Does the padding on a monocrown bridle really make any difference for your horse?
Every bridle I saw at the tack shop today was a monocrown! I haven’t been in the market for about 10 years and just plain didn’t know how much of a thing it really was.
It made all the difference in my horse.
A new groom put on the wrong bridle at a show (to hack) and he was SO SUPPLE and soft and not fighting- for the first time, 8 years into our partnership. We’ve continued with the Dy’on bridle to this day-- even in his retirement!
My horse goes exactly the same in a regular bridle and a monocrown bridle. He couldn’t care less.
It totally depends on the horse. My sensitive guy seems to prefer a monocrown with cut-backs around the ears and gets all weird in a regular bridle, whereas as my other one could probably go in a bridle made of baling twine and not care.
I started using them with my old horse who used to get terrible rubs from everything AND was super-sensitive, and they helped with both issues. Now I’m just in the habit and automatically look for a monocrown when I’m shopping for a bridle.
I think a lot of it is that many of them have padding and/or the cutbacks, and so they are probably more comfortable in general. But I’ve also found that sometimes a bigger browband- to give the ears more room and put less pressure on the poll- is a good solution to fussiness.
I had this discussion with a friend this morning. She is a black tack sort of person and believes that they started that trend over in dressage land and people just thought it looked comfortable so it caught on. I really had no idea that it was this much of a thing as I haven’t really looked at bridles in about 10 years- I saw that Vespucci had a “comfort crown” but that’s really all I knew of it!
I can understand the idea behind the relief of pressure having the noseband strap go over, not under, the crown. That makes sense to me. That said, I am not sure how much pressure there actually is exerted on the poll when a horse in a snaffle bridle is carrying the bit rather than avoiding the contact.
To me it seems that on a fine headed horse the padding on some of these bridles may interfere with the ears.
I am not opposed to getting one, I am just sort of bemused by the idea and trying to understand why everyone is making them these days!
But apparently I’m behind the times anyway, because I asked my friend “And where do you put the nameplate?” and apparently nobody does that anymore. 
Ever read “The Sneeches” by Dr. Suess?
It’s a marketing ploy.
Good tack outlasts horses. The tack manufacturers would go out of business if fashions didn’t change. I am currently showing a pony (in dressage) in a brown bridle from the 80’s…It is in perfect condition and it cleans up well. I kept it long enough for brown to be fashion forward.
All that said, I am sure that there are some horses who have exceptionally sensitive polls, and they may like the padded mono crowns a lot 
I ordered one for my mare simply because I like how it keeps the noseband still (while being handled, not on the horse, though it probably does). They don’t require readjustment every time you put one on like my gelding’s regular flat bridle. Though I think they look equally nice.
[QUOTE=arlosmine;7561119]
Ever read “The Sneeches” by Dr. Suess?
It’s a marketing ploy.
Good tack outlasts horses. The tack manufacturers would go out of business if fashions didn’t change. I am currently showing a pony (in dressage) in a brown bridle from the 80’s…It is in perfect condition and it cleans up well. I kept it long enough for brown to be fashion forward.
All that said, I am sure that there are some horses who have exceptionally sensitive polls, and they may like the padded mono crowns a lot :)[/QUOTE]
I don’t know if I’d jump to the conclusion that everything new is a marketing ploy. The difference in monocrowns is clearly meant for increased comfort for the horse. It hardly looks any different, so it’s not really a fashion thing. Yes, tack lasts a long time, but people also learn more about how tack fits and affects horses, so tack evolves and improves. Cars last a long time too, but we sure like to see their features improve over time.
[QUOTE=arlosmine;7561119]
Ever read “The Sneeches” by Dr. Suess?
It’s a marketing ploy.
Good tack outlasts horses. The tack manufacturers would go out of business if fashions didn’t change. I am currently showing a pony (in dressage) in a brown bridle from the 80’s…It is in perfect condition and it cleans up well. I kept it long enough for brown to be fashion forward.
All that said, I am sure that there are some horses who have exceptionally sensitive polls, and they may like the padded mono crowns a lot :)[/QUOTE]
Agreed, partially.
Ultimately and to an extent it is just an advertising guise - the extra padding usually means you have to drop down a hole or adjust the way the cavesson fits normally. With more bulk, the crown piece of the nose-band still applies pressure, and it isn’t really a game changer for many horses.
In the end, what really changes poll pressure is the bit used and how tight the noseband is. The noseband tightness DIRECTLY correlates with poll pressure - the tighter the noseband, the more pressure is pulled downwards across the bridle. So, if you have a baucher bit and a loose noseband, it would still likely apply the same amount of pressure as a loose ring with a snug noseband.
It is a nice idea, but in my experience has not changed or altered the way the horse goes.
[QUOTE=Renn/aissance;7561072]
But apparently I’m behind the times anyway, because I asked my friend “And where do you put the nameplate?” and apparently nobody does that anymore. ;)[/QUOTE]
Nameplates are definitely still a thing! I have nameplates on EVERYTHING: bridle, martingle, girth, and even tags on my reins, blankets, and coolers. It’s an absolute must in a big barn. For the monocrown bridles, depending on the brand you can still put the nameplate at the top although I know some people opt for an initial tag instead.
