I have one and like it although I’m not using it at the moment. I like the rubber reins, personally, and wouldn’t have a problem using them in a show. Actually, here’s a picture of Mac in his at a show…
I didn’t like bit clips so don’t use them - he actually felt duller in the mouth with the clips vs. without.
My “Moorse” TB Moose cross vastly prefers the Micklam bridle. It fits his vastly oversize head and keeps the bit very quite in his mouth. I really only notice he likes it when I use his old standard bridle–then he is fussy and unhappy.
The other TB is a pin head refined guy–does not fit him nor does he go any better in it.
There are many people who want the Michlam so selling a used one is easy.
got the micklem competition. tried it out yesterday…my mare was a raging lunatic…yes…it was fit correctly…I don’t know if perhaps just because there was a CHANGE in our routine (different bridle) that she was just sort of freaked out or if she just didn’t like it…she was behind the bit and incredibly irritated; head in the air like a giraffe …we did some walk trot 20m circles just for me to see if she would loosen up. she didn’t. anyone have a bad first ride but ended up actually working out? I don’t know if I want to try it again…nothing else was new to our routine besides the bridle. same arena, same saddle, same damn girth and boots…anybody wanna buy a micklem? lol
Hmmm. I just lucked into a used one to try on my mare who Doesn’t Do Different. Fussy for a few minutes, then she thought about it, then went better than she’s ever gone in the contact.
[QUOTE=SGM;7211561]
got the micklem competition. tried it out yesterday…my mare was a raging lunatic…yes…it was fit correctly…I don’t know if perhaps just because there was a CHANGE in our routine (different bridle) that she was just sort of freaked out or if she just didn’t like it…she was behind the bit and incredibly irritated; head in the air like a giraffe …we did some walk trot 20m circles just for me to see if she would loosen up. she didn’t. anyone have a bad first ride but ended up actually working out? I don’t know if I want to try it again…nothing else was new to our routine besides the bridle. same arena, same saddle, same damn girth and boots…anybody wanna buy a micklem? lol[/QUOTE]
Can you post a picture of the fit? I’ve seen a couple horses whose lips were pinched between the bit and flash (one pinched to the point of blood). For both horses, the problem was fixed by adjusting the fit
For the past six months I’ve been leasing a horse that has had some significant issues. She’s a lovely, forward, super sensitive thoroughbred type paint that had been ridden harshly in the past and really didn’t tolerate any type of contact with her mouth. First I rode her in a Dr. Cook’s Bitless Bridle and she’s done really, really well. Her hollow back and “crazed giraffe” movement have disappeared and she’s working with a lovely rounded back and really nice contact, although she could get a tad heavy on the hands at times. I recently had tried her back in a bit and she was okay - certainly much, much better than six months ago - but still a bit tense and anxious. This past week I put her in a Micklem with the bit clips and she was great! Nice soft contact, relaxed, good head and neck carriage, and nice rounded back. She’s the horse I always thought she could be.
I sure wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s the answer for every horse, but for my horse it has been a godsend.
Also, interestingly, this horse usually yarns repeatedly after bridle removal - even with the Dr. Cook’s Bitless. I mean, you hardly get the thing off her head and she is giving huge, repeated yawns. With the Micklem, I take her bridle off and … nothing. Weird. I have no idea what that means, except that maybe regular bridles are uncomfortable for her in some way, and perhaps the Micklem is not. Interesting, though.
Oops, I meant she yawns - not yarns. I’ve been knitting a lot lately:)
[QUOTE=stb;7226999]
Oops, I meant she yawns - not yarns. I’ve been knitting a lot lately:)[/QUOTE]
lolol.
I have two horses and tried my Micklem on both. My Arabian hated it and went around like a deranged giraffe. My TB was not instantly better, but over the course of two weeks, his head tossing went completely away. He will still rub his fave at the end of a ride but is much quieter with his head during the ride.
When I originally used a Micklem on my mare, last winter, she liked it better than her regular dressage bridle (Jerry’s, with a flash but no crank). But my then-trainer didn’t like it after a while, so we switched back after a few months.
It’s been sitting on my bridle rack since then, and the bridle with flash was “OK but not great”, so I switched to the Micklem for a few rides, and now the mare HATES it!
She’s very hard to fit, though; she has a sort of Arab-y head but shorter and broader at the noseband. If I feel like experimenting again, I’ll try a figure-8 as she has gone well in them in the past.
I recently borrowed a micklem from a friend to try on a difficult horse who came with a lot of baggage. He has a long narrow face, a fleshy tongue and a tendency to put his tongue over the bit and suck back. We have played with a lot of different bit and noseband combinations. The cure for him was the combination of a Sprenger comfort mouth mullen snaffle and the micklem bridle. He is trained to PSG, but I could barely get him to trot in a circle with consistant contact and a pushing hind end. It is not a miracle cure, but now he can focus on work and not his discomfort ad fussiness.
How many have used it with the bridle clips? That is one of the most important parts of (re)schooling (getting the bit’s effect off the bars) and developing a correct hh/getting the horse up/ifv/etc…
Mine didn’t come with the clips, so I haven’t tried it, but my mare’s fussiness always seemed to be less about the bit than the noseband. If we weren’t showing I’d have just ditched the noseband and been done with it!
I tried a friend’s micklem a few times on my TB. He is very fussy in contact (and with my uneducated hands!). He was more relaxed and willing to take the contact, but I wondered if most of the good was from the way the noseband held the bit in place. I ended up going a cheaper route and purchasing a drop noseband to use with my current bridle. Cue nearly instant change. Instead of fighting to get my TB to take just a bit of contact, we’re now working on 2nd level. Best of all? Without his constant reactions to my hands, I’ve been able to work on my own position and make my riding more balanced, softer, and more refined.
You might be able to save money if the problem you are having is more with fussy contact.
The black competition bridles do come with rubber reins.
[QUOTE=SGM;7211561]
got the micklem competition. tried it out yesterday…my mare was a raging lunatic…yes…it was fit correctly…I don’t know if perhaps just because there was a CHANGE in our routine (different bridle) that she was just sort of freaked out or if she just didn’t like it…she was behind the bit and incredibly irritated; head in the air like a giraffe …we did some walk trot 20m circles just for me to see if she would loosen up. she didn’t. anyone have a bad first ride but ended up actually working out? I don’t know if I want to try it again…nothing else was new to our routine besides the bridle. same arena, same saddle, same damn girth and boots…anybody wanna buy a micklem? lol[/QUOTE]
Wish I had seen this…if it had been small horse sized, I would have bought it. I never believed in the Micklem…and really didn’t see much difference in it. But have a little OTTB who normally is VERY strong and very behind the bit (curls then pulls). Tough to get him off his forehand. Clearly he had been galloped in draw reins. In the Micklem…night and day. He is up, light and happy…you can even get his nose out (impossible before). VERY dramatic difference (we are only using the competition bridle). I had to go out and buy him one for his rider. She had tried a friends…and I saw the first ride in it.
I would almost bet its no fitted correctly as my mare and gelding, when I first put it on HATED it. I went back and reviewed video’s on it and readjusted the fit and now, like I said, mare likes it 9took her a couple rides to get used to it as she had never gone in a drop type noseband).
(As far as I know they all come with clips as a choice, and they make a huge difference in retraining horses who are defensive of their bars/hollowing/etc.)
If that was in reference to me, I bought it used for a song. No reins either which was fine 
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
