I just got the Equitus Alpha and am really happy with how it fits my horse. However, I can’t determine if it’s legal or not. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be? But it’s also not specifically called out with the legal/not legal bridles.
Does anyone else have one and have a ruling on this?
Thanks!
I have the Equitus Beta and am told it is legal. They are very similar bridles.
No idea re the legality, but how would you rate the quality of the bridle itself?
It’s very nice. It does need some oiling, but I have no complaints about it. Schockemohle does have kind of two distinct lines, and this is one of the higher end ones. They do make cheaper bridles that aren’t as nice.
Absolutely love mine, the quality is great and lots of nice comments about it. I’ve competed in it a few times now haven’t had any problems.
I’m fairly certain that it’s legal, although I’ve never shown in mine. It has the separate throat latch, the absence of which is what I believe makes some of the other anatomical bridles “not-legal”.
I can tell you a definitive answer to this. I bought this bridle (from Tack n Rider in Wellington) back in February not knowing its legality. I got worried about it, so I emailed USEF and received a response from Hannah Niebielski telling me explicitly me that the bridle is NOT legal. The relevant language is in DR 121.2: " Bridles are not permitted in which the noseband is connected to the bit or cheekpiece below the level of the browband."
The hypocrisy of this answer still makes me angry. This language applies equally to, for example, the Miklem and the PS of Sweden Nirak, and yet both are explicitly - by name - legal, without any reference to rule 121.2, or an explanation why those bridles in particular should be exempt from that rule but other similar bridles, that aren’t mentioned by name, aren’t. Maybe someone knows some behind-the-scenes reason; my guess is that the manufacturers lobbied hard, with or without a (unrelated, of course) donation to the USEF.
I emailed Shockemohle back in late February, and it turned out they had been operating under the (way too sensible for the USEF) assumption that the USEF, like Germany, simply followed FEI equipment rules, under which the bridle is legal. My contact was surprised to hear from me that it wasn’t. She followed up with USEF to confirm the bridle’s non-legality and then applied for a rule change/exemption. I checked in with her periodically for the next month or two, but there were no new developments and I sort of forgot about it; but after reading this post I just emailed her again to ask about the status!
Meanwhile, I saw the bridle in use by numerous riders at recognized shows in February (eg in White Fences), and I used it in recognized competition all summer without comment. Most people, including tack sellers, seem to assume that it is legal - logically, since it is so similar to bridles that are legal.
I should also mention that I think the bridle makes sense anatomically, and I love mine, at least on the horse I bought it for. It fits him perfectly and looks gorgeous on him (especially with the bling-y browbands that Shockemohle now sells separately, kind of like the Equitus Beta one!). It’s also much easier to clean than a regular snaffle! And so far at least I have been happy with the leather quality - it’s definitely a lot better than the PS of Sweden Flying Change which it replaced. (I HATED that bridle, and hated the stiff, cheap-feeling leather that bled all over the horse’s face, and the stitching that came loose after only a few months… )
But I tried the Equitus Alpha on another horse and it didn’t work for him at all - it just didn’t sit right on his face, didn’t fit around his cheekbones the way it’s supposed to…
I actually like the entire Shockemohle Anatomical line. My trainer uses two other bridles from that line, the Malibu double and one of the snaffles (Stanford or Concord?), on her GP mare, and they both look beautiful on her and are nice bridles.
@Amordoro - I feel you so hard on this. I have my guy going in a Stubben Freedom bridle, and I just love how he goes in it (he came to me a bit wiggly.) I am aware it’s not legal due to what you quoted. I’ve just been using it anyway, granted, at local schooling shows. I’m not sure what I will do if I start to go to rated shows.
Very surprised to hear USEF say that it’s not allowed. It’s so similar to the Micklem. It’s a great bridle, my horse seems more comfortable in it than her traditional bridle. Hope to see the rules clarified. USEF should just follow FEI rules on tack - would be a lot simpler.
I forgot to update - I got an email back from my contact at Schockemoehle. She told me the rule change request was approved, to be considered at the USEF meeting in January and then take effect Feb. I have no idea - and she doesn’t seem to either - whether this is a broader rule change or just for this bridle. I wrote to USEF asking for clarification but haven’t heard anything back. Though I’m still a little unclear, it at least seems like there might be hope for next year!
i totally agree about following FEI equipment rules. Plus, the USEF ones are byzantine, inconsistent, and often illogical.
i’m bumping this up as a side tangent, sorry soloudinhere!!..
as a very early birthday present to myself (i’m also justifying it as our five-year anniversary together, and two year anniversary from his pelvic catastrophe), bought one of these bridles yesterday. the price was right and i couldn’t pass up the deal.
i should have it by sometime next week. i’m really hoping it fits his big old noggin.
i know… i don’t like schockemohle as a general rule in terms of quality… but really like the design of seeing the bit anchored off of a more stable, less constricting place than the crown. it was either this or the freedom bridle from stubben, but i can’t find that bridle in a palpable price ($400? ouch) anywhere.
i’ll report back… in the meantime, @soloudinhere and @Amordoro how are yours holding up?
It’s an interesting discussion. I had the same concerns about a PS of Sweden bridle and Equine Canada didn’t know how to answer me! I had heard the lack of throatlatch was the issue but it’s not. It has to do with the drop noseband. According to the Canadian Rule, the bridle talked about by the OP is legal according to equine Canada. I find interesting that everybody is so vague with their inability to answer riders using the rules they created.
