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Mr. Appraiser; Beginning in the 1880s through the 1920s, twelve Western state
prisons started offering prisoners a way to make some money and keep
I picked up this old colorful Horse Bridle a few years back and made my busy while serving their time.
own display case for it. I would like to know a little information about it. Hand hitching these bridles
I was told it was made by prisoners in Wyoming but I would like to know gave the prisoners a way to
if this is correct and the age if possible. I would like to know the current save money for their release,
value even though I have no desire to sell it.
and a busy inmate is an
Thank you very much – inmate not causing problems
Dennis S. or creating trouble. It also
built self-esteem and gave
prisoners satisfaction in
Rosette
knowing that the item they
made was serving a purpose.
Each bridle or other hand-
hitched horsehair items these Hand hitching
prisoners made were one-of-a-kind pieces of art each being different in
Browband some way. Materials used by these prisoners were very low cost and at
hand with the prison stable being full of horses. Any outside costs
incurred in making the bridle would include the metal bit and the dec-
orative rosettes. The prisoners of Canon City prison in Colorado not
only hitched the bridles but forged their own bits too. Each prison had
its own signature bridle style and patterns.
Early bridles were made with natural color horsehair and were black,
brown, and white. Dyed colors came later. From 1911 through the
1920s, prisons were making bridles using red, yellow, blue, orange, and
turquoise colors.
Noseband In 1910 it would take a prisoner up
Romel Reins to six months to complete a hand
Joined hitched horsehair bridle with a medium
selling price of around $35. I believe the
Montana State prison still has a bridle
manufacturing program and the cost of
one of the hand hitched horsehair bri-
dles is estimated to be $1,500 and up.
I would have to inspect this piece in
Bit person to determine which prison would
Romel Reins have made this; it does not seem to be
Chin Strap the Wyoming territorial prison. The
Wyoming territorial prisoners were
known to use a combination of braided
calfskin and hitched horsehair. Your bridle does not appear to have this
combination. This particular bridle looks to have similar qualities to
several I have seen that were made at the Deer Lodge prison in
The bridle and its parts
Montana circa 1900/1910. This bridal is complete with no visible
Hello Dennis, and thank you for allowing me to assess this hand breaks or repair. The horsehair still retains age, subdued colors, and
hitched (braided) American horse bridle. shows a little wear. You are an artist in your own right, Dennis, as your
What a beautiful piece of utilitarian American folk art. If you were framed display complements the bridle and its history well.
here to see me right now, you would swear I was doing the Texas two- It is my opinion that at a well-advertised upper-end western auction
step, only backwards and on the ceiling. Pieces of American history with the history listed, I would expect to pay $2,000/$2,500+.
such as this in such a complete unrepaired condition are so rare. Thank you for sharing this American folk-art masterpiece. Enjoy
What you have is a hand-dyed and hand hitched (woven) horsehair and display it proudly!
horse bridle. Meriam-Webster has the best definition of a bridle as “the — David Moore CPAA
headgear with which a horse is governed and which carries a bit and
reins.” Note: Information gleaned from the April 2016 issue of Cowboys &
This bridle has headgear and reins that are made from dyed braided Indians premiere western magazine “Hitched Horsehair Bridles Have a
horsehair. The bit is steel. This type of rein is a “romel rein,” where the History Behind Bars” by Jody Martin
two reins connect to the bit and make up close to half the length of the
entire piece of equipment while the single romel rein is made by inter-
weaving the two separate reins into one and this makes up the other David Moore is part of the “Ask the Experts” appraising team for
half of the reins. This bridle also features four decorative jeweled the Asheford Institute of Antiques where he is an Honors graduate
rosettes, two at the browband, and two at the noseband. This is a very and a Certified Asheford Institute of Antiques Appraiser.
showy bridle that probably would be fitted on a horse when riding to Mr. Moore has been buying, researching and selling the rare and
unusual in antiques for over 50 years. David is currently the owner
town or for special occasions. of D.L. Moore, CAA, an antiques appraisal business.

48 Journal of Antiques and Collectibles