For your consideration is this Walla Walla prison hitched horsehair bridle circa 1890's from Walla Walla, WA. This is a beautiful expertly crafted bridle with lovely colored hitched horsehair construction with geometric patterns adorning the flat woven pieces on the brow band and cheek pieces with expertly crafted turkshead knots adorning the bottoms of the cheek pieces and large hitched horse hair rosettes with floral decorations hitched into them. In the western United States, the history of hitching is intertwined with the history of territorial and modern day prisons in the western United States. It was the first hobby at Montana State Prison, dating back to the territorial prison in Deer Lodge. Charlie Russell, the famous western artist, wrote about men down at Deer Lodge “twistin hairs”. Other commonly known prisons for horsehair were located at Yuma and Florence Arizona; Rawlins, Wyoming; and Walla Walla, Washington. The condition of this bridle is good for its age with very little wear to the hitched horse hair construction of the bridle. The overall measurements of this bridle are 24" x 7" x 5 1/2". (The bridle does not include the horse head display)