Cavesson
Not on view
A cavesson is a rigid noseband, often made of iron, attached to a simple headstall. It rests on the horse’s nose, a sensitive area.
This type of cavesson would be used for riding. In this case it would be combined with a bit, and connected to a pair of false reins (attached to rings, now missing, passing through to the loops at the top), for training young horses when they start with the curb bit. The rider would use his cavesson’s reins at the same time he uses his bit’s, teaching the young horse to respond to the bit without spoiling the sensitivity of its mouth. Very similar cavessons are still used today in traditional equitation in some parts of Spain and in Camargue, France.
