Help with bridle sizing (Henry James or recommendations)

[TPO]

I've measured in line with the guide on Henry James but I'm not convinced that Chip is even horse shaped based on my measurements!

Previously I've bought full and cob sized bridles (of the same brand) but neither have fitted. Cob has been far too small and full has even been tight on browband and nose but too long.

He currently has a Weaver western head stall in a standard "Quarter Horse" size and it's pretty much on the shortest hole for cheekpieces and longest hole for throatlash.

So I've measured him against the HJ guide and the results are:
Headpiece - cob
Browband - full
Cheekpieces - full
Noseband - cob

This all seems a bit random to me ?

I was wondering if anyone had an HJ bridle and how they fitted i.e. big or small and if the air 3d headpiece makes a difference?

Otherwise wondering if anyone had any bridle recommendations for odd shaped horses I'm all ears!

TIA

 

[DirectorFury]

That sounds about right to me tbf, mine has the 3D headpiece (which I love) and I think she’s got a full headpiece, xfull browband (not HJ), cob cheek pieces, and full noseband. As long as the measurements are correct don’t worry too much about the mixture of sizes.

I feel your pain about bridles of other brands being too small in cob size and weirdly huge and too small in full size *looks at Shires*.

Is that your boy in your avatar? Because I’d be inclined to try a full size noseband rather than cob.

 

[criso]

Can't comment on HJ but when tb was in a traditional bridle I ended up with full headpiece, cob cheekpieces and x full browband and no noseband looked right so some don't seem to fit in standard sizes. In fact you would get the same overall length as your cob headpiece full cheekpiece combo, the difference would be where the buckles sit. He's in a Micklem small horse though throatlash bit is on the last hole.

Are they offering a mix and match service or are you buying parts. If the first, I would check with HJ if you can return/exchange if it doesn't fit. There are exceptions to the distance selling regs re personalised or custom made items and I have heard of people being refused returns from other companies not HJ for bridles. It's not being made to measure but is mix and match parts but personally wouldn't want the hassle of trying to argue the point.

 

[emilylou]

My horse is fairly standard full and was full in HJ, but the crank noseband was too tight so had to get a larger size bottom strap. Your measurements sound about right to me, but their customer service is excellent so if bridle arrives and you need to exchange some parts for different sizes its very easy to do.

edit- if horse in avatar then size up for noseband, I do think their nosebands run slightly small

 

[milliepops]

My bridles are all mix and match with the exception of my IR one, nothing else off the peg has fitted any of mine.

 

[TPO]

Thanks, yes that's him in my avatar (wearing a cob sized horseware headcollar of that helps).

I did wonder about the noseband because the full sized ecorider noseband didnt fasten on him.

I'm most surprised at the cheekpieces; I didnt think his head was that long.

Thank you, away to do some black Friday shopping!

 

[w1bbler]

Order both sizes if in between, I ordered loads of extras & their return process was easy & quick . Refund of what I sent back was in my account within hours of them getting bits back.
Love my bridle

 

[criso]

I'm most surprised at the cheekpieces; I didnt think his head was that long.

But you've got a cob size headpiece so overall length from poll to mouth is between a cob and full. Mine that I mentioned has a short head, I already had a full bridle and the easiest thing was to get cob size cheekpieces but from scratch I might have ended up with your combo.

 

[TPO]

That's it ordered but 10wk wait for the cavesson noseband ?

 

[poiuytrewq]

I’ve gone with all cob parts simply because it’s dark and yuck outside and I have my pj’s on ?
I tried to measure against a bridle but they seemed way off so figure I did it wrong.
? hoping for the best

 

[Scarlett]

First of all the HJ bridles are lovely.

New TB has a big head, bigger than the others. He has a full headpiece - the 3D Air - and its big. I'd go Cob for the others.
Full browband, as always as I'm paranoid about pinching.
Cob cheek pieces.
I got a grackle in full initially and it was huge, so swapped for Cob. Then bought a cavesson and the Cob is a bit small.

The 3D Air headpiece is lovely. Dunno if it makes a difference as I haven't ridden him in anything else but it sits beautifully.

 

[TPO]

First of all the HJ bridles are lovely.

New TB has a big head, bigger than the others. He has a full headpiece - the 3D Air - and its big. I'd go Cob for the others.
Full browband, as always as I'm paranoid about pinching.
Cob cheek pieces.
I got a grackle in full initially and it was huge, so swapped for Cob. Then bought a cavesson and the Cob is a bit small.

The 3D Air headpiece is lovely. Dunno if it makes a difference as I haven't ridden him in anything else but it sits beautifully.

It's the cheek pieces that are throwing me the most. The cob measured up really small and even full looked a wee bit short. He has a D ring bit so that might be playing a part? His head is definitely shorter than Vinnie's and hes a standard full in a bridle.

Now the hard part of waiting 10wks to try it ?

 

[poiuytrewq]

First of all the HJ bridles are lovely.

New TB has a big head, bigger than the others. He has a full headpiece - the 3D Air - and its big. I'd go Cob for the others.
Full browband, as always as I'm paranoid about pinching.
Cob cheek pieces.
I got a grackle in full initially and it was huge, so swapped for Cob. Then bought a cavesson and the Cob is a bit small.

The 3D Air headpiece is lovely. Dunno if it makes a difference as I haven't ridden him in anything else but it sits beautifully.

This makes me happy ?‍Sounds like mine should fit!

 

[poiuytrewq]

It's the cheek pieces that are throwing me the most. The cob measured up really small and even full looked a wee bit short. He has a D ring bit so that might be playing a part? His head is definitely shorter than Vinnie's and hes a standard full in a bridle.

Now the hard part of waiting 10wks to try it ?

6-10 weeks... just maybe we will get lucky and it only be 6 ?

 

[Scarlett]

It's the cheek pieces that are throwing me the most. The cob measured up really small and even full looked a wee bit short. He has a D ring bit so that might be playing a part? His head is definitely shorter than Vinnie's and hes a standard full in a bridle.

Now the hard part of waiting 10wks to try it ?

Just checked - mine has full cheek pieces so that might be OK. I thought they were cob but no!

Here's his, cheek pieces are OK! That's all full-size but the grackle.

 

[TPO]

He's cute

Thanks for the photo. My sizes might be ok then because I ordered the cob headpiece, full U shaped browband, full cheekpieces (same bit as you it looks like) and went for the full noseband off the advice from @DirectorFury. His nose randomly measured as cob but previous cob bridles haven't come close to fastening ?

 

[Scarlett]

He's cute

Thanks for the photo. My sizes might be ok then because I ordered the cob headpiece, full U shaped browband, full cheekpieces (same bit as you it looks like) and went for the full noseband off the advice from @DirectorFury. His nose randomly measured as cob but previous cob bridles haven't come close to fastening ?

Cavesson noseband? I have cob size and it only fastens on the second hole, probably should have gone for a full but I only realised that after I used it, typically.