I've got a Kincade breastplate, not sure what my bridle is as it came with my horse and have a v nice Black Country Saddle. It's no where near the best but I find it okay for day to day. It's quite supple after been cleaned a few times and I find it fine for hacking out in etc. It doesn't look cheap and is quite well made as well.
I have a kinkade pony bridle and my martingale and breastplate are by them. I hardly ever clean them
and they seem to be lasting fine. Bridle is abt 4yrs old but not used often and breastplate and martingale are 3 yrs old and used very regularly (so should clean them more)
all my neddies have kincade for the riding school work and I keep the posh stuff just for me!! It's fine for everyday riding but I found the full sized stuff came up really big on my tb so might be better for more cobby types perhaps
I bought a kincade bridle 4 years ago for every day use and it has been absoloutley fine, one keeper has broke in that time. The leather has started to wrinkle in place's but looks great after a clean, worth every penny IMO.
i have a kincade hunter breastplate and martingale - it's 3yrs old and to be honest unless you look carefully you cant tell the difference between that and my Jeffries stuff. About to buy a kincade bridle for every day use - i dont want anything expensive and the kincade stuff does seem to do fine.
[ QUOTE ]
I bought a kincade bridle 4 years ago for every day use and it has been absoloutley fine, one keeper has broke in that time. The leather has started to wrinkle in place's but looks great after a clean, worth every penny IMO.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto - mine's coming up to 4 years now and the keeper snapped off the throatlash last week but it's otherwise still looking good. Fantastic everyday exercise bridle really and it was only £22. Also have their breastplate/martingale and that's been fine too although I have a nice posh one too for special occasions.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I bought a kincade bridle 4 years ago for every day use and it has been absoloutley fine, one keeper has broke in that time. The leather has started to wrinkle in place's but looks great after a clean, worth every penny IMO.
[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto - mine's coming up to 4 years now and the keeper snapped off the throatlash last week but it's otherwise still looking good. Fantastic everyday exercise bridle really and it was only £22. Also have their breastplate/martingale and that's been fine too although I have a nice posh one too for special occasions.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yup, ditto that too. Mine has lasted years (and I never clean or oil it). It looks in better condition than my Sabre one which is marked and stretched looking, and it costed over 5 times as much!
I've got a Kincade elasticated breastplate and I thought it was great value for money. It's lasted really well and it's not nearly the nastiest leather I've seen by a long shot!
I bought a fantastic cheap bridle a few years a ago, only cost about £25.00 but I can't remember if it was Kincade or hydrophane..? anyway being a sucker for English leather only (mother was very old school when it came to tack) I thought well for that price I'll give it a whirl, everyday bridle, won't matter if he rubs his face on the stable wall and scratches it for that price etc etc...well it was a smashing bridle (ok the black dye did come out a little when I first cleaned it) but it used to polish up really well, never cracked, never broke..smashing bridle!! in fact its still being used now by the new owner as I sold the horse! however I did put a pair of english reins on though.
Bought another foreign bridle for my new horse (wasn't kinkade or hydrophone, can't remember the made) and the noseband cracked straight away when I cleaned it! absolute rubbish!!!
So I think it depends on the batch of leather that they use when they make the bridle, wouldn't go with the make I'd just really carefully inspect it, bend it in the shop, if it cracks just errrrm bob it back behind the rest!