Here he is in my TB’s cob-sized PassierBlu Spirit, for comparison. He would need a horse size but the crownpiece is a much better shape I think.
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Third post in a row, sorry. But this is interesting. I thought I would try to find him a PassierBlu Spirit in brown, which led me to discover that it comes in an alternate noseband configuration similar to some of the other “ergonomic” bridles. I’d never seen this version before but it’s actually available on Fundis (where it’s called “more cheekbown freedom” 
: https://www.fundis-equestrian.com/us/horse/bridles-and-more/snaffle-bridles/bridles-with-combined-noseband/6658/passierblu-snaffle-spirit-with-english-combined-caveson?number=FR15728.23). Hmm.
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@Libby2563 ohhh no! So sorry to hear it doesn’t fit well. VERY cute pony though, and in that good lighting I can see the espresso – it’s gorgeous. Keep me in the loop on what you do. It looks like there is a custom option on Halter Ego. Could be worth asking…
P.S The Passier has a “Markus Ehning” and it looks like that noseband configuration is part of that. I have a Passier Ingrid Klimke for the horse mentioned above (he’s pictured in it in one of these posts) and I like the bridle but it has the same shortcomings you’ve mentioned re: crownpiece.
Just for fun, here is my mare in her EvoEquine bridle (excuse the general messiness of her coat and mane)
It’s adjusted the way she likes it, which means relatively loose.
And here’s another from the front:
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I think we have the same taste in bridles! The Marcus Ehning has been in my “saved for later” SmartPak cart for over a year LOL. I was thinking of getting it for my TB as a jump bridle, to replace his that is cobbled together from three different crappy cheap bridles. I haven’t pulled the trigger because 1) it’s so expensive you almost might as well go for a Fairfax and 2) the noseband doesn’t have any articulation points. But I do like a lot about it! It even comes in a very pretty brown…
BTW the Passier Starlight also has that noseband configuration, with articulation points, but it doesn’t come in brown.
It’s cold and rainy and gross so I’ve spent the last 2 hours bridle shopping AGAIN and can’t find anything that checks all my boxes. Sigh. I’m thinking about trying either the Marcus Ehning or a Collegiate Comfitech even though I think they are kind of ugly. More likely I will order nothing and baby horse (who has been here 3 weeks and still doesn’t have a barn name) will just keep wearing his retired “older brother’s” cruddy old black Plymouth or whatever it is. The weather has been so gross that I’ve only sat on him twice anyway.
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Thanks for pointing that out. And the “more room” in patent leather has a more padded chinstrap than this one, in addition to the patent leather.
Man. If you’ve got her ear can you put in a plug for pony sizes with an appropriately scaled down noseband width. I know that myself and many others have asked over the years and were met with a pretty firm “no plans”. Those of us with tiny faced ponies want to enjoy pretty things too! there aren’t as many dressage ponies as horses but we are a shopaholic group
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The ear thing stood out to me, too, and would be a deal breaker for me. But how you describe him, I almost wonder if Bridle 2 Fit would be a good choice. You get to mix and match all the pieces so it really does come out to a perfect, custom fit. I’m pretty happy with my bridle from them (but they can be pretty slow re: shipping). I have one of their bridles in brown and it’s a nice, dark brown that still works with my black saddle (since a new saddle just for color matching is not in the books). It’s not so dark as to be espresso, but not a light havana, either.
An artist friend in AZ who happened to have fallen for one of my mustangs and wanted to craft something for him. So i sent her a Harwich bridle and she wove a wrap with stones over velcro for the browband and the noseband. (lol. i had to identify the parts for her!)
for mustang Steve
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I like this bridle! I have one as well, but it’s too small for my current horse - so if anyone is looking for a cob size (runs small), EvoEquine I’d be happy to part with mine!
I also tried the Kavalkade and had the saMe issue with the ear cutouts.
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I’d be happy, too!
I told her about this thread, so I hope she had time to pop in and read as well.
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@Libby2563 I tried to PM you, but doesn’t look like I can. Did you decide if you were going to return the bridle?
I’d love to see the post if you can find it!
Lots to think about for sure. I need a bit longer to respond to all the points in your post, but wanted to share my bridle pics for those having trouble with cutouts for ears. I had the same issue with my girl. She has an oddly shaped head so I had to go for a mix and match. She had a Henry James bridle which overall I love but there were a couple things I didn’t like. First of all, the noseband was too wide for her delicate face. Secondly, there wasn’t enough ear clearance (like @Libby2563 is seeing with hers). I’ve been longing to get my hands on one of the Horsemanship Saddlery bridles as they’re the only ones I’ve seen that have a nice cutout for the ears without having a massively thick headpiece, which would overwhelm my girl’s face. They don’t ship to the US, but I was able to order one through their North American partner Horse Problems Canada. I messaged them on FB and the owner was super helpful and let me mix and match sizes to ensure the right fit. Forgot to mention, I got the Saturn bridle.
The leather quality is not as good as the Henry James but everything else is nice - the stitching is even and tight, the buckles are of good quality, and most importantly, it fits! I really like how the headpiece avoids her ears without being too bulky.
Pics aren’t as good because the pony is fuzzy but you can get an idea of how cut back it is around the ears.
Horsemanship Saddlery:
Henry James:
PMed you! Yes, I’m planning to return it, hopefully for a refund vs. store credit. I think I’m likely to have the same crownpiece issue with any of their models. And the options for brown were fairly limited anyway.
If anyone is interested, here are photos comparing the cutbacks on my Halter Ego Olympia (horse size) and PassierBlu Spirit (cob size) bridles. The Passier shape gives much better ear room, in my opinion.
Interestingly, the browband on the cob-sized Passier is also over an inch longer than the browband on the horse-sized Halter Ego, which I think also plays a role in how they both fit.
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Wow, nice comparison! You really see the ear cutback very clearly. Thanks for posting.
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I tried a Harwich a few years ago, and definitely was not impressed with the leather. I love Smartpak for many things, but I won’t buy Smartpak brand leather goods any more - I’ve tried a few different lines and none of them ever really softened much and most ended up with broken keepers.
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I have the Markus Ehning (in black) and I’ve been very happy with it! Though lately I’ve been schooling my mare without the noseband - my trainer noted at our last lesson that he seemed quieter in the mouth but I’ve also made other changes in how I ride him so who knows.
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