the same bits and bridles to go with them when they only ride 1 or 2 horses at a time. So yes there is nothing wrong. Also most germs need a warm moist environment to survive and once the bit is dry they will die anyway and cannot be brought back to life. I said most germs not all…. this came directly from my vet.
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February 6th, 2010 at 2:09 pm
of course
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February 6th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
of course! just make sure you adjust it for each horse every time you use it!
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10 years experience