Looking for the “best” quality inexpensive fancy raised bridle, including reins, in CHESTNUT. Reins do not need to be fancy. Just looking for best bang for the buck/quality, this will NEVER be an an A circuit show, but I’d like to have something nice. The front runner seems to be Da Vinci (from other posts on here), but I don’t know anything about them. Other options include Joseph Sterling (from Schneiders) or Bobby’s, and of course, Dover or SmartPak. Da Vinci would be like $75 on sale, and the reviews look great. Thoughts? Suggestions?
The bridles and martingales I’ve had from Bobby’s have all held up well and look nice. They also have 15% sitewide on their website lately.
I came here to ALSO say my favourite “budget” bridles are the Bobby’s! With the anatomic curved crown. So soft and hold up really well.
Kalvakande are fine. Wellfleet on sale is worthwhile. Depends on what you mean by “inexpensive” and “better quality.” Nothing below 100 is imo “quality.”
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Nunn Finer, Riders Warehouse has them
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C and C Signature. Very nice bridle for the price point. Good customer service.
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I think of those choices, Joseph Sterling would be the best. Bobby’s Signature line seems to be decent, but their lower end lines (I believe one of them is Fairhaven?) are not as nice.
I think Dover and SmartPak are kind of hit or miss. I think they’ve switched manufacturing from Harmohn Kraft to something else, and most of what I’ve seen doesn’t really impress me that much. If you’re looking at the cheaper lines like Suffolk, Crown, Plymouth, etc., I’d personally pass on those. Speaking of Harmohn Kraft, their Americana line is really nice for the price.
I believe DaVinci is pretty cheap quality. I’ve seen a martingale at a consignment shop and it was pretty stiff and didn’t feel like quality leather.
If you can find an Exselle bridle, I think those should be a great option considering they’re the same product as the original Crosbys. Also, I’ve had good luck with Ovation.
You can also search for a quality used bridle still in good shape and might find a better deal. I’ve found some really nice bridles for good prices used online and in consignment shops.
I have a DaVinci Figure 8 noseband (just the noseband, not the whole bridle) and it is meh quality. Works for a noseband, but I don’t think I’d want an entire DaVinci bridle. I did get the noseband on sale for like $8, so I can’t really complain.
I used to have an olddd Bobby’s that I loved, I do believe it was the higher end line though. It ended up getting stolen unfortunately or I’m sure I’d still have it.
I would say maybe go with the Wellfleet if you can get one on sale. I think I bought one a few years ago for about $75 one sale with reins. It’s pretty decent quality, although I can’t say how well it will old up as I’ve barely used it.
I’ve heard good things about Ovation’s quality-for-price, so you may want to check them out as well.
