H/J trainer in the barn shown me NC bridle last night and I lost it 
Anyone knows any secret places where they sell them discounted? I did check ebay 
[QUOTE=TheOrangeOne;3957959]
I saw a really prety new cavalry bridle at the middleburg tack exchange a few months ago- it had a snakeskin inlay on the brow and nose. Really pretty bridle, and it was all one color, so it was subtle.[/QUOTE]
Small world!!! That was my bridle and martingale that I had made for my old grand prix horse. When he died I hadn’t used it again, but kept it all these years. I finally thought someone else might like it, and brought it there. It got a LOT of attention I was told!
It was not hard to clean, and it was very subtle. I hope someone is enjoying Shorty’s old bridle!
I have a square raised, no fancy stitching, NC that I bought in about 1990. It is still gorgeous. I also have several fancy stitched, NC bridles that are still my favorites. I just bought a Jimmy’s, used, from a dispersal that fits one of my horses like it was custom made for him and I don’t like it as much as my NC and may put it on Ebay.
I have a friend that wanted to give me a NC with the snake skin inlay. We put it on my (Oh my gosh, do I dare say it) palomino hunter. We thought it was gorgeous on him and I’d take it in a minute IF the leather weren’t black:eek:. I have thought of calling John and seeing if he’d make me one with brown leather.
LOL, want to trade? I like my Jimmy’s a lot more than my NC and would be glad to swap with you!!
Glad this thread is still alive. You know you want snakeskin inlay in a beautifully made bridle. You just don’t say it out loud. I want it. There, I said it. No shame.
Do they have physical store or everything is phone order?
People please share pictures, I need to keep feeding this new obsession 
Who has pics of the one with snakeskin inlay?
BAC, thanks, I did see that bridle, I want more stitching though
[QUOTE=mvp;4028045]
Glad this thread is still alive. You know you want snakeskin inlay in a beautifully made bridle. You just don’t say it out loud. I want it. There, I said it. No shame.[/QUOTE]
Er, snakeskin? Mmm, not in this lifetime. But then, I am very conservative.
Personally, I don’t think the NC are so beautifully made. Very run of the mill, actually, and way overpriced compared to other brands. They have always made a big deal out of their stitches per inch but the leather is just average in my opinion, and the bridles are missing the little extra details that I expect in a high end bridle. Simple things, like snug keepers that hold their shape, buckle guards on the noseband, and better finishing on the chapes.
But hey, if you are looking for snakeskin… for sure, NC’s the place to go. 
Maybe I’m out of the loop. Have NC bridles gone bad in the last 10 years or so? The last one I bought was well made… too well made, I suppose, because I haven’t had to go bridle shopping in awhile.
But Lucassb has a point-- The NC company (Edgewood’s daddy) has remained on and off “alive.” It does have a website with good pictures and a guy (John? The owner, I suppose) at the phone number. But, IMO, the pictures aren’t recent, and you need to see a modern NC bridle before buying. The company seems to have gone through good and bad phases.
It seems to me that the “high end” of the bridle world is no longer quite as distant from the middle part of it, if that helps anyone deciding how much they’d like to spend. I think there are great bargains to be found just now.
I have four hunt bridles,all square raised some stitched some plain. All from the mid 80’s . Still using them all and they are all still good enough to show in. Had a horse step on reins and break one of the bridles in the late 90’s. Called John, measured the piece and had a new one shipped. All I had to do was dye it to match.
Then switched to dressage and sure enough, found the most gorgeous bridle. And NO flash, which I usually cut off but it leaves an ugly mark. I only use that for shows, always afraid if anything happened to it I could never replace it.
I LOVE NC and have always scooped up anything that comes up on Ebay.
I had one when I showed the juniors in the late 90’s. I bought it because it was a really pretty reddish leather (maybe ill dig up a pic) The stitching was beautiful…but it was NOT very nice leather. The more I cleaned/oiled it… the different parts of the bridle seemed to be made of different leather. Some darkened… some didn’t… some softened… some didn’t… it was weird.
I wouldn’t buy one again. The leather on my Crosby is 10x nicer
New Cavalry is still in business. John says he’s closing/ selling again (it’s 2020), but nothing is official. He doesn’t do inlay anymore though- I have 2 of his original snakeskin inlays. I also have all 4 stitch patterns that he’s done over the years. NC is way better than EW- EW stitch count and unevenness is the worst. I do own Hadfield’s, but I think they are highly overrated- the noseband straps always oil unevenly! Just my opinion on these!
My NC’s have buckle guards, but I think John has messed around many times with styles, sizing etc
