Does any horse have a standard size head?

[blitznbobs]

So for the first time I started to bit one of my 3 year olds- i have lots of old bridles from keeping horses for over 30 years… my horse must be at least 16.2 (im 5 ft 5 and have to reach way up to reach her withers but never formally measured her) takes A 6’9 rug she is a warmblood the photo below- uses a full sized headcollar etc so I grabbed a full sized headpiece , browband and cheeks (no noseband just the bare essentials) not one bit of it fitted properly, the browband was way too small, the cheeks too long and the head piece couldve done with being a bit larger if anything- it just didnt fit anywhere. And it got me thinking (as it was a nice sunny day and I had nowhere in particular to be) does a horse exist that actually fits a standard full bridle because I have never owned one and I mustve had 20 to 30 horses over the years from 15 hh welshies to 18 hh kwpn and pretty much everything inbetween and not one hasnt needed to swap some part out.

So come on does anyone have a standard sized horse?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Mine are similar to yours 15h Arab in 6ft rugs has fs browband, cob noseband, pony cheek pieces, my other Arab 15.3 in 6,3 rugs is a bit easier his mainly cob and fs, both have fs head collars cob size is too small.

 

[Kaylum]

No many people just think they are OK with off the page size bridles and have no idea how they should fit. I think you can get wb size bridles which are bigger than fs but smaller than xf. I used to have mine made but that was many years ago.

 

[millikins]

My standard Shetlands fit Shetland sized stuff, nothing else does. The Connie was 13.3, pretty standard size for a pony I'd say but needed cob, the Eriskay had a long face and was in a horse sized bridle, again she was under 14hh. It's frustrating.

 

[Ali27]

My 14.2 Connie x cob is a mixture of cob/ full in bridle! Had to have a bit/ bridle fitter out and ended up with a bridle that could be ordered with everything in different sizes. Just booked a fitting for my 3 year old as want her properly fitted

 

[The Xmas Furry]

14hh Fell pony requires: FS headpiece, brow band and noseband.
Can manage with cob headpiece depending on make. Saves getting a FS throatlash shortened.
Cob or pony cheek pieces depending on make. I like all cheek buckles to line up.
Def needs the FS cavesson hunter noseband width from cheek to cheek in front, has to be shortened at the back by up to 2 inches tho to sit well.

Most large natives I've had, have been in similar.

So no, OP, I cant think of one that's had a bog std sized bridle that actually fitted without ripping parts off to swap in.
Edit: yes, young TB which fitted straight into a cob sized bridle!

 

[criso]

My old tb fitted a standard full size well however current one has an almost araby head. FS headpiece, cob cheekpieces, xf browband and neither cob nor FS nosebands worked. However a small horse micklem fitted.

 

[paddy555]

browbands are never long enough. Cheeks usually too long and head piece could be bigger. I usually end up having to buy each bit separately.

Why do they ALWAYS skimp on the length of browbands.

 

[doodle]

Yes. I have a 16.2 warmblood in 6’9 rugs and he has a full size bridle on the middle holes.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Well… I got BB a what I thought was a standard horse Micklem. Although we have been using it for years and it fits lovely everywhere except under the jaw. He is full everything else and 6’6 rugs. 16.1hh.
So I have just bought a full Nalanta bridle to try

 

[Widgeon]

No! My 15.1 cob takes an XF browband, pony cheekpieces, and cob all the other bits. I agree with most of the other posters that cheekpieces are too long and browbands too short.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Must have been lucky with mine, he was full size, checked by loads of people, including the saddler, multiple professionals, vets, cos I was determined to get it right. (paranoid!)

 

[MuddyMonster]

My native has a made to custom made endurance bridle (a 2 in 1 headcollar and bridle) but he's in what would equate to a cob sized headpiece, a full sized noseband, pony length cheek pieces, a full size browband with cob length reins.

 

[Shooting Star]

Yes, mine fits a standard full size well every time - he’s the only one I’ve owned though that I’ve not had to mix & match sizes for

 

[Lucky Snowball]

My 15.2 Connie cross has a full size bridle which is ok except the throat latch needed 4” shorter

 

[GoldenWillow]

One out of three of mine was a full size bridle size that fitted everywhere. The other two have always been mix and match, like others browbands too short and cheek pieces too long.

 

[Lexi 123]

my ID fits a standard full bridle

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It doesn't help that different brands have different sizing.

I end up mixing and matching most of my stuff for the Shetlands. Shetland size stuff is way too small for them but pony size too big. Then the browbands are meter big enough. So some of my stuff is a mix of small pony, pony and cob to fit the Shetlands. The dartmoor fits pony size most things. The Welsh cob is in-between cob and full so it's mix and match for him too.

So no. The majority is mix and match.

 

[catkin]

Saddler friend said the standard English riding bridle sizing is traditional and based on thoroughbred proportions. My large natives have had to have either made-to-measure or alterations for bridles to fit.

 

[Surbie]

My 15.3 cob is in 6'9 heavy horse rugs and has a massive head - 19" browbands fit well but he came with a 17", which is the standard XF. He takes XF headpiece and noseband, XXF browband and cob cheekpieces.

It does at least make going to shows quite cheap as I can't buy much that will fit.

 

[SilverLinings]

I have only owned one who fitted of-the-peg bridles perfectly, he was a 15.2hh MW hunter, and wore cob-sized bridles. Every other horse I've owned from TBs to Connemaras have needed a mix of sizes; at the very least they have required a larger browband, and at most they have needed several parts in different sizes. I also own a driving horse who's harness (fitted to him) is made up of full, cob and pony-sized pieces- he is a 14.2hh Connemara with very good conformation so it's not as though he looks odd, I expected him to just be cob-size.

It used to be a lot easier to buy bridles piece by piece, but now only showing suppliers and more traditional/old tackshops seem to do so. I suppose it is a good marketing ploy to only sell complete bridles, as then the majority of buyers need to purchase more than one in order to cobble together something that fits!

Unfortunately through PC I see a LOT of really badly fitting bridles at tack inspections, and it doesn't seem to occur to a lot of owners that they can mix and match sizes, they just force on the commercial size that is the least-worst fit (I am not blaming children for badly fitting tack as obviously it's their parents' responsibility). More people (in PC at least) now seem to understand the importance of a properly fitting saddle than do a properly fitting bridle, although there are still too many bad saddles around too.

 

[Widgeon]

Saddler friend said the standard English riding bridle sizing is traditional and based on thoroughbred proportions. My large natives have had to have either made-to-measure or alterations for bridles to fit.

Good point. Yes that figures!