Thanks, will look into it!
Any advice on how to darken and soften the leather? I keep oiling it, it seems to have a coating on it or something. Thanks!
I washed with a non-glycerin, non moisturizing soap, and then I used leather dye. Really. Fieblings medium brown. Because things looked orangey. Then I used a heavy duty tallow based conditioner and worked all the pieces by hand. But I did this as soon as it arrived. Once you start oiling it complicates dying and probably requires a heavier detergent to break down the oils.
Wow, this is super helpful, thank you! I am going to give it a shot.
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The Butet bridles are actually made by Dy’on. The leather has a grain on it, but otherwise same meh.
I had a few Dy’on bridles and what bothered me most is that plasticky coating means it never really looks clean.
I’ve consolidated down to Equusport bridles and for showing, I have two brand new Bennett’s bridles I had made. They are sitting in my office and I can smell the leather from down the hall. It’s the smell of my youth! Both these producers really make a quality product. Brad at Equusport can make things unbelievably quickly as well. I have an Hermes bridle too, but honestly, I prefer the two American brands.
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Has anyone tried the new put together a bridle at Dover Saddlery? (Forget what they are calling it)
Looks like it might be a nice schooling type option for challenging to fit horses.
If so, how is the leather quality (does it smell yucky or nice) and sizing? Are there reins?
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I just took a look at the site and it doesn’t look like they come with reins, unfortunately. I haven’t seen them and am curious about the quality as well.
I have not bought anything new in years that compared to what you could get for $100-200 less even 5-6 years ago. All the quality seems to have gone down. The best I’ve bought recently is Huntley’s, but it’s twice the price of the old SP-Wellfleet-made-by-HK and about the same quality. Current SP is no longer as nice as it was. Other than the Huntley, which is nice but not KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF nice-- I haven’t felt moved to buy ANYTHING new in YEARS.
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I pretty much feel the same way. Plus, I’ve gotten so many great deals on used bridles that it’s hard to justify buying new when I’ve gotten GORGEOUS show quality bridles (Edgewood, Hadfield’s, older Beval, older Crosby, Jimmy’s, Dover Wellington, Northrun, Courbette, Stübben, etc.) for the same price you could get a new mid-grade “meh” bridle for.
I really think it is a shame that the quality of so many brands has gone downhill as well. Going to the tack shop was such a magical experience when I was young and looking through all of the gorgeous bridles was like I’d died and gone to Heaven, but now I feel as though at least 75% of the bridle selection at most are just “meh”. Everything has that plasticky, painted on finish anymore and has a funky smell to it.
I definitely miss when Harmohn Kraft made the SmartPak and Dover bridles, and love the Aramas and Americana lines for the price!
I actually bought a couple of very old (easily 40 or 50+ years old) and very out of fashion bridles not long ago for dirt cheap because the leather is absolutely wonderful on them, and in fact I think it would be hard to find anything new with comparable leather anymore!
I was also thinking not long ago when cleaning up one of my old Miller’s Collegiate bridles that the quality of the leather was surprisingly nice for what was sold as an inexpensive lower mid-grade bridle in its day, and how nothing being sold in that category (or even in the higher mid-grade category; I would actually say I prefer it over some of what is currently being sold as high end, even) these days is anywhere near as nice. It isn’t plasticky or painted on at all and has a very soft, buttery feel to it. It isn’t Edgewood or anything like that of course, but it’s very nice for a mid-grade bridle. I would be really happy if something like that was available in the mid-range market today!
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I agree that almost all consumer products took a nose dive in quality after the recession of 2008, in addition to the slow deterioration in quality over the past 50 years.
I read somewhere that the big cattle cull in Europe for mad cow disease disrupted the supply of quality leather. Also back before 2010, I recall the owner of a high end knitting store telling us the supply of real wool was going to get scarce due to Australian bush fires killing off sheep. And indeed with 3 or 4 years, you couldn’t find a pure wool sweater anywhere here.
My impression of retail clothes is that after the 2008 recession, more and more places went to synthetics. My touchstone is Banana Republic where I’ve been shopping for about 20 years. When I started buying work clothes there you could get pure wool suits and silk blouses. Not anymore, not even preCOVID.
Anyhow, I am not bridle shopping but I agree I rarely see anything that doesn’t seem coated, and I know how coated wears :). Everything is taking another hit with disrupted supply chains etc.
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Glad I’m not the only one who is totally unimpressed with modern leather goods! I saw a PS of Sweden at a clinic or something not too long ago and it looked so plasticky and fake, not to mention bulky and unflattering for the horse. I recently saved a bunch of old strap goods from the dumpster (long story) and I’m really impressed at the quality of the leather after a thorough cleaning with castile soap. I wish there was a way to get simple modern designs (like shaped crown pieces and lower throat latches) with that old school leather.
If you’re interested in leather and how it’s made, this is actually a really interesting listen from some of the folks at Sedgwick who make arguably the best leather in the world.
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I handled my first Dy’on bridles about a decade ago, so this may be before the “decline” spoken of here, but even then, I was pretty ‘meh’ on leather quality. I did like the design of their trademark jumper bridle, as the contoured noseband really does prevent the flash pulling down, and they were an early monocrown on the market. Buuuut… I noticed whenever one was left in storage for even a minute, it felt really dried out, yet wouldn’t take oil easily. In daily use with regular cleaning and conditioning, this wasn’t so apparent.
In terms of other “modern” high end bridles I’ve encountered (which are a decidedly different thing than the “classic” types discussed here) CWD are nice and the Antares leather is quite, quite lovely.
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