Show Bridles

[HunterEq95]

I’ve been looking around at show bridles, mostly used since I’m on a budget, mostly doing window shopping for now, but would like some opinions and experiences with these bridles:

Dover Wellington/Wellington Saratoga
Dover Showmark
Beval
Bullion
Dominus
Edgewood/New Cavalry (I’ve heard Edgewood bridles stretch, but they also seem to be really popular)
Arc de Triomphe

The nicest bridle I’ve ever owned is probably an older Crosby, so I would be interested to know if these brands are comparable to or better than/not as good as it.

Thanks!

[atl_hunter]

You may want to include Vespucci since I see you have Dominus on the list - Dominus was the original name for the Vespucci/Amerigo saddles.

I have 3 Vespucci bridles and I love them all! Two I purchased used 6 years ago and they are both still absolutely gorgeous. I also have a new one that I bought for shows, but honestly the others are so gorgeous and clean up so well that I just show in them and have the new one in the bag. I love that the reins have the fancy stitching - the leather is buttery soft. I also love the monocrown and padded noseband. These tend to run large so be careful if buying used. I have a Cob for my horse that normally wears a horse size.

Nearly everyone else in the barn has Edgewood, and I have an Edgewood martingale as I needed to get one at a show as an emergency. What I have noticed is that the stitching doesn’t seem to last - it comes apart. These aren’t old bridles, rather, less than 4 years old and meticulously cared for with loose sticthing on the noseband or browband. For this reason, I only use the Edgewood martingale for shows, as I don’t want the stitches to pop. I also have found that the leather seems a lot less soft than my Vespucci. I think the older Edgewoods were REALLY nice (trainer has some that are over 15 years old), but the newer ones don’t seem to be quite the same.

The ADT bridles are also very nice!

[Sueby]

Our barn mostly has Dy’on, with a couple of Antares and I have Butet’s. I did have a Vespucci (8 years old), but I sold that to another rider as it really fit her guy well and I didn’t need it. I did like the Vespucci, but I like a wide noseband and this one didn’t have that. It broke in really well and held up well, still looked new when I sold it… and I’m not a great tack cleaner lol.

I did have an Arc bridle about 4 years ago, but it wasn’t good quality and after sending it back a couple of times for cracked leather and another time for stitching coming out, I gave up and returned it. Apparently that batch had quality trouble, or so the tack store told me. Butet came out with their hunter bridle about that time so I bought one (then another :lol:).

[Madison]

Your budget is going to affect what your options are, even in the used market.

Beval and ADT have both fallen off in quality, lots of people have reported issues with them, I’m not sure I would take a chance on those these days.

The Antares and Butet ones that Sueby mentions are gorgeous. I haven’t seen a lot of used hunter versions come up, though, if you are looking for the hunter ones.

You really can’t go wrong with Edgewood.

Hadfield’s should also be on your list, but it is another one that people tend to keep forever and the few used ones that do come up get snapped up quickly!

[BAC]

I have owned Hadfields, Edgewood, Antares, CWD, Beval Heritage and loved them all. There was never a quality issue with any of them although I am obsessive about cleaning and caring for all of my tack. I also never had a problem with stretching with my Edgewood, nor with the stitching, in fact I used to ride two horses who each had an Edgewood as their everyday bridle and each bridle was about 15-20 years old and still nice enough to show in.

The Dy’on bridles I have seen are also gorgeous although I have no experience with them. ADT is overpriced for the quality of the leather, I feel the same way about Vespucci and they stretch like crazy IMO.

If you can afford it go with Hadfields, Dy’on or Edgewood. The only reason I don’t recommend Antares any more is because I hate the new style with the integrated crown where you don’t have a separate cavesson, so if one side stretches you can’t adjust the noseband evenly. That would drive me crazy if the noseband is not sitting evenly.

[Madison]

@BAC

I have owned Hadfields, Edgewood, Antares, CWD, Beval Heritage and loved them all. There was never a quality issue with any of them although I am obsessive about cleaning and caring for all of my tack.

