I did the same thing at Devon…it was beautiful but I didn’t think it’d be durable and there’s no way I have any sort of need for a bridle at that price point.
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How about the less expensive In Gate bridle???
I thought it was average, nice but didn’t wow me.
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I have the less expensive one. It is quite nice looking and the leather is very soft. I haven’t seen the more expensive one, so obvi can’t compare against that.
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I have this CWD in a size 2 and love it. I got lucky and found a used one for roughly half the price. The sizing might be weird though. The store that sold it to me said that several people had tried it and it didn’t fit. The fact that it fits my horse is also a possible indicator of a weird fit.
The caveson strap goes through a channel on the underside of the browband so it’s stabilized kind of like a monocrown. For whatever reason I won’t buy a monocrown; probably bc they won’t work with my existing collection of cavesons
I show in the jumpers and have it paired with a $40 pair of rubber reins that I bought from the same store.
I don’t think you can go wrong with Edgewood and Hadfield’s. Jimmy’s/Bennett’s Hunter Fine Bridles and EquuSport are also stunning, as well as Black Diamond Designs (which is a steal for the quality)! I also love the look of The In-Gate bridles I’ve seen on here. I think Richard Castelow bridles are popular as well.
For a more moderately priced bridle, you can’t beat Aramas and Americana from Harmohn Kraft. They look and feel much more expensive than they are!
On a budget, I’m really impressed with Ovation’s $140 bridle for the price. The leather, stitching, hardware, and workmanship are all nice, and the leather quality is far nicer than other bridles in that price point (not painted on, plasticky, or wrinkly; also very supple). Not Edgewood quality, but also a fraction of the price, and a solid option for a lower priced bridle.
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The In Gate Bridles I have are the less expensive ones. They’re really the only sub $400ish with reins bridles around anymore that are quality English leather. They’re the quality of the HK bridles back when they were really consistently good. The finishing is a little rougher in spots than Edgewood but the leather is just as nice. I really would not recommend other bridles in the price point 
there used be lots of nice choices in that price point but not really anymore.
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Agree. When JustBridles was in business she advised me to buy an Ovation as a nice bridle for the price.
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I was on the hunt for the Aramas wide noseband bridle last year and had a hard time finding one! I did eventually source it but tbh, it’s sitting in the tack trunk with the cheap Smartpak bridle I purchased because I needed something fast.
Our everyday bridle is from Black Diamond - Amy customized it for us, so it’s kinda special and if the horse manages to refrain from injuring himself, we’ll use The Ingate one for shows.
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Equusport Bridles!! They are beautiful and last forever. And very custom, so you can get a great fit.
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Cindy is absolutely wonderful to work with. She remembers faves, is so welcoming and quite lovely. I find it extremely hard to believe that the customer service isn’t great. And the quality of leather, and look you can’t beat. Richard Castelow bridles are my favorite, and the In Gate copy cat just isn’t even comparable. When people say the leather is great, I wonder if they haven’t had quality leather products before. I have Jimmy’s and RC Bridles that are 20+ years old, and still look amazing.
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I guess I was ruined by Louis Fenchol who back in the 1960s had Kentucky Saddle Shop on Bardstown Road in Louisville, you could go there an pick out the leather from an extensive pile of hides you wanted then watch him put your bridle together
The place was room after room of finished leather goods
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Well, to be fair, you have to compare like to like. The In Gate Bridle isn’t as nice as a Castelow or many of the really quality bridles of old-- but it’s also $400 and the Castelow is nearly double the price. It’s hard to find much of anything that’s nice nowadays for $400 or under, and TIG meets that pricepoint at good quality. Of course it doesn’t compare to a $800+ bridle, but why would it for half the price?
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I haven’t personally interacted with her, so I don’t know. I just know the experience of a friend was pretty poor, and remember a thread last year where the poster had a poor experience with stitching unraveling in fewer than 20 rides and an even poorer experience trying to get it repaired, including Cindy calling to berate her. 
Maybe she just had a few bad days. Idk. But I’m not interested in buying an $800 bridle where any issues might result in me getting yelled at by a business owner.
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I have Black Diamond, Edgewood, Jimmy’s, Beval and Dover/SmartPak house brand bridles. For the price, you cannot beat Black Diamond. The leather is lovely and the price is insanely good. I like my Edgewood better than my Jimmy’s, but both are very nice bridles. My Beval is older and I don’t think they make the same model any more, if they do it’s the Gladstone. Regardless, it is fine for schooling but the leather started to separate pretty quickly on one of the straps. The Dover/SmartPak ones are awful.
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I also had Cindy berate me about fitting a bridle properly. Left a really bad taste in my mouth.
I think value for money, the In Gate is pretty hard to beat right now. If you’re willing to spend more, I have lots of Equusport bridles that look great on hunters and jumpers. Brad has retired so I’m not sure he’s still making pieces. The smell of the box when you open it is a throwback to the old days of leather work.
I bought a Bhoof bridle, which is the line Peder Fredricson created. I was more so buying it for the crown piece that was similar in function to PS of Sweden but more traditional looking.
I was pretty surprised how nice the leather is. I prefer plain stitching personally and that there is only one buckle for the throatlatch and not two. The logo on the crown maybe disqualifies it for hunters… but for jumpers, I think it’s a nice option.
Alternatively, in the past I’ve really liked the leather quality of CWD bridles. McLain designed one I very much like, less anatomic of a crown, but only one buckle on the right side for a traditional look. Again plain stitched bc boring is my kink 
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I think Huntley fits into that category as well, having had both.
ETA that Huntley now apparently has a less expensive option which is essentially the same bridle as their high end English sedwick bridle but with Italian leather. Very curious if anyone has any experience with it
Huntley are nice too. I thought they were slightly pricier than TIG but I haven’t price compared them recently. I have an ever so slight preference for the leather and styling on TIG but that’s personal preference.
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1700?? 
