Micklem bridles - double bridles?

F

flippa_t

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 February 2011
Messages
140
Visit site
Hi

Thinking about trying a micklem on my youngster who is tense in the jaw and needs to relax into the contact more. My dilemma though is what about when we (hopefully) progress enough inBD to move into a double?

Thoughts please......
 
Personally I would persevere an look at the tightness of your current bridle, the fit of it, different bits. teeth etc. I am not a fan of the micklem, whenever I see them they SHOUT contact issue (and so does it to most judges I know), which rightly or wrongly makes me look at the rider (it is just another bit of kit to me) they are pricey and I don't agree with the 'science' behind them.

HOWEVER, each to their own, I am sure you will come across positive stories etc, go with your gut. If you have looked at every other possible issue and it is the last straw why not try it if you can afford it.
 
The BD rules on doubles are that ONLY cavesson nosebands are allowed. However, you don't HAVE to use a double unless riding under FEI rules (so PSG up if under FEI rules, but can use a snaffle up to GP under National rules)

I agree re: the shouting contact issue thing - when I've ridden for judges they do bring it up and say it makes them look at the contact closer.

However some horses do go fantastically in them.
 
That's really interesting thanks, you've both hit the nail exactly on the head of why I've been stalling buying one! I've not had the horse long so currently he's in a hand-me-down bridle which is a bit on the small side and I'm resigned to the fact I need to buy him a new bigger one and was debating whether to get a traditional in a bigger size or try a micklem (SJ / eventing friends raving). Changed his bit and dentist coming Wednesday. His tension issues were there when I tried him pre-purchase so it's not just his current tight bridle, although I'm sure it's not helping!
 
flippa_t said:
That's really interesting thanks, you've both hit the nail exactly on the head of why I've been stalling buying one! I've not had the horse long so currently he's in a hand-me-down bridle which is a bit on the small side and I'm resigned to the fact I need to buy him a new bigger one and was debating whether to get a traditional in a bigger size or try a micklem (SJ / eventing friends raving). Changed his bit and dentist coming Wednesday. His tension issues were there when I tried him pre-purchase so it's not just his current tight bridle, although I'm sure it's not helping!
Click to expand...

Most horses tend to either go noticeably better or worse in one, as far as I've seen, but unless it REALLY sorts out a contact problem (for example my friend did dressage on a horse with a fractured cheekbone which only went well in a micklem) then I'd avoid personally and use a drop instead.

In terms of doubles I've seen adverts for anatomical-type bridles by Albion amongst others in the BD magazine which may be worth a look (NOT so called 'comfort' bridles though).
 
Was also looking at the albions, it'll be a while until I need to worry about doubles but I'm planning ahead and don't want to make a rod from my own back if he gets used to mickelm only. I had thought about hiring but it costs more in the first place to buy (and refund less the hire charge) so think probably better off buying cheaper then selling on eBay if doesn't work for my boy.

Leaning towards trying a standard "comfort"/ergonomic bridle I think - anyone got any recommendations for one that doesn't cost a fortune ( too early days for that)? Evision equine or Albion KB?
 
flippa_t said:
Was also looking at the albions, it'll be a while until I need to worry about doubles but I'm planning ahead and don't want to make a rod from my own back if he gets used to mickelm only. I had thought about hiring but it costs more in the first place to buy (and refund less the hire charge) so think probably better off buying cheaper then selling on eBay if doesn't work for my boy.

Leaning towards trying a standard "comfort"/ergonomic bridle I think - anyone got any recommendations for one that doesn't cost a fortune ( too early days for that)? Evision equine or Albion KB?
Click to expand...

Don't go for a standard 'comfort' - is it cremedemonthe on here who talked about the weakness of the leather due to the cut out holes on the headpiece? Put me right off. But some of the ergonomic ones look spot on.
 
I moved my girl into a dy'on shaped comfort bridle, after she'd spent time in a Micklem getting rid of the memory of poll pain that she had when I bought her... And she's just as good in it as she was in the Micklem, which had made a significant improvement on 'normal' bridles. I don't think the 'thread through' comfort bridles are so effective as the noseband can still pull the noseband-headpiece downwards, it just spreads the pressure over a larger area because it's over the top, whereas the single shaped headpiece bridles seem more stable to me. I do keep the cavesson nice and loose though, which I think makes a significant difference to whether the noseband puts pressure over the poll in any bridle. The Dy'on was £200 I think, but it is lurvely.
 
