Bridle Fit Advice & Reviews - Wide Noseband Bridles for the Hunters

[Backstage]

I’ve decided that my greenie and I are going to spend some time in the hunter ring for at least the next year or two. As someone with an event background, this means that most of my tack is not terribly suitable and I need to pick up a few new things to help us fit in.

First up? A nice hunter bridle. Problem? My horse is a bit tricky to fit. He has a fairly normal sized head length wise so O/S bridles are typically too large in most respects BUT he has a large ‘nose’ and many full sized bridles are too small in the noseband.

What I need is a wide nose hunter bridle that is a generous full, or a bridle that comes in a small oversize. Unfortunately, I’ve tapped out my local options and will need to order online from the US and ship to Canada. Basically I want to get this right so I’m not sending bridles back and forth.

Bridles I am considering:

• Aramas Wide Noseband (Stockholm). I’ve been told the Aramas is a generous horse size, can anyone speak to the sizing of the noseband?

• Ovation Wide Noseband Bridle. No idea on fit, and wonder about the quality given the price point ($160-180). I saw one in person briefly and it seemed ok, but looking for opinions.

• (Smartpak) Wellfleet Monocrown Wide Noseband Hunter Bridle. Would like to hear thoughts on fit and quality if anyone has experience.

• Rodrigo Fancy Stitched Wide Noseband Bridle. This bridle seemed really stiff when I saw it in person earlier this year, but would like to hear if it softens up nicely and is actually quite nice. No idea on fit!

No one seems to list ‘dimensions’ on their websites, so I feel like I’m just guessing blindly if I order one of these. I tried the Bromont Exselle and it was quite nice, but too small in a horse size and GIANT in the O/S. He has a (non-hunter) Nunn Finer bridle that is regular horse sized but it JUST BARELY fits in the noseband. It fits great everywhere else.

Finally, I’m open to other bridles (and have checked out previous threads) but would like to stick to the $200-300 price point.

[FirstChance]

I haven’t had that particular wellfleet, but I had a regular raised/padded fancy wellfleet bridle. It was gorgeous and fairly soft from day one. The oversize was mammoth. The horse size ran large even. It may be a good option for you.

PS. Smartpak’s return policies are fabulous if it didn’t work.

[Huntin_Pony]

You could call Smith-Worthington. They are extremely helpful, would undoubtedly measure parts for you and they may sell bridles with “mixed” size parts. I have breastplates from them and the quality is quite good at a reasonable price.

[BigBlackDog]

I have a friend who has the Ovation for her horse and it is a very attractive bridle. It looks awesome on her horse who has a long, wide head. I think the wide nosebands look best on horses with larger heads. She frequently gets complimented on it and it is very good quality. Can’t speak for the others though. Good luck in your search!

[vxf111]

I have the Ovation RCS bridle and martingale. My horses NEED a true oversize and this is too small, so I’d say it’s a generous “extra full” (and in fact that’s what it’s marked). I literally used them a handful of times and would LOVE to sell the set to someone who could use them. They are doing me NO GOOD. Very appropriate hunter bridle. Not leather that’s going to make you need smelling salts or anything but nice enough enough for the price point. Nice details on the bridle and martingale (lots of fancy stitching, recessed ergonomic poll design, etc.) I would have been happy enough with them if they fit.

[vxf111]

And here are the dimensions…

Crown 14", bit to bit 39-48", browband 16", throatlatch, 41-48", noseband 25-30", reins 60" per side.

It’s kind of in style now to show in a standing martingale, and I liked that the Ovation had a matching one (I don’t know if I’ve seen the Pessoa one and I am not sure how exactly like the bridle it is. The Ovation RCS bridle and martingale have very very similar styling and clearly “go”).

I lately have had some bad quality control issues with Aramas and Smartpak bridles (both made by HK) so I cannot recommend them.

[BAC]

Beval lists dimensions of all bridle pieces somewhere on their website and they allow you to mix and match parts, plus they have bridles in every price range. Edgewood is another good option if you need to swap out parts, so you can build your own bridle to custom fit your horse.

