Brown dressage bridle help

[Dutchmare433]

I’m on the search for a brown dressage bridle and haven’t had any luck so far finding something that fits all (or most) of my criteria.

Want:
-Cob sized
-Normal crown piece (can be anatomical but the horse prefers something low profile, so nothing super wide or with bulky padding)
-crank nose band (I like the padding/the adjustability/evenness of the crank—this horse wears her noseband loose) in the 2-3cm wide range
-ideally convertible flash, if not no flash
-flat leather with hook-studs not buckle ends

Do not want:
Rolled leather
Patent leather
Patterned leather

Flexible:

Brow band type/shape—will likely buy a separate brow band but depends on price point
Again depending on price point I can always have a flash tab removed if it fits other criteria

I’m open to a variety of price points depending on what features I can get. Most of the lower-mid range ones I’ve found are missing a want/need and I’d love to get this for less than something like Bridles2Fit, if possible.

[Displaced_Yankee]

I LOVE these threads.

KL Select Italia Pirouette Bridle | Farm House Tack

Available in brown and cob BUT has the flash tab on a crank noseband. See the KL Select website for the brown and cob option (no pictured but this gives you an idea of the style) Has buckle ends but KL Select has been really great to work with regarding swapping out pieces.

Kieffer Perseus Snaffle Bridle

My personal favorite. I am so sad that I sold this bridle. Brown, cob (true cob sized), removable flash on a crank noseband. The crown is not overly padded and the noseband feeds over the top. Think the padded crown pieces of 10-12 years ago. Buckle ends…but they sell hook-studs as well:

Kieffer replacement cheek pieces

[endlessclimb]

Check Halter Ego, they may have something that fits the bill!

[Dutchmare433]

They don’t have anything plain brown—no patent/no pattern as far as I could see. I could always reach out and ask if they have anything in just brown.

[Dutchmare433]

@Displaced_Yankee

Available in brown and cob BUT has the flash tab on a crank noseband. See the KL Select website for the brown and cob option (no pictured but this gives you an idea of the style) Has buckle ends but KL Select has been really great to work with regarding swapping out pieces

Ahhh thank you! I’m less than an hour from their distribution store so I might be able to give her a call and she what she can do!

[Displaced_Yankee]

I may have led you astray! The KL Select site does not show the brown option!

They USED to do it in brown when I worked in the tack shop. (FYI: they have a Weymouth option that doesn’t have the flash tab if you REALLY want to be a pest ) Worth the call if they still have the parts…

[endlessclimb]

How about lumiere?

'Amie' Rolled Leather Bridle (Hanoverian)

Shoot, it’s not a crank

[leighbo009]

I have a CWD that I think matches all your requirements.

Dressage contact bridle

(I got mine at land rover 3 day & it was not full price)

[barnesthenoble]

You might see if Black Diamond Designs (I know she’s on here, but I can’t remember her username right now…otherwise she has an FB page and a website) can get you one. I know she had some dressage bridles made and I think she could order them in brown. Worth seeing if it might fit the bill!

[Dutchmare433]

They’re actually switching to all cranks but isn’t that one patent? They’re on my list to email to see if I can do some mix and match.

[cnm161]

@Dutchmare433

They don’t have anything plain brown—no patent/no pattern as far as I could see. I could always reach out and ask if they have anything in just brown.

They’re really responsive to questions and special orders. I ordered a frankenbridle (horse poll, cob cavesson, pony cheeks) in custom colors and it was absolutely painless.

[endlessclimb]

Ah I read your OP wrong I’m sorry! They have others in non patent!

[GreyDes]

Kate Negus has it and the leather quality is fabulous!

https://www.katenegus.com/product/leather-lined-cavesson-bridle/

Henry James is another good option - https://www.henryjamessaddlery.co.uk/collections/complete-bridles/products/dressage-crank-bridle

[endlessclimb]

Was on my phone last night and browsing webpages isn’t my favorite.

Halter Ego, has removeable flash, but $$$:

The Sarah - Maple Brown Leather Snaffle Bridle with Removable Flash | Halter Ego®

Lumiere has one with removable flash:

‘Anastasia’ leather bridle (convertible) – Lumiere Equestrian US

Another from Lumiere, no flash but more elegant IMO:

‘Athens’ leather bridle (snaffle) – Lumiere Equestrian US

[beowulf]

Halter Ego will customize. They did a custom order for me. Granted, they offered because the bridle I ordered didn’t match the bridle description but, hey! Great customer service there.

It took much longer than communicated to arrive. I had to email a few times to get a response. That being said, I think it was bad timing and probably a non-issue now. The person handling my order had just gotten pregnant; she had the baby by the time my bridle was completed.

I get a ton of compliments on my Halter Ego wherever I go. I have mixed feelings about whether I’d buy one again. They get kudos for customization and their bridles are beautiful, but mine arrived dry and needed lots of conditioning before it was ready to be on a horse. For the price point, I’d just by a used Antares next time.

Sadly, it doesn’t fit the horse it was ordered for. Loooool!

[endlessclimb]

Mine was lovely. I can’t remember the model I got, but it no longer fits anything I own, either.

My Lumiere, however, is kind of… meh. Maybe I did something to it to make it mad, but the keepers are so off in size I can’t even use some of them. It has been downgraded to a lunging bridle. They are at a much better price point, and others have said they really liked theirs, so I think I might have just gotted a dud.

[beowulf]

@endlessclimb

My Lumiere, however, is kind of… meh. Maybe I did something to it to make it mad, but the keepers are so off in size I can’t even use some of them. It has been downgraded to a lunging bridle. They are at a much better price point, and others have said they really liked theirs, so I think I might have just gotted a dud.

For all the raving people do about Lumiere, I didn’t care for the leather quality. I feel the same way about P.S of Sweden. After a while they just look dingy, even clean.

[endlessclimb]

Yeah, the edge “paint” is frayed and the leather itself is wrinkled looking. I take really good care of my stuff, too.

[anonevent]

Working Collection Matte Large Crank Noseband Double Bridle

[endlessclimb]

I hated the leather on the D’yon I ordered, so much that I paid for return shipping to europe to recover some of the loss.