Inspired by nosebands thread-Browbands!

pistolpete

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 July 2009
Messages
3,635
Visit site
I could never find a big enough comfy browband for my broad headed beast so I made one out of stretchy black fabric which I plaited. Also Icelandic horses rarely have browbands or throat latches. Think there’s so much room for innovation with bridles.
 

Antw23uk

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 October 2012
Messages
4,058
Location
Behind you
Visit site
Tight browbands are a big bugbear of mine! Unfortunately most 'full' bridles simply dont have a browband big enough! I've always had to buy a full bridle and then purchase an extra full browband!

Going with out ..... im not convinced, how is the bridle gona stay on, lol! I feel like im riding with minimal tack most of the time anyway :)
 

JackFrost

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 October 2020
Messages
700
Visit site
A few years ago I took the browband off because the horse was unhappy about his ears being touched.
Never used one since on any of my horses.
 

Cortez

Tough but Fair
Joined
17 January 2009
Messages
15,148
Location
Ireland
Visit site
Depends on the shape of the horse's head and what he's doing, but probably most horses could do fine without a browband. So many normal bridles have too-small browband. Mine all go in either doma vaquera or Portuguese bridles which don't seem to have the same problem. I've made bigger browbands for every horsey friend I have.
 

Fjord

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 July 2009
Messages
2,084
Visit site
I didn't use a noseband or browband when I rode my mare with a bit. Now she's in a hackamore so has a loose-ish noseband but I haven't bothered to put the browband back on.
 

J&S

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 June 2012
Messages
2,488
Visit site
I would buy cob size bridles for my NF mare but always had to get a larger brow band. I broke in and rode a little NF stallion and he had the alarming habit of shaking his head and removing his bridle whilst riding! We had very limited tack for him and only rode him in his owner's field so no dreadful accidents. I think we had a brow band but no noseband.
 

Goldenstar

Well-Known Member
Joined
28 March 2011
Messages
46,018
Visit site
Each piece of a bridle needs to the correct size .
I would never by a whole bridle I buy all the pieces of a bridle to fit the horse .
I use Jeffries Fairfax and Albion KB bridles and have a bag of parts for each that I swop and change with .
I do like the Fairfax screw on brow bands very much .
Brow bands are often small I also hate seeing too long cheek pieces on bridles.
 

suestowford

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 July 2005
Messages
1,806
Location
At home
Visit site
Each piece of a bridle needs to the correct size .
I would never by a whole bridle I buy all the pieces of a bridle to fit the horse .
I use Jeffries Fairfax and Albion KB bridles and have a bag of parts for each that I swop and change with .
I do like the Fairfax screw on brow bands very much .
Brow bands are often small I also hate seeing too long cheek pieces on bridles.
For my Fell I needed pony sized cheek pieces, cob-sized headstall and full-sized browband.
 

milliepops

Wears headscarf aggressively
Joined
26 July 2008
Messages
27,538
Visit site
For my Fell I needed pony sized cheek pieces, cob-sized headstall and full-sized browband.
most of my bridles are parts this size. i have a couple of XF browbands. all my horses fit cob size headcollars.
the exception being an IR bridle which is really well designed, and is "cob size" all over but fits as above!
 

teddy_

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 March 2021
Messages
647
Location
East Sussex
Visit site
most of my bridles are parts this size. i have a couple of XF browbands. all my horses fit cob size headcollars.
the exception being an IR bridle which is really well designed, and is "cob size" all over but fits as above!
I have also found Jeffries bridles to be the best bet if you just want to buy one sodding bridle ?! They don't have overly long cheek pieces like so many bridles do.
 

milliepops

Wears headscarf aggressively
Joined
26 July 2008
Messages
27,538
Visit site
mine was made by Issi before Jeffries bought the design but it fits the same as a Jeffries one i had so presumably they stuck to her measurements :D
 

scruffyponies

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 March 2011
Messages
1,783
Location
NW Hampshire
Visit site
Short browband is a big problem for one my little Dartmoor with very forward set, tiny ears. His driving bridle falls off forwards, I presume because the browband isn't long enough. Going up a size isn't an option. It's already a bit big in every other way.

I am fortunate indeed that on those occasions when it has happened whilst we're driving along, he simply holds the bit in his mouth until I notice.
 

milliepops

Wears headscarf aggressively
Joined
26 July 2008
Messages
27,538
Visit site
yes, they are just the same as ordinary bridles but with blinkers arent they?
well i've only handled a couple of them when selling OH's driving kit but i wasn't sure if they were all the same. oh, one of them had them sort of riveted on but i didn't look to see if it could be swapped.
 

scruffyponies

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 March 2011
Messages
1,783
Location
NW Hampshire
Visit site
can you not swap the browbands on driving bridles?
Yes, but it's more fiddly, with blinkers and rosettes to disassemble. My problem is that the same bridle is used on 3 different ponies, and it fits the others just fine. Buster has a particularly broad, and especially handsome little pony head.

We may also have a slight hair problem :D

1641993158643.png
 

teddy_

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 March 2021
Messages
647
Location
East Sussex
Visit site
Yes, but it's more fiddly, with blinkers and rosettes to disassemble. My problem is that the same bridle is used on 3 different ponies, and it fits the others just fine. Buster has a particularly broad, and especially handsome little pony head.

We may also have a slight hair problem :D

View attachment 85698
Omg ? love him.
 
Top