Mine goes really nicely in a well fitted Caldene with a drop noseband, we used to have a contact issue so I stripped it right back to no noseband so he could really relax then introduced the drop failry loosely and no probs since really.
 
Batgirl said:
Mine goes really nicely in a well fitted Caldene with a drop noseband, we used to have a contact issue so I stripped it right back to no noseband so he could really relax then introduced the drop failry loosely and no probs since really.
Click to expand...

Echo this - I tested by taking off the noseband first and got an improvement which gave me confidence the Micklem would make a difference. Then when moving on from the micklem we just needed to ensure the noseband was very comfortable all round and any headpiece was cut far enough back from the ears.
 
A lot of people are using the Micklem as "standard" now i.e. on a horse which doesn't have contact issues. I hope another manufacturer brings out something similar/cheaper for more people to try and make them stand out a bit less. I have one and my horse is very consistent and settled in the contact - hopefully we wouldn't be penalised by a judge just for wearing one!?!

ETS My horse also goes well in a standard double with hunter cavesson (he has to as he is shown!). Hope that helps OP!
 
I have never seen someone penalised, however it does draw the eye and suggest contact issues. When you think how hard the rules are on bits etc it is the only bit of 'kit' allowed so it stands out, they were sold to fix contact issues and until that reputation dissipates I think it will always draw the judges eye. However if the horse is going well then the marks should still be fair.
 
Foxford said:
A lot of people are using the Micklem as "standard" now i.e. on a horse which doesn't have contact issues. I hope another manufacturer brings out something similar/cheaper for more people to try and make them stand out a bit less. I have one and my horse is very consistent and settled in the contact - hopefully we wouldn't be penalised by a judge just for wearing one!?!

ETS My horse also goes well in a standard double with hunter cavesson (he has to as he is shown!). Hope that helps OP!
Click to expand...

Batgirl said:
I have never seen someone penalised, however it does draw the eye and suggest contact issues. When you think how hard the rules are on bits etc it is the only bit of 'kit' allowed so it stands out, they were sold to fix contact issues and until that reputation dissipates I think it will always draw the judges eye. However if the horse is going well then the marks should still be fair.
Click to expand...

Batgirl is spot on - they have a reputation for fixing contact issues, so they draw the judge's eye to the contact. You won't be penalised for wearing one as they are legal, however any slight contact issues may be picked up quicker than without the 'flag' of a micklem. If the horse goes well, you won't suffer from it - but if you don't NEED one then it will highlight any inconsistencies in the contact to a judge.

You are right that a lot of people now just use them regardless of contact issues - they are fashionable right now. Everybody would love a quick fix, and because they really are wonderful for some horses, everyone wants to try one! I sat writing for a style jumping judge the other day, and she kept a running commentary of 'another fashionista here with her Micklem... horse doesn't go that well in it, makes you question whether the horse is a victim to fashion or whether it's even worse without one...'
 
We purely use one on my mum's section d as we struggled to fit a noseband due to a tooth thats growing out under his jaw.
Noone says youll have to stick with one. If it allows your horse to trust leather work and a bit, gives him confidence, then maybe you'll be able to compete in a "standard bridle"
I dont use a micklem on my lad, however when i got him i was advised id never hold him in a snaffle, he would have to be strapped down. He has two bridles; ones a loose ring french link and the other a myler hanging cheek. What Im getting at is sometimes its worth trying new things.
Why not hire one for two weeks. See how he settles. Take the dressage one step at a time. At unaffiliated level i compete against a lot of riders in them. You dont see them as much at affiliated.
 
khalswitz said:
I sat writing for a style jumping judge the other day, and she kept a running commentary of 'another fashionista here with her Micklem... horse doesn't go that well in it, makes you question whether the horse is a victim to fashion or whether it's even worse without one...'
Click to expand...

That was pretty unprofessional of her!
 
Gamebird said:
That was pretty unprofessional of her!
Click to expand...

I'll be honest, she made my eyebrows raise with some of her comments, but she had that dry kind of humour... And to be fair the comments made were spot on. I actually learned a hell of a lot. (She's also pretty high up and very qualified!!!)

