Showing and Micklem Bridles

[acorn92x]

To keep things short, my horse hates conventional bridles; she won't settle into contact and headshakes furiously. I've had her teeth, back, neck and poll checked and there are no underlying issues. She's quite a sensitive soul an is very fussy in the mouth (Will only accept bits with a port or with a rotating mouth piece like a Myler) and with contact (Must be light but very consistent, she'll rear if you are too heavy handed) but she settled almost instantly in the Micklem and has been happy in it ever since with numerous placings in dressage since we started using it. I'd like to do a local show with her (Ridden cob class) however I tried her in a conventional bridle (Always in a cavesson noseband with her Myler hanging cheek snaffle) over the weekend and she was still headshaking and not happy (Nose poking and just not willing to accept the contact) so I'm not willing to push the issue at the moment. How frowned upon would it be to use a Micklem at local level? A lot of showing shows local to me are quite competitive and people do tend to wear the correct tack and turnout so I'm aware that I may potentially be marked down because a Micklem isn't traditional tack. If it's a real no no then I'll just do inhand classes with her as I'm not too fussed, was just wondering really!

 

[be positive]

You may have a comment about it from the judge but if the horse goes well enough it should not make any difference to where you get placed, there are normally a few horses in the "wrong" tack, use the day for experience and see how you do.

 

[AdorableAlice]

You may have a comment about it from the judge but if the horse goes well enough it should not make any difference to where you get placed, there are normally a few horses in the "wrong" tack, use the day for experience and see how you do.

At local level you do see all sorts of interesting kit being used. We were local showing yesterday and a hunter arrived in the ring sporting a V shape bling browband, flash and a showjumping saddle with stud girth.

I judge local and riding club level and if you were in my class I would take no notice until the ride judge was about to get on, then I would ask if there was a reason for the Micklem, expecting to hear as you described above. We used a Micklem on our bonkers carthorse who had big issues around his ears when he was being broken. They are useful bridles.

Good luck and enjoy your day out.