I have always been a fan of the regular cavesson in Dressage and a figure 8 in XC, but I have a young OTTB who is a bit more sensitive (in good ways) than my other OTTB’s have been. He also has a weird sized head. Horse size fits on the last or 2nd to the last hole, but nosebands are too big. Cob bridles seem to fit better, but the browband and noseband are tight. My little boy is very kind and tries hard; I don’t want to put more pressure on him than he needs. I have never been a fan of the Micklem look, but I’ve been intrigued by the fact that it avoids the nerves. For those of you who have them or have used them: do you have thoughts? Any feedback is appreciated.
I think you just have to try it, both size-wise and in order to know whether it will work for your horse. I have one horse who really likes it, and several others who didn’t seem to care one way or the other.
I bought a dropped noseband from Dover to fit to my current bridle. It helps keep the bit stable in my horse’s mouth without making it super tight or creating pressure as a flash can. Figure if the Spanish Riding School uses it to do all the basic training on their horses, it’d be worth trying. Lot less expensive and same principle as the Micklem.
I use one on my guy (got it on the cheap from the Dover basement) and I didn’t really notice much of a difference if any. It is a little quicker/easier to clean than a regular bridle though
personally, I think it’s a load of hooplah - it doesn’t eliminate pressure, it just puts it in a different place (across the bridge of the nose). The way you are describing your horse I think the Micklem might not fit him - it’s very hard to have it fit just right on a horse.
I have a horse that will not budge an inch if you fasten the Micklem on him. No, it’s not a training problem - it’s his way of saying NO, this hurts. He does not do it in any other bridle. When I’ve put the bridle on other horses, the changes were negligible. I do think if horses prefer pressure on their nose it works better than a standard bridle, but if you’re getting THAT much pressure across their poll in a standard bridle, your noseband is too tight.
I think if it works for you, great, it works – but I don’t think it’s the miracle everyone is looking for. IMHO it is a placebo for riders.
I’ve used one on three different horses and the only difference I’ve noticed is they can’t wait to have it off. All of them rubbed their faces like mad after its taken off.
Can’t say anything about Micklem bridles, but the horse I lease also has an in-between size head. I ended up buying two relatively inexpensive bridles of the same style - one in horse and one in cob - and mixing the pieces to get a bridle that fits him well.
I am riding one now who used to go in a regular noseband and was always nice and soft in the bridle. He was switched to a micklem while I was on leave and he seemed to be much better for it, he went well and liked the stability of the bit- but now I almost feel like it has made him heavy in the bridle- it’s like he needs that bit absolutely still but he expects you to carry it, not him. I do NOT like that feeling. I know tons of people love them but I think it’s not for us long term.
I think it really depends on the horse. My horse likes the stability of the bit in the micklem, which I think comes from 2 things: 1. the dropped noseband, and 2 the short cheek pieces. But I do think it could be very easy to make the micklem too tight if you aren’t actively thinking about it.
The Micklem ended head-tossing and head-rubbing for the one horse I used it on. Other horses have responded as well to it as to any bridle. For myself, I like the way it is designed, I’m putting on only one headstall piece and not separate headstall and cavesson pieces. That’s my limited experience, I don’t have the opportunity to use it on very many horses.
I have a very sensitive mare who becomes difficult to bridle within 2 rides in a normal bridle (even one without any noseband of any kind!). No bridling problems within 2 rides in the Micklem bridle. When ridden, there is less head tossing and no rubbing on anything nearby to get the bridle off when she is wearing the Micklem. It is definitely not a placebo effect for her and I (outside observers have noticed the difference). I don’t think the effect is due to bit stability because I know she likes that so have always used bits that offer it as much as possible.
It sounds like my horse has a somewhat similar head as your horse’s - not particularly long, but reasonably broad. The full horse size Micklem fits her very nicely.
IMHO, it does not increase pressure across the nose nor reduce poll pressure to any significant degree unless you are tightening things too much in whichever bridle you are using. However, it sits in a different place on the head than a traditional bridle and I think that makes a difference for some sensitive horses. Others probably don’t care.
It certainly isn’t a magical cure for all apparent training issues, but it is clearly more comfortable for my horse than a traditional bridle, so I go with it.
You guys are awesome! Thank you for the feedback. I know that I can buy brow and nose bands separately to fit him, but wondered about the Micklem’s fit. He doesn’t have any issues really, but I’m always thinking about how to ensure my horses are as comfortable as possible. This information is incredibly helpful. Thank you!
I had a pony that a Micklem made a big difference on. It was obviously more comfortable for him.
Also, before I bought it, I emailed William Micklem about it with my questions and he answered very promptly and thoughtfully. I really liked that he was so willing to engage with an ordinary horse person on his design and its purposes.
In my experience, horses either go better in the Micklem or there’s no difference. It’s not intended to be fitted tightly; if you’re someone who prefers a really tight noseband and/or flash, I suspect you won’t see a difference or your horse may even go worse. It can take a few tries to get the fit right. Both of my true cob sized horses go in a standard horse competition bridle, there’s no way you could fit them in the cob.