And case in point she didn't comment on the actual micklem in the cases where the horse went very well in it.
 
Another vote for the Dy'on - I much prefer that style of comfort bridle (where the headpiece is only one piece rather than having the noseband running over it), and I think my horse prefers it too. I got the entry-level one at Olympia last year, it was £120 and the leather is beautiful. If you want to try that style but for a little less then the Shires Avingnon is a cheaper copy at just over £40 - the headpiece is the same but a little thinner and the throatlash is conventional rather than clipping up higher on the headpiece, but the principle is the same. I use that one for hacking and the Dy'on for schooling, and the leather on the Avingnon is perfectly good too.
 
I hadn't heard of the Dy'on but just looked at website and looks good, and some great riders endorsing too. Just shame nowhere near me seems to stock to look at before buy.
 
I find with my mare that the micklem cured a lot of problems while she was wearing it. I can ride her in a standard bridle for about three days before she starts chomping and bridle lameness. So I could ride her in a normal bridle for a dressage test for instance, then have to go back to the micklem to keep her "right". Tried lots of other things inc bit less, incidentally.
 
Gamebird said:
That was pretty unprofessional of her!
Click to expand...
Quite.

I'm no 'fashionista', but I tried my horses in a Micklem, initially just in the lungeing configuration, was pleased with the results and have kept them.

It's quite amusing reading all the sarky remarks about Micklems. They're just another piece of kit that help some horses a lot, like neue schule bits. Not sure why some people get so aerated about them.
 
Tiddlypom said:
It's quite amusing reading all the sarky remarks about Micklems. They're just another piece of kit that help some horses a lot, like neue schule bits. Not sure why some people get so aerated about them.
Click to expand...

Yes I agree. I rode mine in a Micklem when she developed a tongue over the bit habit when standing still (not when working). It stopped it and she now doesn't do it. I've recently just put her back into her 'normal bridle' (only because someone wanted to borrow my Micklem for a few days) and she's going really well with no tongue antics at all so will probably keep her in it and keep the Micklem for if and when I need it.

My friend wrote at a recent BE event and when having lunch with a table full of judges, was astounded at some of their hatred for them, claiming that they are 'for riders who can't control their horses'. Friend said the judge she was writing for would shudder and complain every time one came into their arena and noticeably mark it down. I was competing in mine at that event and got a disappointing dressage score for a nice test so I probably had one of those judges lol

Same friend was last week writing at an International event at Brightling for a certain Olympic Ground Jury member (JHR!) who commented that she saw no problem with them at all and wouldn't judge them any differently and neither should any judge....

Dressage is subjective and judges like what they like, annoying though that some can't just judge what they see rather than some misconceptions they may have.
 
Last edited:
Tiddlypom said:
Quite.

I'm no 'fashionista', but I tried my horses in a Micklem, initially just in the lungeing configuration, was pleased with the results and have kept them.

It's quite amusing reading all the sarky remarks about Micklems. They're just another piece of kit that help some horses a lot, like neue schule bits. Not sure why some people get so aerated about them.
Click to expand...

This.

Cannot believe the hatred for them! Very unprofessional of judges to be marking down or even just giving out purely on the basis of someone having their horse in one! Like everything it works for some and not for others.. Here (in Ireland) they are extremely popular and I have never even contemplated them as being For fashion?? Had one for a mare I used to ride and she went fab in it I got it cheap and it was Havana (aka bright orange) and was definitely not my order choice for style but she went so sweetly and completely cured her to floppy tongue antics and on a loose setting. Instead of welding her mouth shut with a flash as her previous rider had done.

Just my opinion! Didn't think they were so scandalous!
 
shortstuff99 said:
Why is riding in a micklem advertising a contact issue and riding in a flash or drop doesn't? Riders are using flashes or drops for contact issues or they would be in plain cavessons,
Click to expand...

To be fair I have also written for judges who commented on flashes etc.

I have nothing against micklems, but I have written for and been taught by enough judges who say that they would be looking closer at the contact in a micklem for me not to want to bother. If my horse was fussy in the contact and needed a micklem, I might try one - but doesn't that say it all?? It's mainly (not all but a lot) contact problems that lead people to micklems, so there is something to look for! I've never heard a judge mark down for a micklem straight off, but it causes them to look closer at the issue and then sometimes marks can be lost.

