Pushing the boat out

I’d not heard of the Finesse.

Quick look at a sales pic and it is pressing on the base of the ears of this horse, so it’s a no from me. Save yourself the £399 😳.

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Sabre Córdoba sensitive is my recommendation, not that you asked for it 🤣. My chiro vet is also a Lantra-certified bridle and bit fitter, and she approved of the fit of the Sabre Córdoba on my mare.

But as above, let the horse choose.
 
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Tiddlypom said:
I’d not heard of the Finesse.

Quick look at a sales pic and it is pressing on the base of the ears of this horse, so it’s a no from me. Save yourself the £399 😳.

View attachment 145372


Sabre Córdoba sensitive is my recommendation, not that you asked for it 🤣. My chiro vet is also a Lantra-certified bridle and bit fitter, and she approved of the fit of the Sabre Córdoba on my mare.

But as above, let the horse choose.
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Very nice.
 
Tiddlypom said:
I’d not heard of the Finesse.

Quick look at a sales pic and it is pressing on the base of the ears of this horse, so it’s a no from me. Save yourself the £399 😳.

View attachment 145372


Sabre Córdoba sensitive is my recommendation, not that you asked for it 🤣. My chiro vet is also a Lantra-certified bridle and bit fitter, and she approved of the fit of the Sabre Córdoba on my mare.

But as above, let the horse choose.
Click to expand...
Oh yes I see what you mean.Well hope YM will be there and I always listen carefully to her advice
 
cornbrodolly said:
Pic of the Finesse is everything I dislike about modern bridles....expensive , clunky, fitted tightly, crank noseband, flash. I just cannot believe a horse would choose that over an old 'fashioned ' flat leather hunter type bridle.
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I don't claim to be any sort of expert but apparently a well fitting and not overtightened crank is more comfortable than a plain caveson.However this is something I will be discussing with the bridle fitter.
 
Horsemanship saddlery is my go to. You order each peice individually so you can get a perfect fit. Its what my bit fitter recommends. She usually does some bit trials and tweaks to bridle fit then gives you a list of which parts you need.
 
Does the bridle fitter have more than those two makes? I agree with all the others that I'd just let the horse pick. Fwiw I have a fairfax and rate it but I think there are probably some cheaper options.
 
It's an interesting way of avoiding buckles and other pressure near the eye area you need to avoid (what's it called again ; ) ).
Agree it doesn't look comfy around the ears.

Horsemanship saddlery have a different solution and I know they are very popular, but I just don't like the 'look' of their bridles - entirely subjective.

When I was pushing the boat out (a bit less, but still) I ended up with an English Bridles Flat padded one. They will also sell individual pieces, as do a few other makes.
 
Tiddlypom said:
I’d not heard of the Finesse.

Quick look at a sales pic and it is pressing on the base of the ears of this horse, so it’s a no from me. Save yourself the £399 😳.

View attachment 145372


Sabre Córdoba sensitive is my recommendation, not that you asked for it 🤣. My chiro vet is also a Lantra-certified bridle and bit fitter, and she approved of the fit of the Sabre Córdoba on my mare.

But as above, let the horse choose.
Click to expand...
Is it just me or is the noseband on this pic just a little bit too high? Also think the headpiece looks clunky and too much on the ears
 
Has anyone got any bridles that they would actually recommend? I've been window shopping a lot, but have got confused by all the weird & wonderful new set-ups. I quite like the idea of having a gap at the poll to avoid nuchal pressure. I am not sure about the nosebands which sweep down from the poll & over the front of the nose in one swoop, & then the back of the noseband is higher up. Not sure how that 'works'. And everything seems to have a built-in non removable flash/micklem type thing...? I gave up in the end.
 
I like my Henry James bridles for minimising any pressure round the ears, I use this one
www.henryjamessaddlery.co.uk

Dressage bridle

This elegant dressage bridle is carefully crafted from the finest English Sedgwick leather and features an anatomic headpiece to offer maximum pressure relief thanks to its cut back anatomical design in conjunction with generous lightweight padding. Our unique anatomically shaped crank noseband...
www.henryjamessaddlery.co.uk

I like the fact the flash can be removed with no loop left behind, I don't mind a crank as I never have them tight, I just added my own browband. I also liked that I could buy the individual parts to get the best fit for my horses.

IMG_8816.jpeg
To recommend a bridle it does really depend on what your horse needs and prefers, I did use to compete in a copy of the fairfax drop as that horse preferred the feel of it as it helped stabilise the bit, as she was a little contact shy, so the stiller the bit the happier she was.
IMG_8815.jpeg
 
My horse likes the PS of Sweden Paladin with the flash loop cut off and the crank noseband loose. It has no throatlatch, a nice swoop to the noseband and plenty of ear room.
 
catembi said:
No extra full in the Henry James, but I do loke the look of it :)
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You could try sending them a message and seeing what they could do? I've used them for years and they have been very good, but they do seem to be growing in popularity now, so if there is a market they're not catering for they might appreciate knowing.

edit: I've just looked, if you buy the parts of the bridle individually they seem to do extra full?
 
catembi said:
Has anyone got any bridles that they would actually recommend? I've been window shopping a lot, but have got confused by all the weird & wonderful new set-ups. I quite like the idea of having a gap at the poll to avoid nuchal pressure. I am not sure about the nosebands which sweep down from the poll & over the front of the nose in one swoop, & then the back of the noseband is higher up. Not sure how that 'works'. And everything seems to have a built-in non removable flash/micklem type thing...? I gave up in the end.
Click to expand...
I really rate the micklem for fit but I dont use the flash at the bottom. Its just fastened on the first hole, not tight at all.
 
catembi said:
They did have an XF but it is greyed out so maybe temporarily sold out? A job for eBay, maybe! 😄
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Ah yeah probably just sold out for the moment. I’m biased as I have one for all my horses but I’d hold out for one!

Went back and looked because I want some XF reins and would have been gutted if they didn’t go that big.
 
Nothing has yet convinced me to switch from sabre cordoba as my main bridle base.
I do have fairfax grackles and drops that I fit to sabre if I need alternative to cavesson
 
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