What bridle(s) do you use and why?

Micklem for SJ, fancy cavesson bridle with dark bling for dressage, biothane combi for TREC/XC fun rides. Micklem or standard bridle with no noseband for schooling. Larger browbands swapped in to off the peg bridles as required.
 
I use Collegiate ComFiTec bridles for every day, with an NS Verbindend on them, and Jeffries Bio Grip Reins as I love skinny, floppy reins.

For competing and schooling I use PS of Sweden High Jumps or a PS of Sweden double, also with Bio Grip reins. NS bits on the double, but a Bonber Curbgag on the XC/hunting bridle.

I have grown up with a polo playing mother, and was a polo groom for a long time. It still feels odd to only have one noseband ?
 
Ginger nut has a brown Stubben Leitrim with a flash for no other reason than it was on sale for £80 and the bridle he came with which had a grackle noseband and a floppy bling brow band with fallen out crystals and was pretty rank. I’ve unsuccessfully tried to find a plain cavesson noseband to go on it as he’s very light mouthed and goes in a simple loose ring snaffle.

Old guy has a everyday cheapish bridle I can’t remember who made it, possibly collegiate. His posh one for dressage is a Jeffries black with a flash. He’s only worn it a couple of times as he retired from dressage shortly after I bought it due to injury. He can be quite strong and tanks so he’s in a Dutch gag for hacking and was in a hanging cheek for schooling and dressage.

I’ve never had any bridle or bit issues that have made me explore more modern technical bridles.
 
A Micklem for one horse (it’s what he likes / goes best in) though I would like nicer leather in the same style and an old Classic Dresssge own brand bridle that I got in a sale years ago on another as she seems happy in it.

The Classic Dressage bridle has a loop for a flash (I don’t use a flash) and a soft crank noseband that I leave very loose. It has a comfort headpiece and the cheek pieces do up on top of it.
 
An English bridles padded cavesson bridle - the padding is very discreet and it's not a crank noseband either.
We also have a Plas Equestrian synthetic fabric bridle in blue and purple for when it's raining, with matching reins.
I love both of them!
 
The Connie will only go in a micklem.

The Welsh pony has a snaffle bridle from our local saddlers, with a grackle, a flash and a flat cavesson so I can use the most appropriate one.

Hubbys mare has a sederholm select grackle bridle.

Fiona
 
DP has a John Whittaker brown flash bridle without the strap and is in a Sprenger KK Ultra bit. Very simple, slim leather with padded raised noseband and browband. B has a black shires cavesson with fancy stitching and a hanging cheek snaffle for everyday. He has an English Bridles black bridle for best. His old owners rode him in a 2 ring Dutch gag and a grackle for fast work but I’ve never had to use his as he is fine in the snaffle.
 
Starzaan said:
I use Collegiate ComFiTec bridles for every day, with an NS Verbindend on them, and Jeffries Bio Grip Reins as I love skinny, floppy reins.

For competing and schooling I use PS of Sweden High Jumps or a PS of Sweden double, also with Bio Grip reins. NS bits on the double, but a Bonber Curbgag on the XC/hunting bridle.

I have grown up with a polo playing mother, and was a polo groom for a long time. It still feels odd to only have one noseband ?
Click to expand...
I also use Bio Grip reins, I find them much more comfortable!
 
Both of my horses have large heads and their bridles are cobbled together. Both are extra full and I have bio grip reins. I got both x-full browbands with a Celtic badge (as they both have Irish roots) the gelding has a shield and the mare a heart. He is retired now but always had a grackle, the mare has a hunter noseband.
 

Attachments

  • Alex bridle.jpg
    Alex bridle.jpg
    40.5 KB · Views: 8
  • Maisey bridle.jpg
    Maisey bridle.jpg
    80.7 KB · Views: 8
Rope ‘Enduro’ bridle with gel pad under nose. It’s light weight and with a sensitive horse like mine he picks up really subtle aids. I use the gel pad to distribute pressure over the nose as I think rope bridles are way too severe otherwise if you want to pick up a contact to ride into. It seems to work incredibly well for my horse and we use it for hacking, dressage and xc schooling, Trec, everything. Sadly no longer available so trying to see if I can recreate it, it is a different set up to other rope bridles.
It’s a bit high here.
4C8BA5E5-8F9D-4C8D-AFF6-952AECA64A2A.jpeg
 
Dabs is in a micklem because he really likes it in contrast to anything else I've put on him, but I don't like the leather of it much and it's a pita to clean.

Arts has an ecorider of some description, with the nice headpiece that she likes. It came with a huge crank noseband though, so I have a thin cavesson and drop that I attach instead (though mostly I don't bother with a noseband), and she has a blingy browband on there too. She has a bit of a weird shaped head with an xf browband and a cob sized noseband, so realistically anything for her is going to be a bit mix and match.
 
Our every day is a comfetic as I wanted a ‘nicer’ bridle than the £30 I bought just after getting him and it was in the sale. Driven he’s in a leather ideal bridle. We don’t have separate a show bridle- yet :) He’s v sensitive though so I doubt having 2 bridles will be worth the faff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top