OK - not a hair of white on his face: what do you recommend?
Requirements:
PS Of Sweden. My black horse has the anatomical bridle with the white piping on the noseband (and I got the rolled cheek pieces)
He looks ab fab in it.
Budget?
And what color bit rings does he have? Which do you want to coordinate, the bit ends or rings? 
Second PS of sweden. I think it is one of the most flattering bridles on the market right now that is also designed with the horse in mind.
I really like my Hennig bridle. My horse has about 6 white hairs on his head… so not “completely black” but pretty close. Hard to see here, but the noseband is patent.
[QUOTE=keysfins;8688793]
Budget?
And what color bit rings does he have? Which do you want to coordinate, the bit ends or rings? :)[/QUOTE]
Budget probably under $300-400?
The entire bit is embarrassingly gold colored, rings included… it’s a full cheek so time will tell if he stays in that or graduates to something else. I would say the brass/gold color part is somewhat less important overall
[QUOTE=Xanthoria;8688878]
Budget probably under $300-400?
The entire bit is embarrassingly gold colored, rings included… it’s a full cheek so time will tell if he stays in that or graduates to something else. I would say the brass/gold color part is somewhat less important overall :)[/QUOTE]
I think photos are required so we can see the model (horse) in question. 
I would completely ignore the color of the bit and choose fittings in whatever color I want. Brass is a PITA to clean for showing, or even to keep from turning green.
That said, Bobby’s has some very nice, basic, quality leather snaffles. Check out RockHorse Ranch on eBay, she’s fairly local to me.
Then you can decide if basic and plain works, or if you want a subtle bling browband? Hook stud or buckle ends preferred?
A few years ago, I bought one of the Europa bridles to use as a “less expensive” bridle until I could decide if I wanted to stick with dressage and what I really wanted in a bridle without shelling out a ton of cash. And…4 years later, I’m a confirmed Dressage Queen, and have no need to find a “nicer” bridle. The Europa bridle fits my boy perfectly and has held up really well (and I will confess to not taking super-good care of my stuff unfortunately). I like having a black padded noseband because then I can put on any blingy browband that I want and it doesn’t clash.
Mine has a crank noseband, but I found the same one in a regular noseband version:
https://www.horseloverz.com/english-horse-tack/english-horse-bridles/dressage-bridles/ovation-europa-classic-padded-dressage-bridle-with-flash
Bobby’s has a beautiful black bridle with light brown padding. Check it out. This one is not oversize, but you could ask the seller to order it. It would be stunning on a dark bay, too.
I have a black mare with no white, and use a Bobby’s bridle with black padding and brass fittings (I actually like the brass). To add a bit of pizzazz, I have a PS of Sweden pearl and crystal browband). I like that you can get Bobby’s cavessons without the pesky flash loop.
Since he’s a “he,” I would go with a plain black bridle and forgo the brass buckles because, as keysfins said, they are a pain to keep clean and shiny.
Alternative for me would be a black bridle with white padding for cavesson and browband, I think that would look great on a black head.
I don’t usually care for patent leather on a bridle, but it would be stunning on a plain black head.
[QUOTE=shall;8688969]
Bobby’s has a beautiful black bridle with light brown padding. Check it out. This one is not oversize, but you could ask the seller to order it. It would be stunning on a dark bay, too.
I have this bridle for my chestnut guy, but I think it would look stunning on a dark horse as well. The bridle is beautiful, and the padding is subtle. It provides enough of a pop without being in your face. I don’t know what kind of head your horse has, but this bridle is perfect for my guy who has a long but refined head. I found that so many of the bridles with the super wide nosebands looked ridiculous on him.
I think a black padded caveson and a really pretty blindly browband, like this would look great on a black. JMHO, but I’m not a fan of white padded, and while I usually go for a more subtle bling, I think for a black without a lot of chrome, something a little flashier could be really pretty(:
I have always learned and believed that if you are going to have a strong contrast, like a black noseband lined in white, you had better be sure that your horse is never, ever going with a head tilt or wag. (In competition, that is.) That “white line” will tell all to a judge at C as you come down centerline. Plus, the white lining can take a bit to maintain so it does not fade/yellow/stain/crack.
The bridle with light brown padding would look lovely! If we could have a look at the face in question, maybe we could see what might look well even better. 
Keys has a good point, but I instantly went to white padding. The red or Aubergine in this bridle would look great too. They look to just have white piping, rather than white padding, so it would be easier to keep clean, not being against the horse. I have a couple of their older colored padding bridles and they’re nice quality with dimensions that fit real horses properly (I’m anal about bridle fit):
http://www.pinkequine.com/product_info.php?cPath=26_24&products_id=30
[QUOTE=keysfins;8689283]
The bridle with light brown padding would look lovely! If we could have a look at the face in question, maybe we could see what might look well even better. ;)[/QUOTE]
Hope you can see these pics:
[QUOTE=shall;8688969]
Bobby’s has a beautiful black bridle with light brown padding. Check it out. This one is not oversize, but you could ask the seller to order it. It would be stunning on a dark bay, too.
OR what about GOLD PADDING! Cheesy ebay quality no doubt…
Aw, he is lovely Xanthoria. I like understatement, so I’d be tempted to go with something plainer.
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