If you had to choose between these 3, which would you go with and why?
I’m not super familiar with Nunn Finer but it looks nice in the photos.
Never would’ve thought I’d consider a Dover brand bridle but the derby bridle caught my eye. I like the detailing on the noseband and cheek pieces.
And I like the unique stitching on the ingate bridle.
Wish I could see all of them in person to decide, but I figured polling COTH is the next best thing.
I’ve had a Nunn Finer Caterina and loved it, very pretty bridle! Bought a horse that needed a different size and sold it to someone who used it on her conformation hunter. It’s a good quality for the price point, and you could probably get one on sale around Black Friday.
This thread may be helpful to you regarding the In Gate.
If it were me, I think I would give The In Gate a try because I think they’re gorgeous and have been really impressed from what I’ve seen on here! (See the thread Bristol_Bay quoted). I haven’t seen one in person yet, but I like the fact that they appear to not have that coated finish so many bridles these days have.
However, I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Nunn Finer as well. Very solid, good quality stuff for the price. I haven’t seen that particular Dover bridle in person, but I’m a bit iffy on the quality of their other models these days.
I have had a Nunn Finer in the past and currently have the In Gate figure 8. I would go with the In Gate hands down. The quality is just getting better with each run at this new company and the customer service is top notch. It’s a beautiful bridle and gets better as it ages. Really nice leather.
I have the Dover bridle and am very pleased with it. It oiled to a beautiful, even espresso brown easily, and the stitching is nice and tidy. It suits a dainty head nicely.
The leather itself is as nice as the Nunn Finer bridle I had (the Monica). I expect it will improve with age.
ETA: the Red Barn Sonoma is another one to consider if you like the raised details on The In Gate Bridle (I think both are beautiful).
Figured I’d update here and maybe help someone else that is bridle shopping!
So, I ended up ordering the Nunn Finer Caterina because there were a few other things I needed from Farmhouse and they had it in stock. Sent it back today. In the online description it says the bridle is made with Italian leather but the tag clearly says INDIA, not sure what that’s about. Overall I just wasn’t impressed by it. That’s not to say it felt cheap or bad quality—but it seemed to me more on par with the quality of a $250 bridle rather than a $385 bridle. Leather did have that waxy finish that made me suspect it would not take oil very well. I will say that it was pretty to look at.
So, I have now ordered the In gate bridle and will update again when that arrives! Fingers crossed this is the one I’ll keep!
That’s really disappointing, I wonder if they made a materials change that hasn’t yet made its way into the product description. The one I had years ago wasn’t like that 
I’m late responding but I wouldn’t recommend Nunn Finer. They look great new but don’t age well. Mine looks like really cheap leather unless I constantly clean and condition it. It’s still not very supple a year into owning it, getting straps in the keepers is difficult.
Apparently Nunn Finer sends their leather and specs to India for the stuff that’s fancier than Bartville’s options.
They ship the leather to India who assembles it.
You won’t be disappointed with the In Gate bridle. I was just watching my daughter clean hers the other day and thinking that it’s only looking better with age and conditioning. She has one of the first run bridles and I think they’ve only improved with each shipment.
In gate bridle has arrived! Overall, very pleased with it. It also had a “made in India tag” which was a little disappointing for a bridle of this price point however, the leather quality appeared to be better than the Nunn finer, without so much of the waxy finish so I wasn’t going to let one tag ruin it for me. This is what it looked like straight out of the box—quite light, pictures on the website show it oiled.
And this is what it looks like after 2 coats of oil
Got full size for a 16.2hh warmblood and it fits nicely. The noseband strap that goes over the poll (not the noseband itself) may run a little big compared to other parts of the bridle—I have it on the very top hole while all the other straps fall on middle holes. However this is a very small detail and I’m not worried about it.
Will have to see how it breaks in and stands up to use, but so far I’d certainly recommend it. Better quality than the Nunn finer caterina and for $10 less. I would definitely only put this bridle on a horse with a chunky head, I think it would overwhelm a more delicate/refined head with the width of the noseband combined with the extra stitching detail and raised area.
Thank you! I think I’m going shopping😀.
I just think this bridle is so beautiful! 
I might have to justify adding one to my already too-big collection! 
Re: the bridle being made in India, I think many are being assembled there these days, though not made of Indian leather, which is the main difference between the lower and higher end bridles made there (which are made using leather sourced from Europe or the US) IIRC. It isn’t necessarily a sign of a lower quality bridle anymore like it used to be, and there are some beautiful bridles coming out of India now!
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