[ako]

I have the Wellfleet wide noseband bridle and love it. My one gripe is the noseband is a tad larger than it should be, I had to put an elastic on it. So… May work perfectly for your guy!

It oiled nicely and looks great. It’s soft, no orange/red tones at all, and matches my Antares saddle like it was made for it. I’ve had it maybe 6 years. Fantastic quality for the money!

[00Seven]

Heads up - Smartpak does not ship to Canada. If you are near the border, you can ship to a P.O. box and go pick it up, or you can buy it next time you’re down there, but you can’t ship to your home.

[jhg140]

I have the Ovation and I like it a lot. It’s just a show bridle, so not sure how it would hold up to daily wear and tear, but it looks lovely and I’m very happy with it for the price.

[OveroHunter]

I love my wide noseband Aramas bridle. I haven’t had any trouble fitting it to a wide number of horses. Here is it on 3 different horses from a 15.2 paint gelding to a 17 hand Hanoverian.

My current long headed APHA mare: https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfa1/v/t1.0-9/10645324_10103660916281270_6305527578703863099_n.jpg?oh=cba671a5c6b75c343b6ca82861ce1663&oe=55F66256

My old Hanoverian gelding with a similarly shaped head: https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/264391_10100509683721580_3038188_n.jpg?oh=af96ec3693a648bd09c6c040899086fc&oe=560C3943

My APHA gelding with a head that’s not terribly long, but super wide: https://scontent-dfw1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/71753_10100145560068300_2676309_n.jpg?oh=c5ee6d87bcb0355c598155eb0d0e4131&oe=5604F816

ETA: I just looked at all 3 pics again and my little APHA gelding is so stinking cute with that bridle on. I should put my english saddle on him more often!

[Jealoushe]

Mark Todd makes a stunning wide nose hunter bridle…stunning! Looks similar to the Dy’on bridle but half the cost

https://the900facebookpony.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/sadieclose.jpg

[JenEM]

@Backstage;8164409

• (Smartpak) Wellfleet Monocrown Wide Noseband Hunter Bridle. Would like to hear thoughts on fit and quality if anyone has experience.

I just bought this bridle over the winter. I’ve only been using it for jumping lessons and shows, so it’s been used maybe two dozen times, but has broken in nicely with a bit of oil and use, and I’ve gotten a lot of compliments from barnmates and friends at shows on it.

I do find that while the cheekpieces/throatlatch are pretty standard, the noseband runs big for its size, so it may be just what you’re looking for. I know before I bought it, I asked about sizing on Smartpak’s website, if you click on the “Q&A” rather than the “reviews,” it’s at the bottom.

This is what it looks like on my TB, from our show last weekend:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7736/17824467931_6b6e349732_z.jpg

[BAC]

[QUOTE=Jealoushe;8165126]
Mark Todd makes a stunning wide nose hunter bridle…stunning! Looks similar to the Dy’on bridle but half the cost

https://the900facebookpony.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/sadieclose.jpg[/QUOTE]

Its not very “huntery” with that flash, although you could cut off the tab on the noseband. But the shaped browband and noseband are also not very huntery looking IMO. I think most of us consider a wide noseband hunter bridle to be uniform in width, not thickening as it reaches the middle, although I might be wrong.

[lotc2005]

As someone who has had this issue, Ovation may not be a great choice. I have a 17.2 hand holsteiner mare who is also a bit difficult to fit for a bridle. The Ovation full size is on the top holes for both the cheek pieces and the side buckle for the noseband, but is on the last hole (as in, its too small) on the noseband and the throatlatch.

The oversize Ovation I had to add holes to the cheek pieces, side buckle for the noseband, and the noseband itself. The throatlatch is on the top hole. There is no overlap in the sizes whatsoever.

I ended up purchasing an edgewood full size bridle with cob cheek pieces. I had the tack shop owner come to the barn and fit the bridle to my mare. This is what worked the best.

Best of luck…I feel your pain.

