bridle path

See also: bridlepath and bridle-path

English

Alternative forms

• bridle-path

Noun

bridle path (plural bridle paths)

1. (equestrianism) An established trail used by riders mounted on horses.

   Synonym: bridle trail

   • 1835, James Fenimore Cooper, The Monikins, Introduction:

     A party came round the angle of a rock, along the narrow bridle-path, in single file; two ladies on horseback, followed by as many gentlemen on foot, and preceded by the usual guide.

   • 1874, Thomas Hardy, chapter 3, in Far from the Madding Crowd:

     It was not a bridle-path—merely a pedestrian's track, and the boughs spread horizontally at a height not greater than seven feet above the ground, which made it impossible to ride erect beneath them.

   • 1916, Sherwood Anderson, chapter 5, in Windy McPherson's Son:

     Then in the evening, he came suddenly upon Sue riding a spirited black horse in a bridle path at the upper end of the park.

   • 2008 June 2, Kareem Fahin, “For Riders and Mounts, Rough Going in Prospect Park”, in New York Times, retrieved 3 October 2012:

     Some complaints about the Prospect Park trails seem to reflect the ever-present realities of urban horseback riding. Joggers and even bikers wander onto the bridle path.

Usage notes

• Now often used to refer to a path maintained and used for the purpose of recreational horseback riding.

Translations

trail used by riders

• Japanese: 乗馬道 (ja) (jōbadō)
• Spanish: camino de herradura

References

• “bridle path”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.