Do fancy anatomical bridles actually make a difference?

[beowulf]

Ooof. Sadly, I don’t think that’s an issue specific to that barn or training either. It’s discipline-wide. Just happens we have more pictures of Valegro than we do the less popular ones.

What’s telling to me too, is where the corner of his mouth naturally ends in the first photo - versus the bottom.

Small things like these, once you notice them, are very hard to ignore. And they’re everywhere… Here’s some more that show the tendency to keep the bit high up in the mouth and keep the noseband tight:

For what it’s worth, it’s not just a criticism of riders at the top level of the sport (where I will never be) either. I notice these things in my own horses too, which has lead to a very serious, very real ruthless self-reflection of how fair what I am asking of my horse is, how unskilled I am as a rider, as well as a lot of adjustments in my riding style and tack to make them at least a little more comfortable with riding.

[endlessclimb]

Oh I certainly wasn’t trying to single out one UL horse/rider. And to be honest, they are/were a beautiful pair to watch, despite the noseband etc. It’s just the photo that sparked the discussion.

[Obsidian_Fire]

@beowulf In searching around for a bridle like what you posted upthread, I came across this:

Capitol Relief Bridle - Western Shoppe

[Willesdon]

@beowulf

I dislike the tight nosebands too. I hate to pull the blame away from riders, but it is also something that is indirectly rewarded by judges, too. Horses who gape with their mouths, grimace or gnash their teeth, or hang out their tongue are penalized – and these are very common signals from the horse that can be quieted or erased with a tight noseband or flash…

I totally agree.

This is precisely why the flash was invented: to strap the mouth shut. It is a great sorrow to me that the flash is now used almost universally, across every discipline. Worse, the main reason people use one (should have kept the published survey results) is “to stop the bit falling out of the horse’s mouth”.

It is interesting to watch paradressage, where riders often lack physical strength.

[dps]

I just bought a bridle from Premier Equine in the UK that looks exactly like this for much less money. They have several choices and the leather is quite nice

[beowulf]

Can you point me out to it on the website? I don’t see an option with the cheek pieces integrated to the noseband, but I’m also on mobile. Thank you!

[Larbear]

How did you find the leather on the Harwich bridle? Is the crown piece padded?

[eightpondfarm]

I haven’t treated it at all, just got it out the box and put it on him. I’m sure my lack of attention will have cut the lifespan of this piece. Leather is fine, no complaints. The crown is padded. Not ultra padded, but it is twoply and has a nice soft underside.

Only used it a couple times however. I’ve had to switch bridles for a while because i need one without any noseband at all. He wears a halter under …because i have a 2 hr lesson and switch horses and he has to be tied while i’m on the other one.

[Larbear]

Ok thanks! I like the look of this bridle and my horse has a petite head so I thought this might work for him.

[eightpondfarm]

My horse has an odd-shaped face. Narrow with a domed forehead. This bridle suits him well. I’m going to paint it blue.

[Larbear]

I wonder if the PE equivalent bridle isn’t available? I just looked on the web site on my laptop and I didn’t see it either. I like the one you posted (though not the brand for the quality issues) for the design. I like less straps and like the Micklem design (currently have one) but don’t really need the flash aspect of it plus mine is getting crunchy despite my attempts to clean and condition it and missing keepers.

[dps]

I bought this one a few weeks ago

Lambro Anatomic Bridle with Crank Noseband – Premier Equine Int. Ltd.

[BlueDrifter]

That is a beautiful bridle!

[yaya]

For USEF shows, that bridle would need a throatlatch.

[Libby2563]

@endlessclimb

That Kieffer looks a lot like this one…

https://www.kavalkade.de/en/trense-ivy.html

I had been eyeing the Kavalkade Ivy for a while and decided to try it for my new horse, who is currently using my retiree’s very old non-ergonomic snaffle. I don’t love the decorative stitching but it hits a lot of good design points for the price ($125) and it comes in brown. Sadly the fit was not good at all. The noseband was flopping loose even on the tightest hole, but I could forgive that because I can always punch more holes and I do think he has a smallish, tapered muzzle. What I couldn’t understand is the shape of the monocrown, which is curved just so that the widest part digs into the back of his ears. It looked really uncomfortable and he was clearly not pleased with it. I had to coax his ears forward for this picture:

This is a horse size on a 16.1-2 hh WB. Maybe he needs a cob size for the cutback crown to fit properly? Seems unlikely though, since my much finer-boned 15.3 hh TB is generally between cob and horse. Back to the drawing board… it’s hard enough to find a well-fitting monocrown bridle and if you want brown, it seems damn near impossible!

[beowulf]

Ah, gotcha. That’s not quite the same (I need throatlatch and also the cheek pieces to connect to the actual noseband) but a nice bridle! Hope you and the horse are liking it.

@Libby2563 that’s a huge bummer about that crown piece fit. I’ve run into that a few times too. So frustrating. If I see anything on my search I’ll tag you.

[Bristol_Bay]

Also available in the English language;

https://www.ridingwarehouse.com/Kavalkade_Ivy_Padded_Bridle_Flash_Noseband_wReins/descpage-KELI.html

I love Riding Warehouse.

[endlessclimb]

Weird. Mine showed up in English! I also love Riding Warehouse. Great customer service and fast shipping.

[Obsidian_Fire]

I ended up with the Kavalkade Rose Gold bridle… it is beautiful and looks amazing on my mare. The browband is a bit much bling for my taste, but her forelock covers enough of it to not be overpowering.
The reins that came with it would be great if they were wider. They are so narrow if I were to use them I’d probably lose track of them.

[Angela_Freda]

Haven’t read the thread, but what is “fancy” about these bridles?