Noseband Q - padded or plain? (Does it make a difference?)

[Old_Mac_Donald]

I recently put my TB (fine head) into a different bridle, and I hate the look of the noseband. It is a big, fat, padded crank cavesson monstrosity - look great on a WB but my chap has a long, fine face.

It’s a Flexible Fit bridle so I can change the noseband easily. My question is: does padding make a difference to the comfort of the horse in a LOOSE FIT noseband?

I like flat, thin cavessons, or the fine stitched types you see on hunter bridles. I can change my noseband out to either a flat cavesson (no crank, think fox hunting type) or to a flat padded (crank or no crank), or a raised padded (crank).

My nosebands are always loose. (Or missing) It is for showing only, dressage so mandatory. I want something that complements my horse’s “why the long face?” face and is comfortable like a pair of favourite undies. I currently use an anatomical bridle, which has made me question if I should be coughing up for a noseband that is padded / shaped in a way that is … better?

Padding or no padding? Chin padding (ie crank) or no chin padding?

Current:

Option A: Flat

Option B: Raised padded

Option C: flat padded

[Xanthoria]

I have spent a bit of time squishing the nose bands (and crowns and brow bands) of the various brands of bridles in the tack rooms at the place I board, and I’m here to say that some padded nose bands are very stiff and hard. Some of those raised unpadded ones can even have relatively sharp edges, and be very stiff.

It’s not usually down to leather care either - there’s only so much that oiling can do to soften the combined pliability of multiple layers of sewn together noseband, padding, raising cord, and lining leather.

In fact some single thickness unpadded nosebands (or unlined - some so-called padded nosebands actually have no padding material inside) are much softer - either from new, or because you can soften them up with oil or conditioner.

The softness of padded bridles is down to the softness of the materials used to start with. So start there when choosing what to use.

My horse prefers her soft padded Eponia dressage bridle and her single thickness Bartville jump bridle which is quite floppy and broken in.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Thank you - I didn’t think of it that way. The rest of the bridle is very soft (same company that makes the nosebands), even the goliath noseband! So maybe the plain cavesson is the go.

[endlessclimb]

I don’t think it makes a difference on a properly fitted noseband. Maybe on a horse that’s rub prone, the calf on the padded part might help. Otherwise, no.

[Scribbler]

If the nose band is properly fitted meaning loose the horse barely notices it. If you want to crank their jaw closed you need a padded crank noseband but it will still be horribly uncomfortable and put pressure on the poll.

[sascha]

A vote for full, soft padding, especially if your horse does not normally wear a noseband and is a chewer. I had one rub hair off the jaw bones because the back strap, although loose, was not padded. Note, the horse is extremely sensitive, had undiagnosed allergies at the time, and believes that bits are chew toys and “horse” is synonymous with “dog” so YMMV!

[Pico_Banana]

I feel like if it’s adjusted pretty loosely, it probably doesn’t matter too much on the front. I do like a crank noseband, however, so that under the chin there’s not a buckle directly on a bony area.

That said, mine is a padded crank Passier - I think the Ingrid Klimke but I can’t recall at this point. I have it loosely adjusted and just the weight of it makes an indentation on the front of my horse’s face after having it on for an hour.

[Pokerface]

So, one of the biggest reasons for big padded bridles is to make a WB head look smaller. A delicate TB head looks lovely in a more refined bridle. When I got a TB years ago, I was tickled to be able to get a lovely (unpadded) Edgewood for him. Once I sold him, it became my WB mares show bridle, her head is lovely and refined. She looks wonderful in it.

[CLB15]

Unpadded, or not raised?

I have two 14.1hh “cobby” ponies shown here.

The chestnut is in the widest, padded, plain raised, crank noseband with fully removable flash that I think Flexible Fit Equine offers. It looks a bit thick on her face, but she’s also a big boned girl & I like the substantial noseband on her. It is full & cob size parts and adjusts to also fit my 15.3/16h warmblood’s face. On the big girl, the same noseband looks small.

The buckskin’s is harder to see but is a photo I had readily available on my phone. It is a flat noseband but is still padded- and SO soft. I wanted a flat noseband for him because he has such a SHORT face that I thought a raised noseband would stand out too much and I wanted something that was suitable for any show ring.

Both of these nosebands- the padded FFE and flat Wolds Exclusive Bling, have structure to them but are padded & “softer”- in my opinion, than the padding on the stubben and passier bridles I’d previously had.

As others mentioned, sometimes the fashionable thick nosebands might be super padded- but rigid. But if you if opt for a flat noseband- the width is a huge factor in if it’ll look like it swallows up their face. You have to give up on padded lining though, if you want a narrower & low-profile noseband

Edited to clarify any mid-barn-chore text-writing confusion