I’m curious about these bridles and looking on feedback in general for different models . I’ve never tried one as I’m a former hunter rider so the traditionalist in me is strong. That being said, I’ve got a young horse that is extremely fussy in the bridle. I know that 90% of it is just not being strong enough Over his top line and to push from behind quite yet (he’s big and long).
I have a bridle for him but it’s on my list to replace it in the future so I’ve wondered if replacing it with one of the newer anatomical bridles would help him a little with his fussiness. He’s a sensitive sort but not reactive-he’s not one to try to rub the bridle off or anything like that he’s just fussy. Id use it for dressage and eventing dressage so it needs to be legal for both. If it wouldn’t be helpful, I’ll just get him a newer version if his current bridle when the time comes.
TLDR: looking for feedback and experience with the various anatomical bridles out there.
I’ve only ever tried the Micklem, and I highly suggest you find a rental program before you buy. My horse isn’t fussy in the bridle, but my coach was selling one for a very reasonable price so I tried it out. He HATED it. I used it for two rides just to be sure, then put his regular bridle back on (cavesson) and the issues totally resolved. I’m not sure what part he didn’t like, but I don’t think it was the nose strap as he’s had a flash on before without that response, and I used the same bit.
I do know someone whose mare also hated the Micklem, but then got the Collegiate Comfi-Tech and has been very happy with it.
I think the anatomical design fad is just that. Tho I’ve seen ill-fitting bridles: too tight throatlatch or too short browbands. And there are some horses who are sensitive/fearful about their ears, so maybe the shaped/ cutback crown strap can be helpful. Otherwise, I think many of the newer designs look cool, but that’s about it. My friend got a PS Sweden freejump bridle for the fussy TB mare she was riding. Mare was still fussy in the new bridle cuz it was accepting contact (and my friend being able to provide that consistently) which was the real issue.
I usually start all my young horses in a drop-noseband snaffle bridle. My last youngster was fussy, shaking her head now and then, etc., so after a couple weeks checking out teeth, chiro, different bits, I switched to a plain noseband bridle - no flash, no fancy design. She settled right down! I’m glad I kept trying new figure out the issue.
I used to think anatomical bridles were a fad, and I do think that most of these shaped crown pieces don’t fit well. I thought I was a going to be a classic headstall kind of person my whole life, and then I got my new horse- and I see the need. Her ears are set a little bit behind where I think most horse’s would normally be and she has bone through her temple that pushes the browband upwards. I think the best thing for her would be one of the D’yon bridles or the Stübben Freedom bridle, but those aren’t legal and that’s a whole separate problem.
But my thoughts are, unless you are having obvious fit issues with your bridle, I think these anatomical, contoured things are at best a placebo effect for the rider and you shouldn’t expect them to fix training issues.
I like the Micklem if you were otherwise going to use a flash or drop noseband - I think it sits better and is much better designed for that use. But then, I really hate flash nosebands. I don’t think it’s necessarily better or more comfortable than a simple cavesson noseband adjusted loosely.
I think for most horses, they don’t really care as long as the bridle is fitted properly. That said, I also think lots of horses just don’t complain and could be more comfortable in an anatomical bridle.
However, the sensitive ones definitely can and do care. My horse is skin sensitive in general and she used to be a bit fussy in the bridle (head tossing or shaking, on or off contact) and was difficult to bridle. I figured it was the bit and training (she was young and green), so I worked on that and put treats on the bit, etc. Didn’t really change anything. Tried a Micklem bridle one day and she was slightly less fussy. So I tried it again the next day and she was easier to bridle. By day 3, the bridling issue disappeared. She was still a bit fussy with her head while ridden and I noticed that her rather large ears did seem to have the head piece pushing against the base and she was always wanting to rub that area when the bridle came off. I tried the PS of Sweden bridles with the cut backs around the ears and you could almost hear her sigh with relief - way less fussy when ridden and less rubbing when finished.
Micklem bridles can be tricky to fit and I think they just don’t fit some horses. In addition, not every horse needs the lower noseband. I was very happy to find a PS of Sweden bridle with the cut back at the ears, the shaped cheek piece, and no flash noseband (just a standard cavesson) - exactly what my horse needed.
I also used to think the anatomical bridles were a bit of a fad but I had a young horse that was super fussy. I decided to try him in a Micklem and, while he was slightly more fussy the first few rides, I gave it two weeks and he was markedly better. I did try to go back to a regular bridle because I don’t love the look of a Micklem and he started to fuss again, so we went back. He’s very happy in it still.
