looking for opinions from experience on the Micklem…does it make a difference or no? are the horses more relaxed and softer? will be using it with a bit (eggbutt with the lozenge) not as a bitless…thanks in advance!!! 
o:o
I have the Micklem competition bridle and I love it, its well made (there are many folks who say that the quality can sometimes lack in the leather but it seems that most of those refer to the combination bridle- the leather on mine seems great!).
Did it turn my horse into a GP horse, no. Did I notice any difference, no. That said she needed a new bridle and I like the theory behind this one so for me it was a win win.
On that note it did take a couple tries to fit it correctly, first time she tried it she HATED it but I adjusted it to the correct fit and problem solved.
[QUOTE=JackSprats Mom;7202795]
I have the Micklem competition bridle and I love it, its well made (there are many folks who say that the quality can sometimes lack in the leather but it seems that most of those refer to the combination bridle- the leather on mine seems great!).
Did it turn my horse into a GP horse, no. Did I notice any difference, no. That said she needed a new bridle and I like the theory behind this one so for me it was a win win.
On that note it did take a couple tries to fit it correctly, first time she tried it she HATED it but I adjusted it to the correct fit and problem solved.[/QUOTE]
what would you say was the hardest part of fitting it correctly. I am definitely looking at the competition bridle only…the multi bridle seems to look of a lesser quality…it looks like zip ties holding the bit on…lol
My horse loves his. He used to constantly fuss when putting on his bridle and riding. I did switch his bit to a copper one and switched bridles and now he doesn’t fuss at all. I do think it is much more comfortable for him especially on the Poll.
I have two (black for dressage, brown for jumping). I originally bought it for a very sensitive mouthed/faced horse. It made a huge difference for him. He was markedly more relaxed and willing to accept the bit. I also used it on my other horse (they shared a bit) and the difference was less obvious. I’d say he was slightly softer and less fussy, but he would be fine in other bridles. Others I’ve ridden with a micklem really don’t care. After I sold the first horse, I’ve continued to use it (and bought the second). I like the fit, the ‘flash’ piece doesn’t pull the noseband down, , leather is ok (not great) and it’s a monocrown which is comfy for the horse and easier to take apart and clean
thank you! my mare is extremely sensitive in her poll so this good to know!
Some horses seem to really prefer it, some don’t care, and a certain percentage hate change more than they might prefer any benefits of the set-up. As far as I can tell, you have to try it to find out which group your horse is in.
I have never used one, but would try one in a heartbeat. They make sense, and although not traditional…I am sure that the research is behind them for modern day use. I think my next purchase will be one for my two youngsters coming up, thank goodness they wear the same size. Let me know how it goes.
I have one for each of my horses.
My Arab, who is a sensitive little bugger, seems to be more comfortable. He was never ‘fussy’ in the bridle, but was horrible about stopping to yank his head down to scratch his face several times during a ride. He would practically attack anything he could itch himself on once I dismounted. With the Micklem, that’s gone.
My other horse, an Oldenburg, could’ve cared less. He didn’t have any issues with his previous bridle, but the Micklem’s comfort claims convinced me to keep it for him, as I’m all for making my horses comfortable. 
I didn’t find them difficult to put together, or fit to either of my horses. My Arab is in the Cob, the Oldenburg is in the Standard Horse, though could have gotten away with the Cob as well. The leather seems to be good quality. My only issue would be that the leather stretches a good bit and it needs to be watched over the first few months. As it loosens up, you’ll have to adjust it. Keep this in mind when fitting it as well.
Edited to add: I have the bit clips on my Arab’s bridle - he appreciates them. My other horse went AWFUL in them - I stopped half way through the ride to take them off and we instantly went back to normal.
I have the bridle. My horse went fine in it but my horse accepts almost everything I throw at him (except really hard work…then the fun begins). He liked it but I did not feel much of a difference between the Micklem and a traditional cavesson bridle.
I wanted to get one for my gelding, but it just wouldn’t fit him right. His english bridle is a cob noseband, warmblood crownpiece/throatlatch, horse browband, and pony cheekpieces. He’s SO awkward to fit bridles to!!
A friend of mine has the Multi-bridle for her gelding, who is a head tossy, fussy, hard to please Hannoverian (Westporte baby), and the change made a HUGE difference. He’s still fussy (it’s just his nature), but he doesn’t fling his head around dramatically, and she no longer needs a running martingale to school him to prevent him from thwacking her in the face. She couldn’t afford the Competition bridle, but is saving up for one now. The one she has is definitely poorer leather, but it’ll work until she can get the nicer one. She does use the lunging nose ring regularly though, so it’s worked well for them
With any bridle that is monocrown don’t let the padded crown fool you. I love micklems and have since day one, but a user’s caveat; a monocrown creates the same amount of pressure through the poll that a flat crown does – it just disperses it over a wider, thicker area. Depends on the horse if they like this. My old gelding went better in a flat crown. Surprising to some but when you tighten the noseband it applies markedly more pressure on the poll - flashs and fig8s especially.
My experience is with Micklems is that they’re okay but it’s a gamble if your horse notices or likes the difference. My horse did NOT. he had an old poll injury and I think the bridle exacerbated pressure onto it.
thanks to all for your input!!! i dont know if it is a testament to the bridle or not that you just cannot find them used. at least i will get free shipping when i buy it from smartpak. lol.
We originally put one on an extremely sensitive cob sized head and it helped a lot. I also use on on my OTTB. I don’t notice a huge difference with the OTTB. The tricky fit is around the mouth as it can run a bit small. Annette Gavin recently wrote a piece on bridles and the lever action related to the cheek pieces. The Micklem, having smaller cheek pieces has less lever action but consequently, is kinder to the horse if someone has less than stellar hands. However, she also mentioned that this in turn doesn’t allow the minute adjustments required at upper level dressage.
Not an issue for me since I’m not at that level and we really like them.
Any thought on how it fits on the upper jaw.
My mare just has had part of tooth #107 removed ( lingual). I have been riding her with a halter and am looking for a bittless bridle( for a while) until we can go back to bitted as toungue and mouth are still sensitive. I am a bit worried that the jaw strap will probably end up just exactly where the broken part of tooth was and I am not looking for added presure in that spot.
Mare is teenager Tb with a square face probably looking at a cob size on which I will need to put a wb browband.
The jaw strap is not tightened, it exists to merely hold the cheek strap in place. We have a horse that had the top of a molar broken and that is exactly where the strap lies with him.
My horse could definitely use the cob size except for the jaw strap. It is on the first hole and is fitted correctly. He has a large jaw but would do better in a cob size every where else. He goes fine in this bridle, but I think I will go back to a figure 8 because it will be easier to adjust.
There are a few used ones on ebay right now.
Also 123 tack has some on closeout.
I love mine. I just bought another one, because my OTTB has a smaller mouth, than my other horse. Changing the bits, back and forth, was a hassle, so my sweetheart, DH, let me get another one.
I’d like to try one but I find them kind of expensive considering they come with rubber reins. I’d want a black competition…do they come with leather reins?
I have two and like them quite a lot. I think they stabilize the bit well in the horse’s mouth and there’s less pressure in sensitive spots. I don’t mind the rubber reins – if anything it’s braided reins I can’t stand.
I generally buy them in the clearance section of SmartPak so they are more reasonably priced.
