Would you buy a bridle if it wasn't made from English leather?

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fine_and_dandy

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I am looking into getting a leather bridle for The Gay One; nothing too expensive so I don't have a heart attack if it gets trashed but nothing too cheap that I am going to wonder about quality and whether it will snap (not £100s but not £20 for a new one either!)

A friend of mine said that I would be better off getting an English leather bridle (about £60 bracket) as other leathers were not as good and to be wary of some bridles being so cheap as the leather isn't as good. I saw a brand new Caldene bridle on offer at the weekend for £50 but it wasn't English leather so I didn't get it.

I am a little confused; I always hear of people saying, "Is it made from english leather?" when buying tack but surely big brand names like Stubben are not made from English leather and are ok??

What would your thoughts be on buying a second hand bridle (in good condition obviously!) which has been worked in and oiled etc, which was made by a big brand but not made from English leather?

Any thoughts welcome...confused F&D needs help!! :D
 
No I wouldn't. But I think this comes from (childhood flashback) cheap Indian leather that would snap in a flash.

I could be wrong but this is what springs to mind.

I think German leather would be fine.

ETA - ooh silly me, I think stubben is swiss not german. And I have a stubben saddle so should know.

Anyway, you get the picture :)
 
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it really depends on the quality of the workmanship, materials used, etc. I have a Decathlon bridle that I bought in 2007 for £13 and it's one I use everyday and have even shown dressage and jumping in it too. Everyone comments about it and thinks I paid £100+ for it! I bought their £6.00 drop noseband version at the time for my son and that was lovely leather too. I checked the stitching and the buckles when I bought it and everything seem tight and even but the quality of their bridles seems to have gone down over the last year or so and the price gone up!

Your best bet would be to check the leather quality, stitching and metal wear on any bridle (even expensive ones!) to make sure that the stitches are even and tight, the buckles/studs are sewn on properly and that the leather is not thin in places. My cheapo £13 bridle comes up better in quality than some Barnsby's I've had!
 
Nope! After making the mistake time and time again I wouldn't bother buying it unless its english leather! You just can't get the leather to soften in the same way! You can get some nice english bridles at a cheaper price, or if you don't want to spend loads might be worth scanning the local paper for a 2nd hand one....obviously just check its in good condition, all the stitching in tact, leatehr not stretched/worn etc.
 
Ebay have some reasonabley priced englis leather ones but you are still looking at £45 for a new one.

I've just ordered a Kincade bridle, which is supposed to be good quality, but not english leather - as I just couldn't afford an english leather one. A friend of mine has one (I think) and while it's not excellent it's pretty nice, leather feels rather yucky and greasy after a while, but that might be to what they use to clean it leaving residue - and they use it for shows at a reasonable level.
 
I always buy English leather. All my bridles are Elevators :)

I know the rumour always was that a foreign leather bridle could snap, but fortunately I have never personally known anybody it has happened to.
 
My pony came with a 3 month old Kincade bridle which was "European" leather I think it said, not specifically English anyway and I have to say it did me really well for about 3 years. I think it had originally cost about £25. Some of the straps got a bit worn but was actually better quality and cleaned up better than the Cliff Barnsby bridle I then bought secondhand off someone at the yard which they said had cost them about £90 but which I got for £30 - it may have been not well looked after before I got it but wasn't old and barely used but that leather which I assume is English has been very poor. Absorbs moisture like a sponge and never comes up well. Contemplating when finances are easier getting another Kincade one.
 
European leather is usually good quality: I like Lemetex (Swiss, their Magic bridle is about £65 new but they do come up on eBay) and I've got one marketed by Fal-pro in Italian leather that my saddler wondered how they could make for the price.
 
I have a cheapy bridle for use when my horse is on a riding school lesson - he used tohave a more expensive one but they get dropped in the mud,dragged on the floor etc etc so that is now for my use :D but some times the best bet can be to find a used one on e bay so you still get the leather quality - I picked up a jefferies for £35 rrp £180 odd new and a frank baines for £20 rrp about £120 new
 
Absolutely tongue in cheek, useless answer here from Faro...

The answer's yes - I have one Libby's webbing bridle, and two Zilco biothane bridles!

Seriously, in the past I have had a couple of cheap leather bridles which HAVE snapped, so I wouldn't buy an Indian leather bridle again.

Although I don't know where the leather is made, I would strongly recommend Heritage bridles, which are very reasonably priced (around £40 - £45). I have two of these which have lasted brilliantly for about 6 years now and still look good when I clean them (even though admittedly I'm far from being the best at looking after my tack!).
 
Yes I would, and I did. My bridle was less than £25 was constructed in England from imported leather, I checked it very carefully before I used it, and it's lasted me 18 months and is in good nick.

My saddle is (I think) South American - the leather is lovely, soft and supple from the outset, and was around £600
 
Yes, have quite a few for every day use and keep the English leather ones for competitions and clinics.
As long as they are cleaned and oiled regularly you should have no problem though I wouldn't buy Indian leather. Have some that are over 7 years old and still look like new. European leather isn't all bad.
 
Wouldn't touch Stubben any more - they have changed their leather and their bridles are not nearly such good quality. My "old" stubbens still look great whereas friends with new stubben bridles look a lot cheaper!

I like the heritage bridles for everyday. Leather is not as good a quality but they put in all the bits such as crank noseband, padded headpiece that I like. I use one for everyday schooling and it is now 4 years old and stood up well to the abuse it has had and still looks good.
 
Buy a synthetic look alike from Plas Equestrian!!!

Used bridles made of the comorant material for years. Wipe clean, never rub & are made to measure for the same price. May not be politically correct but looks good & saves time!
 
Yes but having said that I wouldn't buy ANY bridle without looking at the quality of the leather, the stitching and the buckles etc

No way in this world would I buy a bridle off the net, I like to see what I'm buying, even the more expensive bridles need a good looking at.

Depends where the leather has come from and you also have to bare in mind that the same 'make' can vary in quality from time to time.

There are many bridles on the lower end of price range that will last you years providing you care for them properly right from the start.

Best of having a look round at a few tack shops and actually looking at the bridles yourself, my advice would be not to order one from the internet, choose it yourself.
 
Gosh, thanks for the replies!

So to summarise; not all non English leather bridles should be avoided unless it was made from Indian leather; cheaper ones can do well and last for some time, European leather is nearly as good but always check stitching, buckles etc etc :D

Thanks very much for the help :D

And Kenzo - I will bear in mind what you said about buying off of tinternet, a point I hadn't really considered so thanks :)
 
In the past I would have said English, German etc and nothing else BUT am living in India, riding in Indian tack and have to say that it's really good. Nothing splitting, breaking or any issues with the stitching and this is tack which has been in regular use for years. Ok so we have a saddler on site and so everything is checked right from the start. Guess it all depends on how well it has been put together and the quality of the leather. I'd go for it. We brits don't have the monopoly on good tack. :-)
 
I tend to stick with jeffries falcon, reasonable price (£120 ish) And they last years. (English Leather).
I think so long as you check the quality of the stitching and leather yourself, and its safe (not going to snap easyily or fall to bits) then it doesn't matter where the leather is from really.
 
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