Has anyone had issues with this brand? Loose stitching or quality issues?
I have had mine for over a year now, no stitching issue and holding up well even though my horse isnāt light in it.
I havenāt been super happy with the leather quality. Weāve had two pieces randomly break in the last month.
2 Likes
Iāve only had mine about a year and it hasnāt had very rigorous use but so far so good. Hopefully it holds up as it actually fits her. I apparently have a corseā¦a cross between cob and horse. The anatomic build very much helps her with some mouth issues and pinching she gets on her very flabby inner cheeks.
Susan
LOVE the crown. Not thrilled with leather quality - a barnmate and I both have PS of Sweden bridles, and agree that the leather feels rather plasticky/stiff. Better after a thorough coating with Hydrophane, but still not as nice as the leather on some MUCH cheaper bridles, though does seem to hold up well - my horse is a profuse sweater, and Iām not the best at actually cleaning my tack, but I do try to wipe it down with a wet rag & a bit of liquid castile soap, and it still looks good.
I did have an issue with the rivet that holds the āquick-changeā snap on the browband completely separating after only a handful of rides, thus making it useless. I reached out to the shop I ordered through and got ZERO response. For everyday use, I put a regular browband on the bridle. However, for recognized events, I still need a āsnapā browband in order to attach the throatlatch (sidenote - Iām still not convinced that the throatlatch is actually leather) and rather than shelling out for a new PS browband to be used a few times each year, I bought a cheap Kavalkade ābuttonā browband, which works on a similar principle, and itās fine.
I purchased the Pioneer bridle, and I donāt love the possible adjustment of the noseband. Yes, itās labelled as their āinterpretationā of a drop noseband, but many of the marketing photos show it adjusted more like a Miklem, so thatās what I was shooting for. I donāt know if itās my horse or the size I purchased, but I really havenāt been able to make it fit the way I want. Itās not bad, and I understand that I was sort of ignoring the actual description/label, so thatās on me.
In terms of leather quality, itās mediocre at best. My guy has a Bobbyās that was half the price and is much nicer leather. Nor does the PS of Sweden come close to his buttery Vespucci. I like the style and some of the features, as well as the crown. But the leather? Not so much.
@allegro18 I have a Pioneer also. The Nirak model is closer to a Miklem. Could you return or sell your Pioneer?
Iām sure I could. Have also considered simply purchasing a different noseband and swapping it out (and selling the Pioneer noseband), but not sure Iām ready to shell out the price of a new noseband when Iām still not totally sold on the bridle as a wholeā¦
@allegro18 The Nirak is their Miklem competitor. I have one Pioneer, one Flying Change snaffle, and one Passage double. I find the nosebands run quite large, and the crowns run small (or my horses have weird heads). Iāve got one with a 4 crown, a 3 noseband, and 2 cheek pieces.
The leather on my Vespucciās is much nicer.
Another vote for the leather is crap. I have one that I have barely used because the Smartpak bridle I have feels nicer. I did dress her up in it for a photo shoot. The browband looked divine.
I have the paladin, it is in fairly regular use for about 8 months so far and has held up well (but 8 months isnāt much of a test). The leather is OK, I can never get too excited about the feel of black leather (it all feels āmehā to me compared to my hunter bridles).
But I needed to build a bridle with mix and match sizes so it was about the best option and I like the paladin noseband snap because Iāve learned I have a white hot hatred for doing/undoing dressage nosesbands. Also the lack of (useless) throatlatch (except for shows) and /removable invisible flash are nice features. I did order the rolled throatlatch for shows, and it does look nicer than a regular flat strap. Also, I found a dark brown/black/cream crystal browband (called āCoffeeā). For a fjord, that is just about perfect, so Iām happy.
Hereās the bottom line for me: I would like to see this product line succeed. I chose this because it was the best fit for my horse and I like the sleek design. Itās pretty and why not support a new product line? OK, so far. But what do I do about the brow band that I have to hold in place with latex tape (it was like this from the beginning). Should I just buy a different brow band for $95 and hope it will stay in place? Do I just take the leather pieces to be repaired by the cobbler shop an hour away from here? Iām wondering if he has experience repairing āeco friendly leatherāĀ? Or do I scrap the PS Sweden equipment and start again with a different ācustomāĀ brand starting at $500?
I appreciate those folks who have taken the time to answer my post and describe their experiences with PS of Sweden. It seems that other people do share some of the same concerns and frustration with their customer service policy. Maybe our collaboration will be helpful feedback to improve this product and better serve customers and their horses in the future.
Solved and thank you folks who had shared or made suggestions. I am grateful to a local saddler who was able to repair loose stitching and adjust browband and throat latch.
2 Likes