Beowulf, I honestly cannot figure out your theory on Micklem’s causing increased nose pressure. You can literally fit a hand under my horse’s noseband where it runs across his nose and underneath the “flash”. In my limited test group, horses that were adverse to poll pressure, typically went better in a Micklem. May I humbly suggest that perhaps you’re fitting the bridle too tight?
I have been told that either they like them or don’t. My horse was in one before I bought him, then I was using a normal bridle with a flash attachment and seemed to do just fine. I went ahead a got a Micklem anyways because he was in one before I got him. I have not noticed a difference honestly in either or. I like the look of the Micklem! In my opinion, I may be wrong as I have never used a Figure 8, it seems to fit about the same as far as the strap under the jaw and the nose band part…? Maybe I am wrong.
My horse still likes to rub his head when taking off the Micklem Bridle as he did with the normal bridle with flash attachment. I just take a brush on his head and around his mouth where he foams and then he is fine.
I think you would need to try it to know for sure, every horse is different. I have been thinking of getting a black one for when doing dressage as my current is brown.
Actually, the Micklem IS intended to be fitted to the horse - Horseware reps prefer “snugly”, but tightly is correct too.
I don’t as a rule, have bridles fitted too tight. Note the daylight between nose & noseband. However, we all know many people can’t fit a finger or see daylight under their horses noseband, and I have seen more than once people think their horses tension in the bridle could be fixed by a Micklem when really, it could probably be fixed by allowing the horse to actually open its mouth. If its jaw is strapped shut, there will obviously be tension. These are the people that are usually attracted to Micklems
If you can fit a hand under your horse’s Micklem noseband, per the Horseware fitting guide, your Micklem bridle is not fitted correctly. I’ve attended several Horseware workshops now, including a Micklem one - a rep from Horseware came in and showed us how to fit several Micklems to several different sized horses at the barn the W-S was held in. I would say I’m quite familiar with Micklem and how it is supposed to be fitted.
We were shown how the Micklem changes the pressure points - respectfully, in order to have the bit stability the Micklem can offer, you need to have the noseband snug against the horse’s nose - if you don’t, the bit wobbles and the entire bridle is unstable which defeats one of the main selling points the Micklem does have to offer. Does the Micklem avoid “nerves” along the face? It does, kind of - but at the cost of distributing great pressure across the bridge of the nose and nasal cavity.
It’s easy to see how Micklem changes pressure to the nose - that’s where the main “anchor” of the bridle is. Rather than having the bit rest on the cheek-piece and the “anchor point” across the flat of the poll like in a traditional bridle, it rests on the leather & snaps supplied from the noseband. This entirely changes the anchor point of pressure to across the bridge of the nose. In order to properly secure stability of the bit, you have to secure the noseband enough that it does not move - which means you have to tighten it significantly.
Poll-pressure is widely misunderstood, a buzzword manipulated by manufacturers like Micklem. Most people don’t understand that poll-pressure is directly related to the tightness of the noseband. If you have a loose noseband and a standard non-gag bit, there is very little poll-pressure at all. There is no reasonable reason (barring injury to the poll) to seek a “poll-relieving” bridle if your noseband is fitted correctly and not tightly. If your horse is sensitive to poll-pressure, first consider changing the tightness of your noseband before you spend $290 on a bridle that straps the horse’s mouth shut.
The problem I have with the Micklem is that very few people know how to fit them correctly, and the shape and design of the bridle encourages people to be more libertine with tightness of the bridle. As a ring steward, I have never once seen or felt a loose Micklem noseband. I am in Area 1 and have probably passed my hands through 300+ horse’s mouths and not once seen a loose Micklem…
My experience with the Micklem is that like another poster mentioned, most horses cannot wait to get them off. I have gotten better results using a loose drop.
That and, for $290 you should expect quality leather and IMHO, Micklem is not that.
Well I guess you’re the expert then. My experience using the bridle on a daily basis on multiple horses has indicated otherwise, but I bow to the rabid thoroughness of this post…
You know, it should be possible to discuss experiences and the merits of a specific tool without the snark and the not-so-subtle jab at calling me rabid. You mentioned I might be making my noseband too tight, and I expanded. That’s what a discussion is. We have different experiences and we are discussing that.
I think that if a horse doesn’t mind nose pressure, it works, as per my original post. I just also think many horses don’t like it, and it doesn’t make a difference or makes them worse. My own TBs have not responded well to the Micklem, but they don’t have poll issues or injuries so perhaps that is why.
I personally would like to see someone come up with a different design where there is bit stability but not at the expense of anchoring pressure across the nose. I think the Stubben Freedom is interesting and worth a look if you really have a horse that needs stability.
You’ll have to forgive my earnest and interest in this subject - bridle work & leather is a bit of a passion of mine. The way the Micklem works intrigues me, but I think there’s better solutions out there.
