Rigging
Bridle
Definition
A bridle is a rigging arrangement that suspends a single load from two or more legs attached to separate anchor points. It is used when no anchor point lies directly above the required position. The included angle between the legs governs the forces. For a two-leg bridle carrying a load W with an included angle θ, each leg carries W / (2 × cos(θ/2)), so the tension rises steeply as the angle widens, and beyond 120° each leg carries more than the load itself.
In the field
Leg tension rises quickly as a bridle widens. Riggers keep the included angle under 90° wherever possible. Beyond 120°, each leg carries more than the total load, and the horizontal components pull the anchor points towards each other.
Related lessons
Sources
- Tway Lifting, How to calculate sling angles and load tension : tension des brins croissant avec l'angle · twaylifting.com
- eventools.io, Bridle calculator : tension des brins d'un bridle selon l'angle inclus · eventools.io