Mine is holding up fine. I’ve switched the horse out of it temporarily since he is showing the next few weeks and I didn’t want to deal with the legal/not legal issue. But it still looks as good as when I bought it and the leather is quite nice actually.
First an update - I did eventually get an email from USEF saying the following:
"The Schockemoehle Equitus Alpha bridle is currently still not permitted under USEF Dressage Rules. A Rule change proposal to has been submitted to USEF regarding this bridle, and this will be available for membership review during the week of October 1[SUP]st [/SUP]. However, it’s just that – a Rule change proposal for consideration by membership - Committees, Councils, etc. and has not been approved or disapproved at this time…
“In October, Rule changes submitted become available online for review and comment. After a review period, Committees of USEF and then Councils will review and comment the Rule changes before they are sent to the BOD for consideration. If approved, this rule would go into effect for the 2020 competition year as our standard rule change system is a full competition year out (effective date Dec. 1, 2019).”
This seems like a ridiculously extended process for approving an individual bridle, since I thought the whole purpose of Annex A was to allow them to be more responsive about equipment issues. It makes me wonder if it’s a more general rule change? I guess we will know in October. Meanwhile, I’ve continued to show in mine.
I’ve had it since February and used it regularly (4-5x/week, throughout a hot and sweaty summer, with a very sweaty horse!). It still looks almost new and shows no real signs of wear, so I’d say it’s held up quite well. It’s perhaps not the same leather quality as, say, Otto Schumacher, but it isn’t near the price either. I think the leather is quite nice and doesn’t feel (or look) cheap, and mine definitely shows no signs at all of falling apart, as some people have experienced with this brand.
My care consists of wiping it down fairly regularly (1x-3x/week) with a damp sponge with Effax Leather Combi squirted onto it - no other cleaning products. Doing this I’ve had no fading or loss of black dye. Every month or so, more often if necessary, I rub some leather conditioner in with my fingers. Because of the construction it is very easy to clean - not as many straps. I love it! And I bought a matching Schockemoehle sparkly browband that I use for showing.
Thanks for checking back with your experience!
So I got the bridle. It’s very light; unusually light for a headstall. I like that. The stitching seems okay; I’d want a little more uniform for a $330 bridle, but I didn’t see any terrible stitching run-off of flaws. The strap leather is good (cheek pieces & flash); the headstall itself seems to be half leather and some sort of foam insert sandwiched between soft leather.
However, and I just laugh that it had to happen to me, but the bridle I received was blemished (pictures included) with the “comfort-lined” backing having separated from the noseband. It mostly seems superficial but if I am spending a few hundred bucks on a bridle I want it to not have any blemishes. I still tried it on my horse to make sure it fit, but didn’t ride him in it so no comments on how he felt or if I saw a difference.
I returned it for a swap in the same size; if that one doesn’t have any glaring errors, I’ll probably keep it.
The fit in itself seems generous. My guy has a coarse/noble head that is quite long and usually is just on the cusp of O/S; his cheek-pieces + throat-lash are F/S measurements but his jaw/nose and forehead are usually in the O/S realm. I noticed a lot of extra room in the browband which I love, and the crown-piece seems decently sized. The cheek-straps, if they stretched too much, might not work for me, but it fit his head right out of the bag (it came assembled and wrapped in foam). It has some limitations in terms of adjustability in the cheek-strap but that is the design of the bridle and not so much a flaw.
You’ll have to forgive Holden’s “gimme the treats” face and the Beverly Hillbillies background:
https://i.imgur.com/zmT0Bvf.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zX3mCVd.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/nJ4ZQvH.jpg
I wouldn’t consider that a purely cosmetic blemish - that is a manufacturing defect. The lining was not stitched on properly. I’m glad to hear they are replacing it for you.
I agree it is a pretty big issue for a $330 bridle. At that price they damn well better be coming out of the bag near flawless, right?
I ordered through Dover Saddlery, btw. They absolutely would replace something like that, any time for any reason. Dover will always stand by replacing manufacturing defects so I am glad I ordered it through them.
I got the replacement today. I’m not thrilled with the replacement either.
The replacement doesn’t have a defect but it has a nick on the browband and some discoloration on the bridle. (I can snap pictures later when I go to the barn). Not a Dover problem but a Schockemoehle problem. It may also be because I am scrutinizing the bridle now, I am noticing things I wouldn’t have noticed before. Is it too much to get a bridle with no stitching defects, no nicks or scrapes, and no weird discoloration?
Undecided on if I will keep it. They probably think I am crazy if I send this one back for another one. For $100 more I could get the Stubben Freedom but I do really like the concept of having a bit buckle to a noseband and not through a crownstrap.
My bridle doesn’t have any of those issues. I’m debating selling it because I want to school this horse in a bridle he can show in. Might keep it though because I do like it for horses that seem to be picky about bridles.
That’s good. I think it might be the universe taunting me.
I think the hearing is soon isn’t it, for whether or not it is legal? I cannot imagine it won’t be - it’s almost identical to Micklem’s design, just packaged in a way where they can’t get sued for copying because Micklem has a patent. Or did.
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