[MsRidiculous]

[QUOTE=BAC;8165193]
Its not very “huntery” with that flash, although you could cut off the tab on the noseband. But the shaped browband and noseband are also not very huntery looking IMO. I think most of us consider a wide noseband hunter bridle to be uniform in width, not thickening as it reaches the middle, although I might be wrong.[/QUOTE]

I agree. That’s my bridle in the photo link, on my horse, but I used it in the jumpers. The flash tab isn’t removeable without cutting it off and the buckles are brass, so it’s a bit flashy for a hunter. Although it’s kind of a moot point anyway considering that bridle was discontinued a year or two ago and are almost impossible to find now.

[silver_charm]

[QUOTE=BAC;8165193]
Its not very “huntery” with that flash, although you could cut off the tab on the noseband. But the shaped browband and noseband are also not very huntery looking IMO. I think most of us consider a wide noseband hunter bridle to be uniform in width, not thickening as it reaches the middle, although I might be wrong.[/QUOTE]

They also don’t make them anymore, so it’s sort of a moot point. And I agree with you on your definition of a wide noseband.

I’d also recommend the Edgewood pieces, I have a horse size wide noseband one at home I can measure if that’s helpful for you.

[Backstage]

Thanks everyone, sounds like some of these are definitely options. I think I am going to strike the Pessoa of my list. No one has had anything overly positive to say - Hunters Ridge’s comment of the leather being ‘ok’ is basically what I have surmised from online reviews as well.

Its nice to hear that the Aramas and the Wellfleet tend to run big in the noseband. The Ovation in a O/S may also be good as it sounds like it runs small. Also super helpful to see some actual measurements - I was having a really hard time finding them. Now, thanks to vxf111 and JenEM, I know the noseband measurements on the Ovation and the Wellfleet. Super helpful! I’ll measure my guy tonight but I suspect he’s going to be in and around 27-28" which would be a good fit in the Wellfleet Full or the Ovation “extra full” as long as it would fit him otherwise. That’s the problem with many oversize bridles - they are big everywhere!

As I’ll likely end up shipping the bridle to a US PO box and crossing the border to pick it up - I really want to avoid having to make multiple trips for sizing issues!

To illustrate our problem - he has a normal length head, but he doesn’t have the ‘dip’ below his jawbone/cheekbone that many horses have. It just continues to be wide. And because the length is fairly normal, I don’t have a ton of play in terms of lowering the noseband, especially with a wide noseband. https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xat1/v/t1.0-9/10361405_10102180006267341_2633542100710661416_n.jpg?oh=2880a3bf5cfe25fdd3be825dc4de4e8a&oe=55F1C7E3 This the only side photo I seem to have of his head on facebook, but its also a good excuse to post his adorable self with his ribbons at his first hunter show. (Excuse the braid job, apparently he’s a rubber!)

The Beval and Edgewood are good options looks wise, but I just don’t think I want to spend that kind of money given that I don’t know how long our hunter foray will last. For now, I’m enjoying it but not sure what the future holds. Which is also why I’m resisting the allure of the ADT Tribute. That one is so pretty!

Jealoushe - If I could find that Mark Todd bridle, I would buy it! Not hunter ring appropriate, but it would be my schooling bridle. I actually looked pretty hard for it last year, but it has been discontinued and I couldn’t find it anywhere in brown. One UK retailer had it in black, that was it!

[Jealoushe]

well frig, guess the hunter circuit in my area is either ahead or not with the times, because it’s everywhere here! Is the near identical Dy’on not popular in hunters? A leather maker can easily remove the tab

guess my eventing colours are showing hahaha

ETA : There is a retailer near me that has them in stock.

[Backstage]

Jealoushe - Are they actually showing in the hunter ring with that bridle? They would have to remove the ‘nibbin’ for the flash. Dyon also does sell the bridle with stainless steel buckles, not brass as the brass isn’t very ‘huntery’. I can definitely see it being used in the jumpers, though.

What retailer near you has it? Can you PM me the info? I do want that bridle for schooling or a potential switch to the jumper ring down the line. This may turn out to be an expensive thread!