It's like how riders with wobbly hands tend to ride in dark gloves, but the dark gloves can draw attention to the fact you are trying to hide the hands!!

I think it's completely fair. I know you describe it as another bit of 'kit' but most going-altering kit is banned in dressage, so I think seeing something that is designed to rectify a problem SHOULD flag up things to look at. In the same way flashes make you look at the jaw tension!!
 
I don't think the Micklem was originally sold as being good for horses with dodgy contact, well not by the manufacturer anyway! It was designed to reduce pressure on key areas of the head - the fact that it made many horses more comfortable probably did solve a lot of contact issues, and that's where the whole thing stemmed from?

I think they've become so common now that most people don't give them a second glance. Certainly judges that I've sat in with, written for, trained with, etc, don't mind them and will score according to the way of going for that test.
 
I considered the Micklem as I wanted a more comfortable headpiece for my mare. She just needs a plain noseband - the looser the better - so I was put off by the 'drop' noseband element of the bridle. I really struggled to find a nice plain, padded comfort headpiece bridle that didn't have either a crank noseband and/or a flash. I settled for a Sabre Cordoba - and it is a lovely bridle. My mare loves it, and is nice and settled in it.

I'm surprised that a judge would mark a Micklem down against a crank plus flash - maybe I'm missing something?

I'm not sure it is fair to say it is fashion either - most people just want their horse to be comfy and happy in their work. Surely if it suits your horse and they are settled and happy in their work, that is a good thing.
 
McFluff said:
I considered the Micklem as I wanted a more comfortable headpiece for my mare. She just needs a plain noseband - the looser the better - so I was put off by the 'drop' noseband element of the bridle. I really struggled to find a nice plain, padded comfort headpiece bridle that didn't have either a crank noseband and/or a flash. I settled for a Sabre Cordoba - and it is a lovely bridle. My mare loves it, and is nice and settled in it.

I'm surprised that a judge would mark a Micklem down against a crank plus flash - maybe I'm missing something?

I'm not sure it is fair to say it is fashion either - most people just want their horse to be comfy and happy in their work. Surely if it suits your horse and they are settled and happy in their work, that is a good thing.
Click to expand...

As I said, I haven't met a judge who would actively mark down just for a micklem - but it makes them look closer at the contact, which could then lose you marks.

Also, certainly up here, fashion is a huge part of it. I know several people just on my yard who have bought them because 'so and so' is using one - no difference in their own horses way of going though! To me that's like using a grackle because 'everyone does', or using a flash because it's on the bridle when you buy it. If you don't need the kit, then it is just fashion - if you do need the kit, then usually it is for a contact issue, and therefore fair for judges to be looking closer. So I absolutely stand by my view.

As I said already, but bears repeating, I have seen horses go FABULOUSLY in them - but the ones that have gone the best have had genuine problems before, such as a friends horse with a fractured cheekbone, and another who was a major head shaker (not a clinical head shaker) prior to micklem. If your horse goes considerably better in one, it's worth drawing the judges eye, as a better test will still be marked better! However if I didn't need one I wouldn't be using one.

Also the original question was about micklems for a double, which is illegal, end of.
 
The original question wasn't about the possibility of using a "double" Micklem but was about whether moving to a Micklem might resolve a problem for now only for it to recur when the horse graduates to a double. It's an odd perception that Micklems are kit which "resolve" an issue, when in fact most of the issues they resolve are caused by the standard bridle's shape and construction. So they're affecting the performance less, whereas the standard bridle affects the performance (negatively) more, in those cases. They are just more comfortable for a lot of horses (not all) so it's really no different to putting them in a more comfortable saddle. Without the clips on the bit, which you can 't use for dressage anyway, the real difference to the horse is around poll comfort and how the noseband sits, and all round lightness.

In answer to the original question, I'd see it as a progressive thing. If the Micklem makes your horse more comfortable and you can get better, healthier training into them as a result then you will likely find yourself in a much better position when you need to cross the double bridle bridge as you get to it, than if you plough on not making so much improvement in the meantime. Then you won't be working in the double all the time anyway so will still want a good snaffle set up that works for you. I never sensed a judge having an issue and have written for a fair few, but what's the odd uninformed comment or score if it's part of getting you where you want to go more successfully? There is no such thing as arriving, there is only the journey, and all that! ;-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top