Has this happened to anyone else, and what could have caused it?

scruffyponies

scruffyponies

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Luckily the little stallion in my avatar is a bit of a dude, so he wasn't too bothered when his bridle fell off his face suddenly in heavy traffic. It must have slipped over his ear or something because he just tossed his head and off it went. He hesitated for a moment, then just carried on as if nothing had happened. We were on the last mile home, so he was quite happy to just get on with things.

I hopped off, pulled him aside by the rein around his neck to let cars pass, and popped it back on; no bother.
However I'm damned if I know how it happened. It's the same bridle he has worn for 10 years and it fits. Throat-lash buckled correctly. Nothing broken.

Did someone grease his ears?
 
I have a little Dartmoor who has been known to lose his driving bridle over the front, but in his case it is his extraordinarily small ears and (slightly too) large heavy blinkered bridle which are to blame. Even he has never lost a riding bridle.
 
Never had that, only with an ear veil on. We won't mention the time I was rushing after work before it got too dark, I had actually tacked up with only one ear and side of his head in the headpiece. :rolleyes: :oops: ☺️Luckily I noticed before we had ventured very far. Crikey what a good job yours is a good sort that could really have gone pear shaped!
 
Mrs. Jingle said:
Never had that, only with an ear veil on. We won't mention the time I was rushing after work before it got too dark, I had actually tacked up with only one ear and side of his head in the headpiece. :rolleyes: :oops: ☺️Luckily I noticed before we had ventured very far. Crikey what a good job yours is a good sort that could really have gone pear shaped!
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I did that once! I also had a bridle break very randomly. I can't remember where but my boy just carried on like nothing had happened!
 
I’ve seen a bridle just come off xc, it was the most basic thing with no noseband and the throat lash was done up (although I think in most cases a throat lash wouldn’t stop a bridle coming off). No idea why. Thankfully it was as they were slowing to a halt.
 
My small eared old boys bridle fell off a number of times when riding but I think each time he was wearing an ear bonnet so I had to stop using them. However his bridle (no bonnet) would also come off when hand-grazing whilst on box rest and it fell off once when I was hand grazing on the lane verge and I was day dreaming and suddenly realised he was no longer wearing it! I hastily put it back on fortunately he hadn’t noticed and after that I had to plait his mane to his forelock to stop it coming off.
 
rextherobber said:
Never happened to me either, but I'm sure I've seen a showjumper have it happen mid round
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I'm sure I saw this recently, maybe hoys. Rider didn't notice because his contact kept the bit in then it all fell off at the end.

OP I've only ever known it with ear bonnets but I guess small ears and a lot of mane would make it more likely. I hardly ever use ears but when I do I do a small plait and thread it through the ears and headpiece. Works to keep grazing muzzles on too.
 
My daugther had this happen to her mid round showjumping when she was about 10. She turned in tight to a fence in the jump off and the bridle, unaltered for months, just slid straight off. Fortunately, the pony stopped to find out what was going on.
 
I've had it happen to mine, I think what caused it was rein pressure on his snaffle lifted the bit in his mouth, caused a bit of slack in the cheekpieces right as he moved his head and it was enough to slide off the front! Never happened again thankfully!
 
canteron said:
Is he hairy and have you got a bridle path cut? Yes, it has happened when my hairy horse’s bridle path grew out, the bridle caught on something and there we were, riding bridle less!!
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Very much unruly mane, although not particularly thick, and no bridlepath although carefully separated when bridled every time. This is definitely part of it.
FitzyFitz said:
I've had it happen to mine, I think what caused it was rein pressure on his snaffle lifted the bit in his mouth, caused a bit of slack in the cheekpieces right as he moved his head and it was enough to slide off the front! Never happened again thankfully!
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I think this must be part of it too.
 
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