[QUOTE=arlosmine;7561119]
Ever read “The Sneeches” by Dr. Suess?
It’s a marketing ploy. [/QUOTE]
That was my thought.
I just plain don’t think that a snaffle bridle with a horse who holds the bit rather than tells the rider to go to hell exerts a metric ton of pressure on the poll- not enough that the difference would be significant to the horse. Curb bit or a double bridle? Different story! (And I ride with a loose noseband because I think if you have to tie a horse’s mouth shut it’s a training problem and you should fix your hands.)
But if I am wrong about that and some horses do find them more pleasant, I want to know!
One way or another it’s not going to stop me from buying one if the rest of the bridle is right for the horse, but I was curious after seeing them be so popular.
I believe that there are horses so sensitive that the monocrown would result in a difference in the way they go-- but that such horses are more the exception than the rule and the average horse does not notice or care about the crown of the bridle.
I actually had my vet recommend I order one for my mare because he said she had a very sore poll. He said that basically any poll pressure caused her to have a headache even with a lightly done noseband. This was before they became a “thing”, and I actually had to order one from a saddler in England. A few years down the road they are everywhere.
My super sensitive TB can only go in a monocrown; he gets terrible rubs from a traditional bridle and genuinely seems uncomfortable. My WBs don’t seem to have a preference, but most of my bridles are monocrowns anyways, so that’s what they go in as well.
I had my vet do some chiro/acupuncture on my Morgan after he was really struggling to break at the poll and get on the bit. She found that he was significantly sore in the poll, so I tried a monocrown bridle (Not a true monocrown, I got the Smartpak one with the noseband over the headstall). It was an almost instant improvement, much more relaxed and supple, tucking his nose right down. The vet saw him three weeks later and was amazed at the difference. It made such a difference we call it his “magic bridle”.
That being said, I’ve ridden my older mare in it and it makes so difference to her. I don’t necessarily think it’s a marketing scheme, but I do think there’s a certain population of horses that can really benefit.
Good tack does outlast horses unless you have to buy a whole new one if any part of it breaks.
With the mono crowns I’ve handled you had to adjust the noseband on both sides of the head to get it even- obnoxious when you’re trying to adjust between multiple horses. And if you break the throat latch, cheek pieces or noseband you have to replace it all…
I think it is a tool in the toolbox but usually unnecessary. If you are have a horse that needs it mouth shut tight, it might provide some relief but I don’t have anything that needs “relief” because nothing of mine wears a noseband with any tension to start with.
However, I have worked in barns where the trainers automatically put everything in a crank or tight flash or figure 8. In that case, absolutely a monocrown or other poll relief device could be a common bridle. And I have had horses in the past who could not accept the bit enough to stop chewing when on course, and might have used one on them when they jumped and I added a flash or figure 8. I am not at all opposed to a flash if a horse goes better in one, it just so happens that mine currently don’t and I don’t believe in sticking everything in a crank.
Well, yeah- if you have a sensitive horse who gets rubs or has a sore poll, try one and see if it makes a difference. If your horse is fine in his regular set up, don’t bother. It’s pretty clear that this is a good rule of thumb for most tack. Use what helps and works for each individual horse.
It’s like the anatomic girths- some horses do much better in them, some don’t care, some don’t like them. Common sense, right?
I find the monocrowns where the noseband is attached to be really easy to work with and light. A few seconds more to clean the extra buckles isn’t going to ruin my life, and once you have both sides set you don’t have to change it (unless you are using one bridle on multiple horses). Both of my guys go in figure-8s and those are much easier in an attached model because you don’t have to futz with the sides.
But, everyone has different likes and dislikes, and every horse is different.
[QUOTE=Little.Wing;7562942]
Good tack does outlast horses unless you have to buy a whole new one if any part of it breaks.
With the mono crowns I’ve handled you had to adjust the noseband on both sides of the head to get it even- obnoxious when you’re trying to adjust between multiple horses. And if you break the throat latch, cheek pieces or noseband you have to replace it all…[/QUOTE]
This is true of the specific monocrown bridle, where the noseband attaches to either side, but you can buy an alternative where the noseband looks like any other and has a buckle on just one side. It slips over the top of the headstall and buckles on one side. This way, if you break it, you buy a new noseband, not a new bridle!
dressage bridles for a fussy princess! Poll relief
Hey guys! Recently, my horse stepped on her reins and broke her Ovation patent leather bridle that I loved. I bought her a Plymouth elite dressage bridle to replace it, and ever since she has been an anxious mess! She has begun shaking her head while riding, is backing off the contact, and is just generally miserable in her new bridle.
I suspect that the Plymouth bridle is putting pressure on her poll, thus the new headshaking pattern and general misery. I think the crown is thicker and has more padding which may be pressing into her ears.
Any suggestions for a bridle that isn’t $500 like the Dyon bridle that offer some level of poll relief? I suppose i could also just order another Ovation, but I’d like to increase the poll comfort for her even more if i can.
Thanks!
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