I’m also not a fan of a traditional flash, so I’ve ended up with several of my horse’s dressage bridles being Micklems. I do find they are tricky to fit, especially for horses on the “edge” of a size (e.g., can go horse or oversize). They don’t have a lot of adjustability. It is also nice to have someone help with fit that is used to them. I am pretty experienced fitting tack and it took me a bit to get the hang of these.
I’m not a huge PS of Sweden fan. They are beautiful but a lot/most of them are illegal for dressage unless you add a strange “optional” throat latch. We also had a brand new one break on a kid during XC at a local horse trial and he had to bail off his galloping horse. I bought one for my new horse and eventually just replaced it with a Micklem.
We did a big strap goods order last spring from Collegiate and ordered two of the Comfi -Tech dressage bridles as a “this looks interesting and we’ll try it for haha’s”. They were fairly reasonable in cost which was a a driving factor to be sure. Whelp - we tried the deluxe model on our GP dressage horse who is kind of a jerk to tack up in general. Two things - he is better to tack up now (not perfect but much better) and his regular rider felt she noticed a positive difference within two rides. She loves the bridle so much she wants to order more! Interestingly further - we bought a anotomical comfort type girth too to try and it really helps the horse we bought it for who has tight to her body elbows. Thumbs up for both products from a large school program.
My horse tends to hold a lot of tension in his jaw and consequently suffers from some TMJ soreness and can be fussy in the mouth. He also has a lot of poll sensitivity. I had him in a Micklem for a while which fit him fairly well, but he has a very small nose which made the fit not quite what he needed. I got a PS of Sweden Nirak last winter and he LOVES it. It’s basically like a more adjustable Micklem with poll relief. I’m all about simplicity with my tack, but sometimes horses do dictate the need for some of the newer, more innovative designs
I am the last person to use “trendy” things, definitely believe in “ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” & I think most of new anatomical bridles are pretty ugly. Because a previous horse was fussy in a regular bridle (& I normally ride with no cavesson unless required to for a show), I do have a Micklem (bought on mega-sale) that is now on its 2nd sensitive horse. Like every other thing, it’s not a magical panacea, but it has made a difference to these two sensitive skinned OTTBs. Unless you’re one of those people with endless disposable income, I’d strongly recommend trying one for a week or two before you buy. Some horses (like my Appendix) just don’t care.
The Micklem (I have the competition version) does have some variation in set up, I have never used the nose clips after one try – the horse informed me that he HATED nose pressure, TYVM, so I now use the clips for tarp tie downs (which they’re great for).
Likes:
-Sturdy, durable leather that gets better with age, mine’s been in steady use for at least 5-7 yrs & never climate controlled
-Nicely padded, but flat leather that’s easy to clean, simple look
-Can put whatever browband you want on it
-It’s legal
Dislikes:
-Can’t take the noseband off. I hate a flash, but at least I can leave the nose strap loose. I’ve been tempted many times to cut that strap off, I do wish it was removable.
-Can be hard to fit. I have been lucky that it fit both of mine, but there’s not a lot of adjustability because of the parts that need to lay in the right place.
Bc the current guy has a rather giant head, I’ve noticed that it does sit right against the base of his ears, but doesn’t pinch them & he doesn’t seem to mind. Which is good bc I refuse to pay $200+ for a leather strappy to hold a bit in my horse’s mouth, eesh.
The fussiest horse I’ve ever ridden “told” me she really liked the Micklem bridle the first time I put it on–until I buckled the chin strap. After several months of dirty looks I finally bit the bullet, got out a sharp knife, and cut the stitching and took both sides of the chin strap off.
No more dirty looks.
PLUS all the other horses I ride have shown me that they also prefer the Micklem bridle, and they all improved after I cut the chin strap off.
I kept the noseband rings for the chin strap for an emergency bitless bridle, and I conditioned and stored the chin straps. IF I ever decide I need the chin strap someone should be able to sew it back on without many difficulties.
I now LOVE my Micklem bridle instead of just liking it.
At first I did not like the leather so I used a lot of lard on it, working it in with my fingers. Now the leather is nice and supple where it is a single layer and the rest of the bridle feels like leather instead of plastic. (Avoid all rubber and metal, lard melts rubber, some plastics, and causes green gunk corrosion with some metals, like chrome plated buckles).
