In-Hand Bridles for Youngsters

[winchester]

I know you should show your youngsters in an in-hand bridle up to the age of three but looking at them yesterday they are so thin and will look drowned on a big 2yo hunter! What does everyone else do? Do you just use the standard ones or get ones made up to fit your horse?

 

[Aredis]

Hi

I show everything from 1 to 3 years in plain snaffle bridles, select the best width of cheek pieces and noseband to suit the size of your horses head.

I find yearlings suit 5/8 inch wide leather cheek pieces moving up to 3/4 inch at two.

Use a three point newmarket coupling to a long leather lead rein with the main contact being on the noseband as yearlings and gradualy alter the coupling until they are solely on the bit by two.

This one won the hunter breeding Championship at Derby County in 2010

 

[Cedars]

I bought the chunkiest cob one I could find for Puzzle and just used it on the smallest holes. It altered pretty easily to fit her youngsters head without needing specialist parts. The pony fitted but looked stupidly flimsy. Plus point being it should still fit this summer, yippee! Don't spend a fortune though. I went to my local saddlers and they just had a rack of in hand bridles. I spent about £60 and it was lush without breaking the bank. Will find a photo....

 

[Cedars]

Her noseband is too high up though, I should have dropped it down a hole! But you see what I mean.

 

[CBFan]

I noticed my boy had grown out of his in hand bridle just before a show last year so used a nice caveson bridle instead:

here is his in hand bridle worn earlier last year:

He's 17hh and rising 3 years old in these pics.