Bridle Fit - Mix and Match.

[pryme_thyme]

I recently purchased a Schockemohle Alpha and a PS High Jump for my new girl. With thoughts that whatever one I don’t like I will resell later or return if I really hate it… Or so I told my husband.

Both have arrived, I like the crown and cheeks of the PS but dislike the brow and noseband fit. The Schockemohle, I like the brow and noseband,

Is it really naughty to mix and match, anyone else do it? Two mid range bridles now become one quite pricey bridle…

Feels wrong to mix, but it makes one nice bridle.

[horseshorseshorseshorses]

I have to with my guy. He has a cob sized crown, horse size brow band, almost pony length cheep pieces and a cob nose band. :-/

[pryme_thyme]

@horseshorseshorseshorses

I have to with my guy. He has a cob sized crown, horse size brow band, almost pony length cheep pieces and a cob nose band. :-/

Really!? Wow, I am glad someone shares my pain of mix and match. Yours sounds very expensive lol

[Lolliver]

Mine has WB size noseband and browband, and horse size cavesson and reins. Yep, she wears a Frankenbridle!

[XXS]

I have to because I don’t want a bridle with a throatlash (this was before PS of Sweden became popular here), so I had to find a headpiece and add the rest (and I change the browband sometimes just for fun).

[NoSuchPerson]

Add me to the list of mix-n-matchers. Oversize crown and browband, horse size noseband. And yes, it makes for an unreasonably expensive Micklem bridle.

[pryme_thyme]

Frankenbridle :lol:

Misery loves company. Atleast when I explain why I didn’t sell one to my DH I can say everyone else does it too!

[horseshorseshorseshorses]

@pryme_thyme

Really!? Wow, I am glad someone shares my pain of mix and match. Yours sounds very expensive lol

It can be but I look for tack on sale, used tack and tack sold in individual pieces. I also know a good leather worker who can shorten things or dye the leather as I need.

[sherian]

horse crown piece, warmblood cheek pieces, cob noseband (and 4 3/4 bit) - Flexible Fit in Australia lets you order each seperate part of a bridle by size thank god

[pryme_thyme]

@sherian

horse crown piece, warmblood cheek pieces, cob noseband (and 4 3/4 bit) - Flexible Fit in Australia lets you order each seperate part of a bridle by size thank god

Oh brother… I shouldn’t complain. I must check out this company!

[Jackie_Cochran]

My Frankenbridle has a Micklem horse size crown piece/browband and a Pony size cheek/nose piece.

Once I cut off the chin strap all the horses I currently ride have been happy.

When I ride a bigger horse I just condition my horse size cheek/nose piece and attach it to the horse size crown piece, making a regular Micklem horse sized bridle.

For decades I was using, in regular bridles, a horse size crown piece and brow band with cob size cheek pieces. On one horse I had to change the horse browband for a WB brow band, he was VERY wide across the brow and he was extremely brainy.

This is the price I gladly pay for riding horses with Arab blood.

[horseshorseshorseshorses]

@Jackie Cochran

On one horse I had to change the horse browband for a WB brow band, he was VERY wide across the brow and he was extremely brainy.

Extremely brainy. that describes my friend’s horse who also needs a WB/oversize browband and horse/cob everywhere else.

[Jackie_Cochran]

When I bought the WB browband for the 14.2 hand Arab, the owner of the tack store looked at me and asked me if he was really smart. I guess she had run into that before.

[222orchids]

It just seems wasteful to me to buy two bridles but only end up with one, plus a bunch of spare parts, simply for aesthetic reasons. I would return them both and find something that I like, and that fits, and spend that extra money on something else. There is so much to choose from, I cannot imagine that something will not fit the bill.

[rfath]

I recall The Bossy Bridle (in the US) allows you to customize PS of Sweden bridles. Pretty fantastic customer service, too.

[DMK]

@horseshorseshorseshorses

I have to with my guy. He has a cob sized crown, horse size brow band, almost pony length cheep pieces and a cob nose band. :-/

I own that pony, except horse size crown. He moves between cob/horse browbands depending on the size but PS cob size works OK.

My solution was to order the build your own PS sweden bridle, you can mix and match the sizes.That worked as well as anything, although I think I will still get the cheek pieces shortened eventually. They fit fine, but I prefer them to be at/below the eye (middle hole) rather than top hole. That’s less of a failure of PS measurements and more the unique relationship a fjord prehensile tongue has with the bit. I’ve never had to put a bit up so high in a horse’s mouth for it to not get over the bit, so if I could put it at the “normal” level it would fit perfectly.

[MissMilly]

Bobby’s Tack will make a bridle using different sized pieces, just call and talk to him. I have two Frankenbridles for a large pony from them. Bartville Harness will do completely custom- although those are more schooling/foxhunting quality than for the show ring.

[CPL713]

I personally wouldn’t spend my money to do it for looks alone, but I have combined two old bridles (one horse and one cob) that I am currently using on my thoroughbred. The browband and noseband are two different shades of brown. :lol:

[NoSuchPerson]

@222orchids

It just seems wasteful to me to buy two bridles but only end up with one, plus a bunch of spare parts, simply for aesthetic reasons.

I don’t think anyone has said they mix-and-match for aesthetic reasons. The OP said she didn’t like the brow and noseband fit of the PS - “fit,” not “looks.”

And everyone else has reported using pieces of different size bridles, which indicates that it’s a “fit” issue, not a “looks” issue.

[pryme_thyme]

@Jackie Cochran

My Frankenbridle has a Micklem horse size crown piece/browband and a Pony size cheek/nose piece.

Once I cut off the chin strap all the horses I currently ride have been happy.

When I ride a bigger horse I just condition my horse size cheek/nose piece and attach it to the horse size crown piece, making a regular Micklem horse sized bridle.

For decades I was using, in regular bridles, a horse size crown piece and brow band with cob size cheek pieces. On one horse I had to change the horse browband for a WB brow band, he was VERY wide across the brow and he was extremely brainy.

This is the price I gladly pay for riding horses with Arab blood.

Extremely brainy lol, love it.