I bought a Beval Heritage in 2016, the first time I oiled it, before I had used it at all, the burnished edge came off and the edges of the leather curled. It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen a bridle do. Beval first accused me of using ammonia on it, which I did NOT do, but when I insisted that I had not, and that I had used exactly what was specified on their website, they ultimately took it back for a full refund. It is a beautiful bridle, I was sad to have to send it back, but I also saw other anecdotal experiences with the quality not being what it used to be, so I wasn’t willing to take a chance on another one.

[BAC]

Madison, my Beval Heritage is about 12 years old, bought brand new before the quality of their strap goods started going downhill. Several years ago I went with a friend to the CT shop because she wanted a bridle just like mine but the Heritage looked and felt like plastic, we left without buying anything. My bridle is still beautiful, I sold it to a friend when I stopped riding a few years ago and she gave it back to me after her horse died last year, so that I could sell it for her. Its still sitting in my laundry room, I don’t want to give it up.

[Madison]

@BAC I’m so glad it made its way back to you! Keep it!!!

[BAC]

But my friend is the current owner and she wants to get some money for it to donate to a rescue in memory of her late horse. She just wants me to sell it for her. I would buy it back but I’m no longer riding so it seems silly to spend the money on something I have no use for. But I might buy it anyway just to have it back.

[BAC]

OP if you’re on a budget try premiertackoutlet.com. Rebecca sells new and used high end tack, you could probably get a good deal on something used but of better quality than you could afford if you bought a lesser product brand new.

[hairystockings]

If you can find an older Beval Heritage, they are great. That was my go-to bridle for a long time. The reins are like butter and they hold up well forever. People tend to hold on to them I think because the old ones are so great so they’re not easy to find on the used market. I likewise haven’t seen many Edgewoods but those were also great.

[winter]

I love strap good and have had: Vespucci, ADT, Crosby, Antares, Jeffries, Herve Godignon, Americana, Equiline.

My old crosby (35 years old) still has the most beautiful leather but sadly I broke the crown piece and lost the cheek pieces overy the years and only have the browband and noseband remaining. I hear their quality is not the same now.
I have not had D’yon, but have been solidly unimpressed. I have seen one year old D’yon bridles hanging on the tack cleaning hook that have the small wrinkles on the top side of the leather after use that I’ve only seen on $30 bridles. I would never buy one because of that.
My Antares had very nice leather but overall did not like the bridle. Hate the look, the buckles were too big, proportions were off and no roller buckle on the noseband which meant it creased the leather badly.
I do like my vespucci, still in excellent condition but did stretch a lot and now too big for most of my pony head horses.
I like my ADT quality alot but the sizing is way off. It’s a cob but barely fits my 14.3 mare who looks like a welsh pony… It’s such a shame since it’s beautiful on her if it weren’t pinching her ears.
I think my Jeffries bridle is great quality and craftsmanship for the price.
The Americana (KL select) and Equiline are very similar and I think made by the same people? These are great bridles, good value for the price. Nice stitching and good leather. The KL select did stretch a bit and is a bit big but the Equiline one has not stretched at all and is holding up very well.
Herve Godignon has nice details like the cross shaped keepers but I did not like the noseband attachment.

I hate the sizing on almost all bridles: noseband too big, browband too small.

[hairystockings]

Also I’d recommend contacting EquusNow, they respond pretty fast on facebook. All their locations have consignment rooms with some really nice bridles in them. It’s one of the best places to look for tack deals.

[Small_Change]

@winter

I like my ADT quality alot but the sizing is way off. It’s a cob but barely fits my 14.3 mare who looks like a welsh pony… It’s such a shame since it’s beautiful on her if it weren’t pinching her ears.

Is it an older AdT or a new one? I have had several older AdT’s and always found them true to size. My 16.1 hh hunter with a smaller head wears a cob Imperial bridle, but it is at least 10 or 15 years old.