i actually like the old flat leather bridles. very classic, even if they were wide. some of the bridles today are just so thick and gawdy looking, they look like they were layered onto the horse’s face.
Personal preference I suppose
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What is a jointed mullen? I thought that a mullen was a straight bar bit without a joint.
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Love how much I learn on these forums! Never knew about the sewn in bits.
Im “only” 38, but I’m a bit averse to change. Whatever the newest fashion is, I probably want it to stay off my lawn. shakes fists angrily at kids these days lol!
I had to realllllllly look around to find a hunter bridle I liked. My TB mare has a pretty small head, and I just don’t like the look of the wide cavesson (never mind that plain cavessons are harder to find than they used to be).
My barn did not catch onto fads that quickly when it came to riding, training, and tack choices. Even though we are about the same age that barn taught me “tradition” from decades prior. Very very reluctant to change.
Back when I started dreaming of owning a horse (1957) the dividing lines were clear. Hunt Seat was brown tack, sewn in bits or hook-stud fasteners, plain flat browband, plain flat hunter cavesson, canary breeches, black leather boots, black wool riding coat, etc., etc., etc…
Saddle Seat had those weird English saddles, double bridles, long hooves, set tails, and their bridles had colored vinyl(?) brow bands and nosebands. Their girths were often covered with white vinyl(?).
For both English seats the riding coats covered the rider’s butt, Saddle Seat had longer coat-tails.
Some forms of Western it seemed that the fancier the better, curb bits only (occasional hackamore, real or mechanical), enormous heavy stiff saddles.
I remember being SO SHOCKED the first time I saw pictures of European Warmbloods (1964?) that all the horses had colored, patterned browbands and dropped nosebands. Part of the reason I was shocked was that those horses’ bridles did nothing to “improve” the head.
Glitz and glitter belonged to the Western and Saddle Seat riders. Hunt Seat riders were conservative, there was a proper way to dress and a proper way to tack up the horse so one could to fox hunting with comfort for both horse and rider. Of course the Hunt professionals could have some color, such as the Master of the Hounds’ red coat.
Stuff sure is different nowadays!
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I know, right?
I have since seen them in other brands, but mine is a Myler and it was the only one like it at the time: https://www.toklat.com/Products/BP/89-21315
I think that, technically, it’s probably not a true mullen because of the joints, but that is what they call it. It’s not jointed like a snaffle, though–there is only a little bit of break in the bit, so it basically goes from a straight bar to a slightly flexed bar, which gives you the ability to use the reins independent of one another.
I bought another that has hooks to hunt her in and it’s pretty amazing.
Personally I much prefer the look an a full-cheek or an eggbutt to a Hunter D. I show my horse in a full-cheek. I also ride in a saddle with a round cantle, and my boots some of you might consider a bit old-school. My mare does not wear a martingale unless the bugs are bad–she flips her head when they are. Oh, yes–I also wear a safety vest OF. No one says anything to me, maybe because of my age. :winkgrin: I have received compliments on my turn-out more than once.
Of course, other than those minor points of rebellion against the Hunter Ring Code, I look like everyone else in my navy jacket, white shirt, and beige breeches.
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I think that today we have so many new takes on bits and bitting that we’re stretching the traditional definitions. Myler certainly has a terminology all its own and some of the Bomber and Neue Schule bits, for example, are not easily visualized using more traditional terms.
I have a couple Bomber Happy Tongue bits. I guess you would call them ported mullen mouthpieces…sort of…but not exactly.
Any traditional snaffle should work–the fad right now is a dee ring, but there shouldn’t really be a problem if you are using a full cheek, which was popular a number of years ago, or a loose ring, which was popular before that, or an egg-butt which was used way before that. While the majority of my horses go in dee rings or full cheeks, I have one in a loose ring (was the only bit I had fat enough and soft enough in a french link for this horse–and I wasn’t going to go try to buy one when I had that one that I can use) and one in an egg-butt (technically an egg-butt, but just as thin as any dee-ring–again, what I had and I wasn’t going to go buy another.) These horses in these other bits have shown in hunters with no adverse effects. I have often shown in a pelham with no adverse effects as far as judging, and once even had a pony show in a full bridle (he was horrid about getting his tongue over anything and taking off–the full bridle with two bits seemed to confuse him as to how to do that–and it was the one thing a kid could ride him in) These horses were shown. They were all considered traditional, so they never really affected our placings.
As far as saddle color, we’ve heard from several judges that they aren’t that concerned it if it black or brown tack; brown tack is traditional–because many years ago quality tack was not dyed black–so you could see it was quality. And the lower quality tack was dyed black to hide its flaws. That is no longer true today. I have both brown tack and black tack–I’ve never noticed a difference in pinning if I’m using the black over the brown.
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Perfect braids are beautiful on either side of the neck:heart:
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Totally a sidetrack here but I just wanted to thank you for this post…I’ve been struggling with inconsistency and fussiness in the contact and your comment about “bit stability” for some reason turned on a lightbulb. I tried a Baucher on my horse instead of the loose ring we had been using and he really, really seems to appreciate the added stability!
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I am happy it helped! The side pieces are just as important as the mouth piece.
Thanks! I have always ridden him a loose ring because that’s what us dressage people do…sometimes it’s good to break those rules lol
This is going to be one heck of an article!
Don’t forget George Morris - to this day - wears brown johds.
References the eventing lady who had an ‘atrocious’ round in all the wrong tack - I’ll suggest she was probably not a very good event rider, either since safely negotiating a solid fence is probably the first requirement of an eventer. I also suggest that many good event riders ride the shows to help develop a correct and calm way of going instead of hell bent on going cross country all the time - and they place. I certainly did.
I’m a stickler for a correct leg.
You can have a safe round that is atrocious according to hunter round standards. In fact, it’s super easy. Come watch me anytime and I’ll prove it. 
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Effective and safe does not necessarily = pretty 
Put some of those hunters on an event horse and one stumble of the horse will lead to being a lawn dart. Trust me; BTDT.
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Another side track!
Has anyone used a baucher in the hunter ring? If so, did it seem to matter in your placing?
I guess I don’t understand the point of entering a judged competition without wanting to adhere to the basic turnout norms of that competition to put your best foot forward. Braiding on the right side just isn’t any harder than braiding on the left. There’s nothing inherently expensive or snobby about conservative, well-fitting tack and show clothes. I think it’s totally fine to dabble in somewhat unconventional equipment if you’re testing the waters from another discipline. But if you’re trying to win, why not just look the part? This is my standard joke about why I always polish my boots to show: I am not a good enough rider to be sure I won’t miss, but shiny boots I can always control.
Now: If you don’t like the hunters/don’t want to participate in a judged discipline/don’t care about winning/feel the need to be a trendsetter in all settings, have at it. Yes, you can win in a black bridle. But why not just borrow a brown bridle from a friend for the day?
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Don’t forget the width as well. My OTTB goes in a 4 1/2" dee bit. She is very unhappy in even a 4 3/4".
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Because as this thread has pointed out, the “basic norms” evolve over time.
There’s a distinct difference between having dirty horse and/or attire, and having black tack, or a horse braided on the right. Those aren’t at all synonymous.
We are actually talking about a sport where a safety helmet is a new addition, and one that ultimately had to be enforced with rules.
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