However I do not show and I do not have to worry about show tack rules. I do not know if removing the Micklem chin strap would be “show legal.”
Also, to fit one horse properly I had to use a horse sized crown piece with a pony nose piece. This made-up bridle fits an amazing number of small horses, especially after I cut off the chin strap, and I usually do not have to worry about the brow band being too tight. Yeah, it hurt my wallet to buy two Micklems to make one bridle, but the results were worth it. I kept the horse size nose piece and I switch the nose pieces when I ride a bigger horse.
I’m with this post. :encouragement: Certain head types have certain needs - but not all head-types need (or will appreciate) an anatomic bridle.
That being said the basics, that will make any “non-anatomic” bridle more comfortable for the horse (and save most people $$$) are: Go up a browband size. Conventional browbands are almost always too short in headstalls. Find a bridle with a longer crownpiece (the part that goes from ear-to-ear) Bring the noseband up a hole on the crown piece, while keeping the noseband itself loose around the nose. Make sure the bit is not too high/cheekpieces not too short
These small fixes will help make the bridle more comfortable for the horse, without making you break out $400 on a bridle that may or may not make a difference. I’ve found the industry standard for bridle sizing is not very generous with modern horses and modern heads. Almost all of my horses are ridden in “frankenstein” bridles.
Nine times out of ten I’ve found with riders as being a ring steward, their nosebands are fastened far too tightly, and their browbands way too short. This pulls the headstall onto the ears, and the tight noseband causes poll pressure and too much pressure across the bridge of the nose. Then they notice their horse is fussy or scratching their head on their legs constantly, or difficult to bridle. So they look for an “anatomical bridle” to keep their horses comfortable without considering maybe it is the way the bridle is fitted to the horse, versus the bridle itself. If you buy an anatomical bridle and don’t change how you are fastening/tightening the bridle, you are unlikely to see a positive difference in the horse.
With my own horses I have noticed there is not an appreciable difference in their way of going for the positive in the Fancy Anatomical Bridles, if all of the bold above has been done to a traditional headstall. I do think that cutback crowns with soft padding around the crown can make a difference, as long as they are long enough from ear to ear. I run into issues where they are too short ear-to-ear, but fine buckle to buckle.
Just about every bridle I have ever bought, I have swapped out the stock browband for a larger size. It’s almost impossible to go “too big” with a browband (well, unless you’re going P/S to O/S). I actually cannot find a fancy-stitched browband (that isn’t custom) that is big enough for my F/S horse, who could benefit from a true 19" browband.
The industry standard for most browbands is:
C/S: 14-15"
F/S: 16"
O/S: 17" (or rarely 18)
What I’ve noticed most of my horses need:
C/S horse: 17" browband
C/S horse #2: 16" browband
F/S horse: 19" browband
Going back to anatomical bridles and what they provide… I’ve tried all of the below, so will give my impressions:
Schockemohle Alpha/Beta/Delta: Pros: Nice leather and feel. Very light bridle, even with bit. Seemed adjustable, and fit well off of the rack including browband. Dressage legal. Cons: Expensive, doesn’t come with reins. Poor quality control. First bridle had a big defect, second came with uneven stitching. Major safety concern issue with the “hook” stud feature in this bridle: the studs that hold the bit to the bridle are not sturdy and can fail from even light pressure. This bridle should not be used XC or with a running martingale. I returned both bridles.
Micklem Competition: Pros: Intelligent and thoughtful design, good padding. Good longevity despite cheap leather. Dressage legal and reasonably priced. Cons: Stiff /cheap leather that can be difficult to break in, but ages well. Too much nose pressure for my horses even lightly fastened, who both responded poorly. The design puts pressure around the bridge of the nose once appropriately fitted. While it is a bridle in my toolbox, I rarely use it.
PS of Sweden: Pros: Much better leather than Micklem, and some with similar designs. Better in the browband and crown department in terms of larger sizing for uniform sizes (C/S, F/S, O/S). Some are legal, some are not. Cons: Some models are not legal. It doesn’t age well, unfortunately. While I have this bridle, it’s not used much.
Stubben Freedom: Pros: Really thoughtful design. Best leather that I’ve seen on ergonomic bridles. Cons: Heavy. Ungainly looking. Very expensive. Difficult to fit across a spectrum of horses. I saw a difference in one horse, but not others.
