I used to have all Pessoa tack for my hunters and Edgewood for my jumpers. However, now I am a college student and cannot afford it! I love the Pessoa bridles because it looks so elegant in the ring and I love the wider nose band. Are there any “dupes” for these bridles? Or any cheaper brands that you can get away with at A shows and hold up well? I have heard good things about the Smartpak brands and Ovation what are y’alls thoughts?
I have not had good luck with Smartpak brands (stiff leather, broken keepers galore), but I do like HDR at a similar pricepoint, and Bobby’s.
Hi: When I was young (30 years ago) I always rode in Stubben saddles because they were so well made. Now they are out of style. Pessoa is made in Argentina so I do not know why they are expensive. Now I have two Antares close contact saddles that I bought on eBay at very reasonable prices. They are great! I also have an M Toulouse close contact saddle that has an adjustable tree. I love it for my mare because she needs a wider tree. It is standing up nicely. If you try a saddle from eBay, just make sure they will take it back for a refund if it doesn’t fit. You can get good deals on used saddles there. We do not have a tack store anywhere near us. Dover saddlery is too expensive and so are is their shipping. I never thought of a Pessoa saddle as expensive. I vote for M Toulouse as reasonably priced. But if you get one, I reccomend the adjustable tree. Make sure it is made of leather and not “covered” leather. The big thing in H/J now is the CWD, but they are expensive. Also the Butet. I highly recommend used saddles because you save a lot of money and you can get a really good brand cheap!
I’ve had the exact opposite, my HDR bridle was so stiff, and it was almost impossible for me to get any of the straps through the keepers. They bunched up, and oiling it didn’t help. My SP bridles are great though. They’re soft out of the box, no oiling, and they clean up really nicely (I abuse my bridles.)
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These are my two SP bridles (the brown one is discontinued.) Both included reins, got them both on sale (technically they were Christmas gifts, but they were both on sale and go on sale frequently.) Regular price is $150-ish each.
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Ditto this for me, too. I had a HDR that I was extremely unimpressed with–never darkened quite right, never very supple. I’ve had a Smartpak Wellfleet for a couple years now, and have been pleased with how easily it oiled up and how it’s broken in and worn. IIRC it was fairly reasonable on sale, which SP stuff is fairly regularly, and came with reins, which the Edgewood in a similar style that I was considering did not. I cannot speak to the quality of their more affordable ranges.
I have had both good and bad Smart Pak bridles. Seems the quality was better when they first came out. I do show in a Smart Pak bridle, but it’s a higher end one. Don’t waste your money on the lower end ones.
Ovation makes nice quality everything at a decent price. It’s been awhile since I’ve bought a Bobby’s bridle but I’ve been happy with the ones i have.
Dover sells a bridle every time they have a tent sale for 30$ or so. I have two of these for schooling now and they both have held up very nicely. One of them I have had for 3-4 years and it still looks nice.
Consignment stores are also a great place to pick up tack.
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I have a royal sports bridle for schooling and I use it daily on multiple horses, I’ve only had it for 6 months it it looks brand new. people constantly think I’m using one of my more expensive bridles for schooling! It’s definitely not the highest quality leather but for ~$100 I seems like it’ll last and look good!
I had entry level tack as a teen and after it was oiled up it lasted forever, indeed when I went and ressurected it 30 years later it was all still functional! It was all thick leather straps that dtakened to the same dark brown with oil.
But when I look at entry level tack now I tend to see coated leathers sort of painted n finish like you get on shoes. Or stiff multi layer leather.
So I have been shopping exclusively second hand for tack and have found as-new high quality brands at affordable prices. That’s how I’d recommend going on a budget. Plus actually you don’t really need that much, one saddle that fits horse, one bridle, maybe two saddle pads wash and wear.
What happened to all your nice tack? I’d shop the closet first and see what will fit current horse!
Yes, second hand tack might be your friend. Premier Tack Outlet usually has lots of good stuff, or your local consignment store.
I generally just save up and get nicer tack, but I’m more on the Five Star end of things (I LOVE Five Star bridles; my jumper goes only in Five Star), and I like jumper/eventer bridles, not hunter bridles, so I’m already spending at least a little less money. Nunn Finer has good tack for less, but again, it’s more on the jumper/eventer side of things than hunter.
I would say that the Ovation Wide Noseband Bridle is a great “dupe” for the Pessoa wide noseband. They look incredibly similar. My trainer has the Pessoa and I have the Ovation- you really cannot tell them apart. I was also at a tack store the other day and was like “Oh they carry my bridle!” thinking it was the Ovation, but the tag actually said it was the Pessoa- they are THAT similar.
You can read more about it if you want- I did a review on my blog:
http://hunkyhanoverian.com/product-review/product-review-ovation-wide-nose-bridle/
In general though- I try to buy used high end tack when I can find it. I have scored many lovely items at way less then retail on ebay and facebook groups, and used tack sites such as www.dfwtackexchange.com and www.redwoodtack.com
I think the SmartPak lines lower then the “Wellfleet” look cheap, as do the Royal Bridles (www.bridlesandreins.com) and the lower end Dover brands. I want something that is LEATHER, not plasticky- just my personal opinion though! I’m sure they are fine for schooling.
You may also want to look and see if importing from the EU would save you money. I live in the EU and bought this http://www.doversaddlery.com/dy'on-anatomic-bridle/p/X1-12752/ for the equivalent of 245 USD. I think there is a much bigger mark up in the US. I mean I just bought a different Dyon bridle for the equivalent of 131 USD
It’s been a few years for me, but Ovation used to be a good bang for your buck type brand.
Amira, a shop in the UK ships to the US, excludes VAT and can have competitive pricing even with the exchange rate. Some sellers in ebay.de (German) or eBay.co.uk will ship internationally.
I live I’m Europe and should I leave, I’m stocking up on Pikeur breeches in my way out. The mark up of some of the products in the US can be quite high!
Also, how are the Dover Circuit tack items these days? They used to be popular.
Ovation bridles have actually really stepped up their game. I was shocked when I went into a tack store at a show and picked up what I thought was an Edgewood and saw the Ovation brand. I would say that they are the best cheaper bridles on the market. When in doubt, hit up Ebay. Always great deals on there!
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Take a look at Smith-Worthington tack. It’s good quality, not so expensive, and they have super deals in their clearance section.
I have a Treadstone. It’s nowhere near the quality of Edgewood but it’s definitely very nice for the price point.
Thanks y’all! I think I’m going to give the ovation a try! I have always been a fan of the wide noseband!
Just chiming in to agree with everyone else saying the Ovation bridlework is fabulous value for your dollar. I carry the wide noseband hunter bridles in store, and our rep kindly gave me one of their anatomic jumper bridles to try out. It looks great on my horse, darkened beautifully with a bit of oil and I get tons of compliments because, honestly, from 10 ft away it’s indistinguishable from a $500 Dy’on bridle. I even like the biothane reins it came with, and I am super fussy in that department.
Bobby’s - this particular bridle is absolutely lovely.
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THe Ovations are quite nice. We were at the store to buy one for Mare, but they had just had an Aramas (the good ones!) come in used for a song. Otherwise, she’d be rocking the Ovation. I am a HUGE fan of good quality, used tack of any sort. I cannot think of anything but a helmet I wouldn’t gladly go used on - and a used, well cared for bridle is a treat IMO.
