I saw a lot of riders in Wellington with the Tota Comfort noseband. Don’t particularly care for the way it looks but it seems to be popular.
I’ve tried the full size Micklem on both an OTTB and a small QH cross. Neither one of them cared for it. It was very disappointing, as I’ve heard others say such good things about them. The fit on the OTTB was standard, but the QH jowl is just not made for these bridles. He tolerated it, but is much happier in a more traditional bridle.
I just tried the Micklem on my Friesian mare who I was struggling with to get soft and maintain contact. She did not care for it at all. We did 5 rides in it and she got worse with each ride. The pressure caused her to live deep behind the vertical and lean really heavy onto the bit. At one point, I literally gave her enough rein to reach clear down to her feet and she was STILL tucked deep behind the vertical. As soon as I put her back in her Passier, she went back soft and working with me instead of against me. I sold it on eBay the next day.
A lot of people rave about these bridles, but my mare simply hated it.
[QUOTE=Inclined;8614376]
I’ve tried the full size Micklem on both an OTTB and a small QH cross. Neither one of them cared for it. It was very disappointing, as I’ve heard others say such good things about them. The fit on the OTTB was standard, but the QH jowl is just not made for these bridles. He tolerated it, but is much happier in a more traditional bridle.[/QUOTE]
Micklem bridles will either work for you or they won’t. That has more to do with the issues that your horse is experiencing with traditional bridle (teeth, facial nerves, etc.) than magic of the Micklem.
My horse and a couple of others in my barn happily adopted Micklems. For one horse in particular it solved a softness to the right problem. The underlying issue for that horse is some sensitivity with teeth.
Other horses were meh about them. It is important to experiment tho to find out what works best for your horse.
Hope that helps.
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[QUOTE=Dee-Vee;8614995]
Micklem bridles will either work for you or they won’t. That has more to do with the issues that your horse is experiencing with traditional bridle (teeth, facial nerves, etc.) than magic of the Micklem.
My horse and a couple of others in my barn happily adopted Micklems. For one horse in particular it solved a softness to the right problem. The underlying issue for that horse is some sensitivity with teeth.
Other horses were meh about them. It is important to experiment tho to find out what works best for your horse.
Hope that helps.[/QUOTE]
The OTTB for which I bought the bridle had classic facial nerve issues, particularly trying to wipe her bridles off and rub her face on me, her legs, etc… As I said, I was very disappointed that she didn’t care for the Micklem, as she was a perfect candidate for it. The only bridle she was truly happy with was a short-shanked English hackamore with fleece padding on the noseband. It’s true that every horse is different, and it’s a process of trial and error (sometimes lots of error) to find what works for each of them.
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My horse goes in a PS well, then again he pretty much goes in any bridle well so I wasn’t surprised. Like the snap on brow bands, like not having to have a throat latch since he tends to get claustrophobic and tight in that area since it is so thick. Quality is very nice.
I’m not sure either of them really “work”, seems more like a gimmick to me. I would buy a PS since they seem to be decent quality and look nice.
I’ve had decent luck with both bridles. I’d say the micklems are good for like mouth/nose/jaw issues - not poll pressure. The PS of Swedens are great all around.
I have the Micklem bridle and my horse expressed a very clear preference for it over a regular bridle despite the regular bridle being light weight, soft nylon, and with no flash noseband. Riding without a cavesson in the normal bridle didn’t make a huge difference (and isn’t show legal), so I think it has more to do with where the other straps lie on the face relative to the facial nerves. She is much steadier in the contact, less fussy with her head overall, and actually puts her head in the Micklem bridle instead of politely trying to make bridling more difficult! They are a little tricky to get the fit just right, so it took a couple of rides before I was really convinced the Micklem was better, but I have tried switching back and her preference is clear.
