Sorry if this is the wrong place!
*Brit* This probably sounds like a really stupid question, but I've never actually seen a horse in western tack, or any western tack at all for that matter. I've spent the past forty odd minutes trying to work it out, but have only succeeded in further confusing myself. It's more the bridle that I'm interested in for now, but other stuff seems to have cropped up.
I don't know the right words for things, so all I can really do is try and explain it in terms of english tack. Am I right in thinking that there are kind of two headpieces joined together by the browband with one attaching to the cheekpieces and one to the throatlash? Do all bridles have lip straps (curb straps?)? All the bits seem to have quite long cheeks, so I imagine would exert a fair amount of poll pressure - but are they all used with that for curb pressure as well? Is there as much variety of bits as with english with all the different actions? One site I was looking on ('Jeffers' I think) was selling a 'one ear headstall' - what's it for? Why one ear rather than a browband? Or would it be used with a browband as well? What's a sidepull? I have seen a picture of a bosal but it was the only thing in the picture (apart from a blue background) and I have no idea what it is / what it's for? The only bridle I saw with a noseband, the noseband seemed to be part of a thing that looked like the equivalent of a standing martingale - is that the only use of a noseband? Was it part of the bridle or part of the martingale thingy?
Reading back through that it sounds really really stupid, but I'm interested and can't seem to find anything that actually explains the tack - it all assumes prior knowledge :/
Would really appreciate it if someone could shed some light? ^_^