Making a Gymkhana Bridle

Article and Photos by Traci Durrell-Khalife

Babyflo sports a faux-nylon gymkhana bridle.

Whether it's barrel racing or apple bobbing, gymkhana events are both popular and fun. As with most events, there’s some customary tack that will enhance your model entries.

Gaming saddles are typically streamlined to be lightweight and to allow the horse complete freedom of movement for the best times. While optional, breast collars, tiedowns, and protective leg wraps or boots are frequently used. Any type of humane bit or hackamore is allowed. With all this optional equipment, riders often color coordinate for a fun and flashy look that’s also very functional.

With these tools and supplies, you can make a bridle.

By following these directions, it’s easy to make a colored faux-nylon headstall with a mechanical hackamore. It’s perfect for gymkhana, but can also be used in roping, drill team, and outdoor scenes such as natural trail and ranch work. Choose ribbon that matches or complements your tack, rider and horse. Please keep in mind that these measurements are for an average Traditional size Breyer and may need to be modified slightly to fit a specific model.

You could purchase pre-made hackamore shanks, such as from Rio Rondo or The World of Model Horse Collecting, and skip the step of making them from wire. However, if you don’t have time to place an order, are on a budget or just love DIY projects, you can make your own shanks. 

A top-down view of the mechanical hackamore shanks.

1. Cut two pieces of 20-gauge wire, each 5.5 cm in length. Using needle nose pliers, shape two shanks as shown above. Leave a slight opening on the upper rings. Connect the shanks as shown with a 3.5 cm length of wire bent around each lower ring. Using tweezers, make a small S-hook with about 1.25 cm of 24-gauge wire. Attach it to the upper ring on the near (left side) shank. Slide the end link of the chain (3 cm long) onto the upper ring on the off (right side) shank. Squeeze both upper rings closed.
2. Skive (shave a thin layer) off the back of each end of the lace using a sharp hobby knife. This is optional, but will make the lace fold easier and give it a smoother appearance. Fold a tab on the leather lace and glue around a shank on the curve. Repeat on other shank, leaving a finished lace length of 2.75 cm. Now trim a piece of fleece fabric, in your choice of color, just large enough to cover the leather lace for a simulated fleece noseband. Hold the hackamore with shanks parallel and noseband curved, as it would be on a horse. Now glue on the fleece and allow it to dry.
3. For the cheek pieces and crown, glue a buckle to one end of a 4-cm piece of ribbon. Fold a tab and glue the other end to the top ring of the near shank of the hackamore, above the S-hook. Glue one end of an 11.5 cm ribbon to the other shank, above the chain. You may use Rio Rondo or TWMHC buckles or shape your own from wire using your needle nose pliers.
4. For the throatlatch, glue a buckle to one end of a 15-cm length of ribbon. Trim the other end to a point.
5. To make the browband, fold a tab at each end of a piece of ribbon so the finished length is 6 cm between the folds. Glue the tabs down, leaving an open slot next to each fold.
6. To assemble the headstall, lay the offside cheek piece/crown over the pointed end of the throatlatch. Thread them through one end of the browband. Make sure the glued browband tabs will be on the inside of the bridle. Then thread the pointed ends through the other end of the browband. Buckle the crown to the near cheek piece.
7. Apply a small amount of Fray Check to each pointed end. This helps prevent raveling and makes a stiffer end to go through the buckles.
8. To make looped (roping) reins, cut 33 cm of ribbon (or appropriate length for your model). Fold a tab and glue one end to the lower ring of a shank. Repeat on other side, making sure the ribbon isn’t twisted.

When everything is dry, put the bridle on your model and adjust it. The noseband of the mechanical hackamore should be a little below the cheekbones. Use tweezers to hook the curb chain snugly onto the S-hook. Buckle the throatlatch so it fits snugly, but not tight. Put the reins over the neck and position in the rider’s hand or wax into position if not using a rider.

Voilà. Your model is ready to speed his way through the next gymkhana course in style!

Using the same basic pattern, LV Integrity’s bridle has a few upgrades: Rio Rondo shanks, curb chain with leather strap ends, conchos on browband, and 4-strand braided reins. Tutorials for how to make braided reins can be found online.