Kieffer Ergonomic: Pros: Classic design with padded/modern features. Great leather, worth the money. Ages excellently. Good browband sizing on most models. Cons: The crown can be a bit too short ear-to-ear, and the sizing seems to vary on bridle model.
Passier Ingrid Klimke Ergonomic with Special Cavesson: Pros: Good leather, ages well. Good price point for the quality. Very soft padding, adjustable, great hardware. Crown and browband a bit generous in sizing. Came with reins. Cons: Heavy bridle. Stretched a lot.
Eponia Ginger Bridle:
Pros: Great price-point, leather breaks in well and is very durable. The browband is generously sized, but the noseband is a bit on the small side for my F/S horse. Crown is better sized than traditional. Comes with reins. Cons: Noseband was a bit too small, leather took a while to break in well.
Those reviews aside, honestly, for the money, your best bang is finding a single-crown bridle with soft padding around the crown. Examples include Kieffer, Antares Vespucci, Passier, Stubben, etc… I think that the bridles that have the noseband thread around the crown cause more pressure across the crown than the bridles with just single crown configuration. Once that’s out of the way, finding a bridle that has enough of a length ear-to-ear (the throat latch straps should not depart from the crown before the ear) is another. The browband should be long enough it allows the crown to “set back” a bit from the ears. Then make sure your noseband is not too tight (two fingers should be easily slid between the bridge of nose and the noseband).
So… what do I ride in, after having tried (and kept some) all of those bridles? Frankenbridles, mostly.
Horse #1 (F/S) goes in an Antares single-crown bridle (OS), with O/S browband, F/S Dover cheek pieces, and F/S Dover brand noseband. Shows in a F/S Eponia bridle with O/S noseband.
Horse #2 (F/S) goes in a 20 y/o Stubben 3000 (F/S) with O/S Stubben browband.
Horse #3 (C/S) goes in a C/S single crown bridle with F/S browband.
I mean the strap that goes below the bit, the one nearest to the horse’s mouth that goes in front of the bit when the horse is bridled.
Part of the reason I was not really keen about this particular strap at first is that it is wider than the equivalent dropped nose band or figure 8 chin strap, meaning that I had to put the bit up higher for the chin strap could fit in the curb groove, which increases pressure on the poll. Cushioning the crown piece does not improve the strain put on the corners of the horses’ mouths when I fastened to chin strap, so I cut the chin strap off and never regretted it (I do not show.)
But then I do not believe that many horses find it particularly comfortable when there are two-three wrinkles at the corner of the mouth. The horses I ride seem to agree with me about this.
I don’t know how much more comfortable as a whole they are, but my sensitive baby horse is much easier to bridle it the PS of Sweden then his regular bridle.
I just ordered the Harwich Ergonomic Bridle (no flash) from SmartPak for my new boy. I will report back on that one when I get it. I have one mare who LOVES the Collegiate ComfiTec, but my boy hated it, so much so that he pulled back, stepped on it and broke it. So no flash of any kind for him.
Thanks Jackie. That’s the one I would cut off also!
My guy has to wear a cribbing strap almost always so I’m continually looking for a way to make him more comfortable behind his ears. I like the padded crown pieces that are slightly cut back but I wish it was more. I ride in a regular cavesson so the Micklem isn’t an option.
Tried the Stubben freedom and it was so heavy it felt counter productive.
He is finally taking contact in a Nathe bit so that’s an improvement, I just wish I could take more pressure off his poll. (I did get a new browband which helped.)
Thanks for the feedback everyone. Definitely some points to consider. I may try to locate a few of these bridles locally to try out. I am not looking for a magic fix or to skip training steps, I am just curious if he would like any of these since I am planning on replacing his bridle anyway. I’m usually a classic bridle girl but some of them I don’t mind the look of so we’ll see.
Jersey one thing to maybe consider is his teeth. My boy very dramatically told me he did not like the Collegiate ComfiTec then a month later at his dental the vet found 2 very sensitive molars on the bottom, one on each side (most forward molar). It is very possible that he didn’t like the bridle because a strap was place over his sore teeth. Vet doing xrays to find out what exactly is wrong this week.
I’ve thought about it and you’re right, it would be good to double check them. They were okay a few months ago at his annual but he’s you so things could have changed as his baby teeth have fallen out.
