Help me shop! 
I am looking for a new bridle for my OTTB who has a history of an upper jaw fracture. He currently wears a simple Vespucci with the noseband and flash pretty loose, but it is a cob size and he really needs a horse size so I’d like to buy him a new one.
He doesn’t like a lot of bridle - I tried an old heavy wide nosed Stubben on him and he was hostile. What is a delicate type bridle for a sensitive dude?
I would try a drop noseband on him, adjusted not too tight of course.
My horse loves the PS of Sweden Pioneer Bridle. Has the dropped noseband. She is very sensitive in the poll and mouth and this has really helped. It also has elastic bands in the headpiece that give additional relief. Used to ride in the Micklem, which was good, but this is even better!
That is GORGEOUS. Do you have the throatlatch?
If you want that design with an integrated throatlatch, you might look at the Montar Monarch.
I have my mare in a PS Sweden Nirak, which is a similar noseband, but is more like a Micklem in that the bit ends attach near the noseband like a Micklem.
Expensive but worth it. Fairfax. It is design to not hit the tmj and has helped a lot of horses.
Shelton are there any bridles that you would consider “similar” to Fairfax that would be a more reasonably priced option that works almost as well? Not only is the price painful, but honestly they are kind of ugly. I can’t get the full published paper to read because I am not spending $39 just to read a paper, but it looks like the main difference that nobody else has is the pads that lift the noseband and crownpiece away from sensitive areas. Other bridles have cutback padded crowns, cavessons designed to avoid certain areas, just cut the bloody flash off, but … no one has the padding.
I have a Collegiate ComFitec that I bought for my fussy Chestnut arab mare, and she finally likes a bridle. I choose that one because I thought it most closely resembled the Fairfax drop.
My new boy though, probably doesn’t need a drop (or a flash) so I have been looking for something as close to the Fairfax snaffle cavesson bridle as I can find. Any thoughts? Or do I need to just cough up $500?
Ones I like are Schockemohle Slimford (or standford with the flash loop cut off), the Passier Marcus Ehning II, and Passier Atlas (with their cavesson special with flash loop removed). Also much cheaper is the Kavalcade Ivy, but I hate the white stiching on it.
I’d just go with a drop noseband. I think that’s worth a shot and is quite underrated now that all of these “anatomical” designs have come out and become popular.
”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹”‹I did see a Fairfax knock off recently, but I cannot recall where. I’ll have to update if I can come across it again.
As an owner of several Fairfax products/pieces of tack, I find their stuff to be over priced. I get that there is “research” behind their stuff, but still.
No I do not know of any similar designs. Last i checked, some of the research was posted the the website. They really did do a lot of research on it. I also believe, (my thoughts, not proven) in addition to the design, the material in the bridle makes a difference.
I am a huge skeptic about everything. A couple of years ago when i was in England, all of the fitters were raving about the Fairfax bridle. I went ahead and ordered one for my guy, just to see what would happen. I was not having any issues and he kind of is stoic and blasie about a lot of things. He was referred by a clinician to have a dead mouth at one point.
It was incredible! Even in the stall as I was adjusting it, I could tell he felt the difference. He was licking and chewing trying to figure it out. By the time we got around the ring a few times, he already had foam developing which had never happened before. He was ligher and more responsive in his head with it on. Both my instructor and I were shocked by his response. He normally does not care about anything. It really made a believer out of me.
I can’t remember- do you have to have a throatlatch to complete in USEF/USDF recognized shows?
Yes throatlatch is required, except for certain bridles listed in annex a, eg Micklem etc
Shelton do you sell the Fairfax bridle
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