What bridle(s) do you use and why?

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I’m a bit bored and I thought it’d be interesting as to what people’s favourite bridles brands and styles are, and noseband preferences and what they use and why.

Also: does a flat cavesson noseband suit every type of head in your opinion? Are there some horses better suited to the raised type
 
I use an English leather bridle made to measure for my now retired Arab mare by Kis Vihar saddlery. It's a plain cavesson with plaited reins. I use it without a noseband and with a french link on the Arab gelding I now share. Fits him really well. Don't like fussy bridles or too much on the horse's face.
 
Henry James cavasson bridle. I bought each bit separately to suit what I wanted.
It has a shaped padded headpiece and a simple cavasson noseband. Although the browband I bought elsewhere for a bit of sparkle.

Edited to change photo as wrong bridle shown !
 

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dixie said:
Henry James cavasson bridle. I bought each bit separately to suit what I wanted.
It has a shaped padded headpiece and a simple cavasson noseband. Although the browband I bought elsewhere for a bit of sparkle.

Edited to change photo as wrong bridle shown !
Click to expand...

The throatlash isn't that tight, I think it must be just the angle - although I'm now going to check my other photos...……..
 
Robin has a mark Todd. It has a padded headpiece and NON crank padded nose and. I originally bought one for soli, he didn’t need a flash and I wanted something padded. Robin had it handed down then I bought the exact same bridle again after he broke it.
 

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I do very odd things with my horses so not much use for comparisons. They are all Spanish and are ridden in Spanish or Portuguese bridles (usually Spanish at home and fancy Portuguese for work), curb bits, one set of reins and no throatlash.
 
Daily bridle is an English leather Native Pony bridle https://www.nativeponybridles.co.uk/
with wide cavesson noseband. If going out jumping I swap in an old but serviceable drop noseband for B.
Good quality laced reins for every day, if v wet I'll swap in a continental set.

Going out bridle is also a NP bridle with wide cavesson noseband and plaited browband, plaited rein if snaffle, adding a plain rein if I change bit to Pelham.

Yucky but soft and serviceable yard bridle is a black bridle with white padded headpiece and padded noseband, its v light in weight, hangs in corner of feed room. No idea of make!
 
My work bridle is an incredibly badly looked after black leather Derby House comfort head piece bridle. I took the noseband off and cut off the straps it attached to as I either ride without a noseband on most horses or a grackle on others. They race in grackles. I need new reins thinking on it, there ks very little grip left on them and I like them thin-ish as I have little hands. The racing reins are too thick and I cant bridge my reins how I like with them.

My showing bridles are everything from Shires inhand bridles to Jeffries double bridles. My ridden bridles have flat cavesson nosebands. My inhand bridles have rolled, stitched nosebands on them. I wont use crank nosebands. I would rather not use a noseband at all as it is a bit pointless but it is the done thing in showing so on they must go. It's just another bit of tack to clean!!!
 
Everyday bridle is also for dressage as life is too short not to wear best bridle everyday, and is a Shadow Horse Silver Crown comfort where the noseband attaches to the padded and shaped headpiece. It is all light and not too wide. Gorgeous leather, still looks like new 3 years on. It has a loose cavesson with a Sprenger lozenge loose ring.

Jumping bridle is a Sabre Cordobra, still with a loose cavesson noseband, but teamed with a Pelham, same mouthpiece as the dressage/everyday bridle. I use 2 reins so it is usually like a snaffle, but when jumping she can have the odd whoopiedoo moment so I prefer to know that I will get a response if I have cause to haul on the reins! The bridle is a bit more chunky but I appreciate not having to change bits, plus it looks a bit stronger and more businesslike (not that I doubt the strength of the Shadow Horse one in the slightest).

I have not used a martingale for years. I do have the neck strap from an old martingale.
 
Half a Jeffries double bridle at present, with the curb cheek pieces and noseband removed. A very battered old bling browband as it's the only one I could find which is long enough. And Bombers poloX reins in child length.

It's a niche look ;)

Actually planning on replacing it with a non-leather alternative for day to day as it's probably not overly improved by being splattered with mud three times a day.
 
Everyday bridle is a horsemanship saddlery one without noseband. For dressage I just put the noseband on. Blingy browband and half rubber reins. Horse is happier without a noseband as she rubs her nose after being ridden with one on. Tried a micklem, she hated it..
 
