Double Bridles

Tempi

Tempi

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Ive been waiting 3 weeks for my bits to arrive for my lovely Albion KB double. Finally they arrived so last night i took it down the yard to fit to Archie.

Anyways, the long and the short of it is the bridle is too f*ing small, the bradoon was too big and the weymouth too small
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So, first question: Does anyone else have an Albion KB double and whats the sizing like? Archie wears a cob sized snaffle elevator normally, but the Albion KB is a full size and way too small for him
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So am going to try an extra full on him, but i really cant see how two makes can be so different? Am going to take an elevator double to try on him aswell to see what thats like.

Second question: If i go down a size in the bradoon (which is needed as its way too big) and up a size in the weymouth (which is also needed as it was so tight the poor little guys mouth was clamped in at the sides!) then my bradoon is going to be the same size as the weymouth, which isnt right........is it??
confused.gif
But currently my bradoon is about 3/4inch bigger than the weymouth - which was what i was told it should be, but its definately too big
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If you are having trouble with sizing, why not just buy a sliphead to convert your elevator into a double? That way you know the bridle fits and he is comfy in it...

JB xx
 
I wonder if the KB is stamped wrong or something, Archie, although tall isn't a chunky chap and I'd be surprised if he was bigger than a full.
Re the bits, I suppose not every horses moth fits the textbook so I wouldn't worry about having smae sized bit, just bit according to horse.

Whats the KB leather like? I've been eyeing up one for a while!
 
Thats a really good idea, however there isnt enough room on my elevator to put a sliphead through, as i could feed it just through the browband, but it would move about as there is nothing to keep it still if you see what i mean. Also i dont have a caveson noseband for my elevator, only a drop, altho that could be changed easily enough.
 
Really nice, i love it, its a gorgeous bridle!

I was really surprised aswell that it didnt fit, as i really dont think hes extra full sized, his head is quite small compared to the rest of him!! (just enough room for his pea sized brain
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)

Im taking the KB back tomoro night as its not paid for yet, just borrowed, so il measure it against another full size, and compare it to the extra full and then try one of those.

I agree with what you said about the bits, i suppose it dosent really matter as long as the horse is comfortable!
 
I have a normal snaffle KB and i bought the extra full for my boy even though he is normally full.
The tack shops size them as extra full, but Albion class them as warmblood size. My boy needed more room in the browband and noseband which the bigger size catered for perfectly. However he doesn't have a big cheek so I had to have the throatlash made smaller as I think i could have wrapped that around his head twice
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See the throat lash and browband were too big in the full one, but the slipheads where too short and the nosband too small and it wouldnt go down long enough, it was too far up his face if you see what i mean!
 
Its a proper pain in the backside, i was really looking forwards to trying him out in a double aswell
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Going to have to wait another week or so now for my next set of bits to arrive!
 
The way I fit double bits is to use a bradoon the size of the horse's "normal" snaffle (e.g. 5 1/2') and to go down 1/4 or 1/2' for the weymouth. Because the weymouth isn't jointed you want the cheeks to sit as close as possible to the corner of the horse's mouth. A bradoon (and a snaffle) needs to protrude by 1/4' on both sides.

I have similar problems fitting off the peg bridles to Oskar. My double is a "franken bridle" made up of a full sized noseband, extra full browband, and cob cheeks (its rolled so they do up over the poll, but I still had to put extra holes in them as it was too big.....)
 
What a nightmare. I'd be tempted to go and size it up to another one incase it's a dodgy one. If not maybe the Albion isn't for him
frown.gif
 
I love my KB snaffle and was considering getting the double BUT I then remembered when I got the snaffle one I had to change the leather piece at the back of the noseband or it didnt fit. Also just lately I have noticed that the snaffle has rubbed the back of one of Gen's ears (eek)!.

So I got a really really nice extra-full size bridle off ebay and it was really cheap. Was very dubious at first but the leather is lovely and the fit is good (need to make a hole in the length of the noseband).

Also bits - Gen has exactly the same size. Tried different ones and spoke to lady at Neue Schule and she said if he was comfy go with it and as I had spent a fortune and had so many 'fitting' probs we have - and its worked!

Would love an Elevator - just cant find the money for one.
 
I have the biggest size they stock in Inchs, i just phoned them and asked. I cant get it from anywhere else as with Inchs i can take them away, try it, and then take it back if its not right!! Whereas if i buy from somewhere else i have to go through the hassle of sending it back etc.
 
That is what I did regarding my KB bridles
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Alternatively, could you not buy one from somewhere else and just try it on him to see whether it fits and send it back if it does not?
 
[ QUOTE ]


So, first question: Does anyone else have an Albion KB double and whats the sizing like? Archie wears a cob sized snaffle elevator normally, but the Albion KB is a full size and way too small for him
confused.gif


Second question: If i go down a size in the bradoon (which is needed as its way too big) and up a size in the weymouth (which is also needed as it was so tight the poor little guys mouth was clamped in at the sides!) then my bradoon is going to be the same size as the weymouth, which isnt right........is it??
confused.gif
But currently my bradoon is about 3/4inch bigger than the weymouth - which was what i was told it should be, but its definately too big
frown.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

The Albions do come up small I think. I've ended up swapping the slip head and cheek pieces with a friend who bought one at the same time as mine was a bit small and hers was too big!
They are lovely quality though and I much prefer it to the Elevator. Someone else I knew got hers direct from Albion and they mixed and matched the different parts for her at no extra cost.

Re the bits I think 3/4 inch difference is too much. I only have 1/4 or at most 1/2 inch difference. My big horse has a 5 3/4 weymouth (normally wears a 5 3/4 snaffle) and a 6 bradoon.

Sounds like you need to go up 1/4 inch in the weymouth and down 1/4 inch in the bradoon.
 
I know I'm not a dressage person, but Sophie has a double bridle for her infrequent appearances as a show hunter, and her bradoon is 1/4" bigger than the weymouth which seems right for her.
She has an extra full size, but it is an ordinary double with a flat noseband so not what you are looking for!
Best of luck in finding a full size albion.

Fiona
 
i just use my ordinary jeffries bridle with a sliphead - and the two bits are the same size.

re bridle szes - Ron is IDx and has a fairly large head (or so i thougt) but both his bridles and his headcollar are actually cob size!
 
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