I am thinking about going to a drop for my youngster. He was a failed race prospect, went to hunters, didn’t like that and I think he is a nice little low-level dressage guy. Great brain, smart as a whip, and cute to boot!
But I hate a flash, and I wondered how many of you have recent experience with a drop, where you got them from?
TIA
What is wrong with a plain caveson? What problem are you trying to address with a drop?
I just use a Rambo Micklem.
I used a drop on my last 2 horses. It is a classic, traditional bridle used by the Spanish Riding school to start their youngsters, among others. Keeps the bit stable in the mouth without needing to be overly tight. Most horses like them, but there’s always the rare exception…
I had a quality snafflel bridle and just bought a drop nose cavesson from Dressage Extensions or Dover. Can’t remember which, and switched out the nosebands. About $30? If you need an entirely new bridle, Dressage Ext sells a couple brands of them that are quite reasonable.
Precisely. I like the drop, simple yet functional for a youngster. I am just not a fan of the flash nosebands. Personal preference mixed with traditional tastes, if you like.
I think I may look at my current bridle and see if the noseband can be switched and do that.
Thanks!
Not trying to address anything, just like the simplicity and the look of it. I have heard that most youngsters do like them as well, but that is just an aside.
I used one of those on a mare that was constantly ATB and always grabbing the bit and bolting. Didn’t make a difference for her. Not a fan of them, FWIW.
Dover has a drop, it’s about $25 if I remember. It works fine.
If you hate flashes, why do you want a drop? A drop’s main function is similar to a flash’s… It’s really a very similar premise and pressure for the horse.
I switched my mare to a drop several months ago, based in part on several posters here having good experiences with them. I was pleasantly surprised how much of a difference it made. She’s much steadier in the contact than she was in either a plain cavesson or a flash.
I also bought a noseband and swapped it onto my existing bridle rather than trying to find another bridle that fit and had a drop.
Good luck!
My horses like drop nosebands, which are not tightly buckled; in fact, most of the horses I’ve started have. I tried a Micklem on one with a fine head, thinking he’d prefer that, but he disliked it.
I went back to a drop; I’ve never used a flash (or a crank noseband, by the way). The way the straps of a flash would cross his face, I think he might perhaps have an issue with it, as with the Micklem, so why bother, when a simple drop works excellently.
Horses have their preferences! Besides, if it’s good enough for the Spanish Riding School, it’s good enough for me, lol (can say that because it does work for my horses).
The drop does affect the horse different than a flash. The pressure distribution is different. A lot of young horses really like them. I am also a bridle fitter and have been trained.
Solo Equine has a lovely drop noseband dressage bridle that looks like a million bucks but won’t break the bank
I really like the PS Sweden designs as an alternative to a traditional drop design. I think you can get just the noseband for a Pioneer bridle and put it on an existing bridle. There might be other brands with a similar design. I switched my mare from a Micklem to a PS Nirak and have been very happy with it, but if you don’t like the functionality of the Micklem, the Pioneer, with its independent cheek pieces would be more like a traditional bridle.
My mare loves the drop. For whatever reason, she dislikes the way 99% of cavesons work on her face and does best in a bridle with a dropped noseband. i’ve tried several in a few different configurations, and currently use a Schumacher with the big padded crownpeice, which workes super-well to keep the straps of the drop away from her eyes, which is sometimes a problem - the Bobby’s bridle and drop kept creeping too close to her eyes. That’s the only problem with a drop that I’ve found on her face.
I find most horses go better in a drop than in a flash. They don’t push the horse’s cheeks against his molars like the cavesson does.
I have a Solo drop bridle that has a pretty patent noseband which fits a lot of horses. I also have an icky Kavakade one from dressage extensions which is oddly sized and fits terribly.
Thanks, everyone for the thoughtful replies. I think there seem to be more positives than negatives at this point. I am going to order one. I can always go back to the bridle he is in now.
I also have a Schumacher bridle with a drop. It fits nicely—the part across the bridge of the nose is wide enough that it fits without pulling forward towards the eyes. I have a noseband only from KL Select that is not wide enough.
I have a lovely Passier drop. I think I got it from Dover 15 years ago, but it was 15 years ago so it may have been from somewhere else!
I have a drop noseband bridle from Kavalkade. Its really nice, and not too pricey at all.
I have a PS of Sweden Pioneer. It is a lovely bridle.
My mare decided she likes a regular cavesson with no flash better than the Pioneer so if you are interested, PM me. 
I looked for a different noseband to go on the rest of the Pioneer bridle, but none of the stitching matches, sadly.
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