Western bridle, no noseband, a western bit with a roller in the middle so the shanks move independently. Leather curb strap, not a chain. I find this much less of a blunt instrument than some western bits.
Clip on rope split reins. Generally a rope halter left on underneath too. I always look for comfort and practicality, the rope reins can be unclipped and used as a leadrope. I've modified them so they can also clip together giving me a 13+ foot line if needed, (useful to drive horse in front of me from the ground through a very narrow gateway in an overgrown bridleway on more than one occasion).
 
We use horsemanshipsaddlery.uk bridles.

We changed to them after having a horse bit fit consultant come out.

The Bridle made a bigger difference than the change of bit to one of mine.
 
I’ve had a Sabre Córdoba pretty much since they were first released. I have all noseband options for it and choose the most suitable depending on the horse I have at the time. It’s a super bridle. I’ve also since purchased a Don Harry monocrown bridle as well, that has a chunky cavesson or a Fairfax drop.

Big fella goes in a cavesson for flat & hacking and a grackle for jumping and galloping.
 
Mine is in a micklem, it's what he wore at his previous home and I tried him my cavesson bridle when he came to me but he wasn't happy in it so I bought a micklem and he much prefers it :)
 
All mine have Micklem bridles, they fit well & the horses appear to like them & go well. The only downside with them is that the leather used in making them is not of the best quality.
 
Darcy has a rolled bridle cos his face is quite dainty so it suits him and I prefer not having all the buckles. With a patent noseband and a big blingy browband ?

Kiras has a flat double but also has the buckles on the crown. She doesn't have a blingy browband as it would get stuck in her forelock. So she has a shiny one to match her noseband.

For hacking or lunging there is a sabre cordoba and a fairly ancient IR bridle.
All except the IR are a mix of sizes to fit, that's the only bridle that fitted off the peg. I use a cavesson noseband as a rule though kira has a drop on the cordoba at the mo.
 
I have to confess after years of make do and mend mostly good quality old but well used english leather tack, and having a bit of a thing about bling, when the opportunity arose I got himself made one each of these, in crystal clear, emerald green (of course!), sapphire blue - and ruby red. He is most definitely my last ever horse, and this is most definitely my last fling - bling wise!
miller blue bridle.jpgmiller red bridle.jpg
 
I use the same bridle and bit all the time. I used to have a hacking bridle and a schooling bridle with different bits then realised I didn't need to. Rose has a Micklem before that she had a crank cavesson noseband on a Reingold bridle which I bought secondhand from a friend. There's been a lot of research into nosebands and a properly fitted crank is one of the kindest (but I know I won't convince everyone of this) but she goes really nicely in a Micklem, which I also bought second hand and I like the science behind it and have used successfully with my previous horse. I've recently bought Rose a double because I saw it at such a good price I couldn't resist and I'm thinking of doing some showing with her. Sadly my beautiful rose opal bling browband doesn't fit the Micklem so I am on the hunt for something that does. My lovely MIL died last month and she has left me some really beautiful and unusual (not stupidly valuable) Victorian and Edwardian pins/brooches which would look stunning on a stock so I am going to match my next browband to one of those in memory of her but I am a bit spoiled for choice and am dithering probably because I still feel rather sad.
 
We have been using a Collegiate ComFiTec bridle since November and my cob really likes it, I do too! Easier to fit properly than a drop or a grackle once you get the right size (they run small) and the headpiece is really nice. The leather is nicer than say a Micklem and the straps are not as wide either. Also (this is me being picky) the holes are well punched and the pins in the buckles are nice and sharp - it's the little things, haha!!
 
Sabre cordoba with raised cavesson and laced reins. I use the same bridle for everything. OH has stopped me putting bling on my boy, says that boys don’t need bling! (My mare had a micklem with a very sparkly browband).
 
Currently in a Kramer Felix Beuhler(is that how you spell the name?!) Anatomical bridle. Similar to the micklem. I think I will invest in a micklem again in the future, once I’ve bought a new saddle!
 
Up until recently I rode M in a drop noseband fairfax as he carries a lot of tension through his jaw and poll and the difference with him in this bridle was like night and day - even our physio asked what I'd changed when she treated him as the difference was so noticeable. We've now graduated to a fairfax double bridle for schooling and then alternate between the two for hacking depending on whether it's a "schooling hack" or just an amble round the lanes.
 
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