Cheap and cheerful or expensive, luxury and hard wearing ?? :)

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lucky7

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Was wondering if you lot could help me out a bit.

How much would you pay for a top quality hand stitched english leather made to measure bridle?? options such as patent leather, comfort headpiece and different widths to suit with a crystal browband?

What would you expect to pay?

How much would you pay for an imported leather bridle same options as above but in standard sizes and machine stitched and made over seas??

Will explain in a bit

Thanks :)
 
about £250 to £300 for the English one.

unless the imported leather is German then I wouldnt pay anything for it
 
I wouldn't spend any more than £50 for a bridle because that's all I would be able to afford. I don't have a horse so doesn't matter! Lol
 
I wouldn't pay any more than £100 for a good English bridle, but then I wouldn't be that interested in all the extra options on offer.
For a good quality imported leather bridle I wouldn't pay much more than £25, and I won't touch the less good quality ones - wrinkly leather, plasticky feeling, I'd rather pick up a second hand English one.
 
I buy vintage/second hand bridles where I can 'cause leather just isn't as good as it used to be (I think this is as much to do with the tanning/treatment of the leather as the leather itself) so I wouldn't buy either.
 
Have just purchased one here in NZ. Snaffle bridle with raised caveson, comfort head piece, shaped browband with chain link trim, soft reins, hand made: NZ$700.00 including freight and GST (VAT). That would be around 350 pounds give or take.

It's beautiful and a one off and I will still be using it in 20 years time.
 
For a top quality bridle, made by a true saddler, then yes, happily pay up to 300+ pounds. Traditional leatherwork with beautiful quality leather is really something to behold, nothing mass produced can ever really compare!
 
I think my last bridle was £270.

We have one for dressage and one for jumping (only difference is the reins as I use plain reins most of the time and rubber for XC, otherwise is is a plain cavesson).

I also have a 14 year old bridle for general hacking and schooling in the rain, and that does not even have a noseband, and hardly ever gets cleaned. Even with this treatment it looks fab, my saddler even commented on how good the leather was (Kate Negus).

All have padded crowns, the hacking one is plain padded, the other two the type with extra straps for noseband so there is no bulk behind the ear.

OH used to have cheaper ones, but they were a waste of money, cracked, and got binned in short order.
 
marmalade76 said:
I buy vintage/second hand bridles where I can 'cause leather just isn't as good as it used to be (I think this is as much to do with the tanning/treatment of the leather as the leather itself) so I wouldn't buy either.
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Same here. I've just acquired a part bridle which is from 1943. It is of military origin and the leather is meant to be serviceable not showy but it is all in very good condition.
 
I have never paid over £90 for a bridle and don't intend to, my bridles are all nice quality and do their job so don't see any reason to go mad! :)
 
I spend about £150 - £300 on my bridles.

I think that more often than not, if you buy cheap you end up replacing the item.
 
I spend around £100 on my bridles. Enough to make sure they are nice quality without going mad. I always buy bridles with padded headpieces and nosebands though, and I do buy half lined rubber reins as I hate the thick rubber ones they always come with.
 
I personally wouldn't pay more than £100 because I don't like flashy bridles and I know I can get a good quality (probably machine stitched ,but I'm not bothered about whether something is hand stitched as long as the leather is good quality) plain bridle for that price. However, for what you're describing, I would expect to pay about £200-250. I have no idea about the imported leather cost as I don't even look at it.
 
I paid around £100 for a good quality English leather bridle plus reins, off the shelf. I don't think I'd be willing to pay more for a specialty-type bridle style, or hand-stitching. Frankly, I think it's not necessary to go to those lengths to find a good fit for virtually any horse these days. I have a total of three bridles: two leather that have lasted for years and still look knew, and a synthetic which I use most of the time because it's so easy to clean!
 
Until you have had a custom hand made bridle and can compare the difference it is difficult to see why some chose to spend the extra money.
I currently have 2 bridles, an everyday bridle and my show bridle. My show bridle is custom made and cost nearly £200 in the 90's it was used everyday on my Connemara untill he died (so for 17 years) now it's huge sentimental value has made it my show bridle but it is still incredibly beautiful and looks far better than even some of the modern very expensive bridles.
My everyday bridle is a cheap £50 English bridle. Given the quality of it in not expecting it to last more than 5 yrs
 
conniegirl said:
Until you have had a custom hand made bridle and can compare the difference it is difficult to see why some chose to spend the extra money.
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Agree, I paid just over £300 four years ago for a good quality hand made bridle and it is head and shoulders above my sabre/Jeffries ones. Buy cheap buy twice IMO - that bridle will last me years in terms of durability (accidents not withstanding.)
 
I've just paid £275 for a Kate Negus bridle. A lot of money but, it's well made, beautiful and will last for years and still look good. I'll use it every day and I see it as an investment :) I would not buy imported leather - English all the time :)
 
Wow, I couldn't bare to pay that much for a bridle. I bought a Micklem, new, for £100 but that was hard! Otherwise never spent more than £60 on a bridle.
 
If I thought expensive = quality and would last I would pay it, unfortunately much of the 'top' stuff is just as rubbish as the cheap stuff as it's all just mass produced in the far east.
With 30 years in horses I'd certainly say the quality of old leather is much much better than new, I suspect health and safety around what they can use now make the quality reduced.
I've a bridle I bought 'cheaply' 20+ years ago that I still use to lunge in
My current bridles are both 'good' makes but bought 10+ years ago and show no sign of wear. If I needed a third I'd rather pay good money for a second hand one than £300 for something new.

Made to measure stuff seems to end up being more hassle than it's worth - unless you really know and trust the saddler and/or your horse is a funny shape/ size.

Personally I want a bridle to break in event of emergency, I'd rather it broke than the horse - leather headcollars I buy £10 indian leather jobs as the point of them is to snap if there is a problem.
 
I had a plain hunter bridle made to measure for me about 7 years ago, it's been used and used but still scrubs up lovely, if I remember rightly it was £110, I bought a well known make off the peg one for my other horse and its junk in comparison
 
I use synthetic bridles all of the time - hi viz when hacking, trecing or training; red and black to match our colours at endurance rides.

If I were in the market for a leather bridle, I would have no qualms in paying for a hand made, hand stitched made to measure in English leather. Actually, that's a lie - I'd be making it myself (already have the design sketched out). Which is why I don't begrudge paying the money as I know how much work goes into a hand made, and English leather is second to none. There is a tannery here in East Devon who still tan using oak bark and their leather is stunning!
 
About £100, this is what English Bridles charge for theirs and having seen the quality, which IMHO is much better than some trendy names I wouldn't go anywhere else.
 
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