Double bridles are made up of three parts, the bradoon, the curb bit and the curb chain. These are easy to distinguish as;

• A Bradoon will have a link and round rings
• A Curb bit has no link and has cheeks in some form or another
• A curb chain is a piece of fine metal chain which attaches to either side of the bit and then lies in the chin groove.

Double Bridles apply pressure to two further parts of the horse, the chin groove and the poll, which can encourage a more advanced head carriage and/or improve control. For this reason, they are used when the horse has reached a stage in its training where the horse requires further refinement, such as advanced dressage. Doubles can also be used when showing, hunting or jumping.