Bridles with clips

Firewell

Firewell

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I've seen a bridle I like but it has clips to attach the bit too.

They look a bit dangerous to me, like if the clip bends or comes apart it's not going to stay attached to the bit!

Does anyone have a bridle like this? Are the clips a problem or do they last the test of time?

Thanks
 
Alot of Show Jumpers use bridles with clips ( Whitaker etc ) so I assume they must be strong enough , but you do need them breakable so if they got caught they would break rather than your horses neck !
 
i have had one for 3 years and never had a problem with it and it makes it easy when i need to change bits. I love it fits all my horses too :D

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Yep I have one - an endurance synthetic bridle that can double as a head collar if needed. All clips for bit and reins etc. I have used the same bridle for a total of 7 years with no problems at all...they are fab and easy to use!
 
They are no worse than hook stud billeted ends, infact I get FAR more broken hook studs in to replace than I do bridle hooks. The hooks (hook studs and bridle hooks) are cast, they will break if under stress same as most things!
You'd be very unlucky for a bridle hook to get caught up and cause a accident, out of the two I feel bridle hooks are better (stronger) than hook stud billets.
Oz :)
 
I do wonder about the safety of the clips.

Several time when opening gates I have had the gate hook caught onto the reins. If the gate hook caught onto the clips would the break as easily as leather?

(I also don't like the look of them but am more concerned about the safety of them)
 
Why would you want the clip to break? A normal hock stud wont break if you get the bridle stuck on somthing. The leather or a buckle is far more likely to break before a hock stud or clip. They arnt designed to break, surely that would be dangerous as they are part of your braking system...?

Ive had a clip bridle for many years now and have not had a problem yet, the only reason i wouldn't have another is because they aren't correct for showing. I have had hock builetts comes loose on reins though!
 
The leather bit on the billet would break, but there's no leather covering the clips (obviously) which I what I was querying.

Why would I want it to break? Well if it was caught on something ie a swinging gate post I would rather the bridle breaks than cause a horrible accident.
 
I actually got the local saddler to make up two cheekpieces with bit clips for a head stall I *ahem* found in the tackroom!

Endurance bridles are often like this so the bit can be removed and the bridle used as a halter.

I also have reins with scissor clips on to attach them to the bit/bridle, because it is just as annoying having to unbuckle reins to go on a different bit. I can use them on my Dr Cook to turn it into a lead rope and halter when out on long trips and horse has to be tethered as well.
 
they are attached to leather cheekpiece anyway, so the leather connection will break the same way the leather on billet hook would brake. I have one with clips and love it, so easy to swap bits, take reins off for lunging etc.
 
My Zilco endurance bridle has parrot clips, so no safety issues, I can release them when I want, in fact they are safer than billets or buckles.
I have the reins stuck together with black tape not buckled so the reins would break open in an emergency, but if the horse got stuck on something, I could hop off him and release the reins instantly.
 
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I've got a "Barefoot" Cedar bridle which has parrot clips on both the cheekpieces and the reins, so I can quickly change both the reins and bit quickly if needs be without taking the bridle off. When the bit is off, the whole thing then serves very nicely as a headcollar.

The only thing I would say is to be very very careful if using this particular bridle to tie up in a lorry/trailer with a haynet. We went out in the lorry recently and mine was wearing this particular bridle - and had a haynet. By the time we'd got to the venue, he'd somehow or other got the parrot clips on the cheekpiece all tangled up with the haynet and basically couldn't move his head.

So I wouldn't use this bridle, or one like it, for travelling in again, which is a pity coz it was handy to double up as a travelling headcollar/bridle without the hassle of having to take headcollar off, then put bridle on. But I wonder if the Zilco bridles have a different clip fastening??
 
Well with Zilco you would just remove the bridle part[ bit and reins] to be left with the headcollar with a browband [the browband can be removed as it is attached with billet things.
I might walk my boy on with a bridle but would just remove it for travelling by unbucklling the bit and slipping the bridle cheekpieces out, out, leaving the head-collar, which equates to the nose-band, I use a light baler twin for safety attached to the head-collar.
Difficult to describe, but there are not two cheeckpieces, one long strap from off side of bridle, and one short on near side.
 
I had a bridle with clips which was fine, until i had to lead horse over a ditch and she used me as a bridge knocked me flying and bolted, when i caught her she had bent the hook (cheek piece side) and broken her reins so bit was actually out her mouth. Good job i had some bailing twine to tie it back so we could hack home again :rolleyes:
 
monkeybum13 said:
Why would I want it to break? Well if it was caught on something ie a swinging gate post I would rather the bridle breaks than cause a horrible accident.
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But you wouldn't expect a builit hook to break when caught on something, you'd surely expect the leather to break, so isn't it the same for clips? the clips wouldn't break it would be the leather which broke.
 
I have bridles with clips i love them so easy to change bit never rub no probs

i even had these put on my favourite reins
get one you wont go back :D
 
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