The droopy or V-shaped browband trend - flattering or not?

[Dr_Doolittle]

@out west

Spent some time at championships playing with browband shapes on our horses. I was never a fan but discovered that head shape seems important. Interestingly the V shape looked good on my mare who is narrow below her ears, the U looked best on my gelding who is wide.

Interesting. Ms mare has a pretty broad forehead (a pony head), so maybe a slighty dipped U would flatter her…

[Shagyas_Rock]

I don’t like them. They look sloppy.

[CatPS]

I think they look good on horses with a plain colored, broad forehead. I think they can be nice for adding refinement to a clunker head, but you have to be careful about putting attention in the wrong places. I’m a fan of them on the right horse. Most of what we see are blingy, but a plain gently-swoopy browband can make for a very nice overall picture on many horses.

@TMares

here’s a v that is distracting, it’s too low on her forehead:

http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-zfvgw8…661816.JPG?c=2

Draped and attractive, it’s not oversized (not too long, and also not too wide. Some of them look like TWH browbands, they are so wide)
http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-zfvgw8…465443.jpg?c=2

The first horse has a fairly refined head (almost looks Arab-y to me), and that browband just completely overpowers him/her. I’d be hard-pressed to put this browband on ANY horse… maybe a grey warmblood with stellar head carriage, but not much else. The second horse looks smashing, IMO!

[see_u_at_x]

![]( have a very subtle and simple blingy v-shaped browband for my horse and I love it on him, but I think it really depends on the browband and the horse.

[IMG]https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11924257_10206265434008955_6213422497478754614_n.jpg?oh=a1364cb611b24f79b78fba874a0a134b&oe=5A854C32)

[KittyinAus]

@TMares

here’s a v that is distracting, it’s too low on her forehead:

http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-zfvgw8…661816.JPG?c=2

Draped and attractive, it’s not oversized (not too long, and also not too wide. Some of them look like TWH browbands, they are so wide)
http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/n-zfvgw8…465443.jpg?c=2

In the first link, that bridle has been put together wrong. The browband should be above where the throatlatch joins the head piece.

[KittyinAus]

@yaya

Some of the slightly curved browbands are okay, but this is a little extreme for me. https://goo.gl/images/oCCvZf

That’s hideous! That said, if I were to sadly discover that it was the only browband shape that made my horse happy, he would get one.

[beowulf]

[quote=“see u at x,post:44,top![](c:437843”]

I have a very subtle and simple blingy v-shaped browband for my horse and I love it on him, but I think it really depends on the browband and the horse.

[IMG]https://scontent-iad3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/11924257_10206265434008955_6213422497478754614_n.jpg?oh=a1364cb611b24f79b78fba874a0a134b&oe=5A854C32)

[/quote]

stunning model and bridle… what brand is that?

and @KittyinAus thank you… looks like they’re handsome twins

[yaya]

@KittyinAus

In the first link, that bridle has been put together wrong. The browband should be above where the throatlatch joins the head piece.

I’m thinking that maybe the hole in the browband is too narrow to accommodate the full width of the crownpiece, and that is the only way it would fit? I have had to take browbands to a shoemaker and have the opening widened to fit my crownpiece.

[yaya]

@beowulf

@yaya, agree – too much… i think that is a matter of the bridle not being the right size for that horse… kieffer has a history of that, uploading images of their bridles on horse models and IMHO sometimes they must have picked the F/S bridle up when the horse really needed a C/S…

i think this one looks fab:
http://reitsporthandel-koerner.de/ebay/Comfortparis.jpg

interesting because while I am not a fan of V-shaped browbands personally, that is one that I think IMHO is very flattering to the horse. as far as it being lower, it’s not as high up as some but i think that’s because it’s not put on the bridle correctly…

i wonder why they chose to put it so that the throatlatch comes out before the browband does on the headstall? very unusual.

this one looks nice as well:
http://www.irishhuntersandjumpers.co…ndoIV_5136.jpg

i think V-shape browbands flatter plainer heads - if there is white or a star i think it’s better to go with something more subtle like a clincher or slight u-line brow. i have seen a few V-line that IMHO were too long or big for the horse and the V portion descended past the whorl-line/past their eyes and i think that is when it’s too much.

personally i really like the droop/u-line brows, especially on clunker-heads. not the greatest picture but the u-line brow on my guy’s bridle softens his coarse head, i think:

I don’t think it’s a matter of size, that’s just how much droop they put on the browband. It’s just bent! The one you linked is made with much less bend.

I gave my guess as to why they put the V one where they did in the post above.

[see_u_at_x]

@beowulf

stunning model and bridle… what brand is that?

@beowulf, Thank you! I think the model is pretty handsome, too, but of course I’m prejudiced. That’s a KL Select Italia Pirouette bridle and I really love it. It comes with the v-shaped browband that I use and it also comes with a matching round raised padded browband. I also, surprisingly(!), really like the reins it came with, too. They’re plain leather with stops and aren’t poorly made like a lot of the reins that come with bridles nowadays seem to be. Here’s a link with better pictures: http://www.klselect.com/bridles/dressage-bridles/kl-italia-pirouette/

[kristinq]

In general I don’t like the V browbands. I think they’re too reminiscent of Western headstalls and look out of place with English tack. Of course, it varies by head shape/size, and the subtle one on see u at x’s boy looks great! Like yoga pants, browbands should be selected not to satisfy current trends, but to fit a certain type and size- they’re not for everyone! :winkgrin:

[mmeqcenter]

@keysfins

So then I guess this one probably won’t have many fans?

Oh dear lord :eek:
The colors are pretty but that’s a bit rich for my blood!

[J-Lu]

I have a relatively thin (~1/2") “droopy” u-shaped one on my horse. One with grey crystals, one with black and white squares on tiny crystals. I can post pictures if anyone wants to see what the grey crystal one looks like on a horse head.

My horse has a wide forehead and smaller muzzle, and the “straight” browbands just don’t fit his forehead well. I really like how these thinner u-shaped browbands fit (in terms of comfort)Interestingly, his horse-sized Keiffer bridle is large on him, so I’m enjoying these bridle threads.

[keysfins]

@mmeqcenter

Oh dear lord :eek:
The colors are pretty but that’s a bit rich for my blood!

I just put it up for fun. I don’t own anything like that.

I have some bling browbands, most are straight but I have a few shallow-U shaped Otto Schumacher crystal browbands.

With the right shape, like a shallow U, it is almost looks like a straight bb on the horse, you don’t notice the U as much.

[CindyCRNA]

I just ordered this bridle and it has a droopy browband. https://www.psofsweden.com/en/bridle…ump-revolution I want this one also: [URL=“https://www.psofsweden.com/en/bridles/pioneer”]https://www.psofsweden.com/en/bridles/pioneer

I like this one for my black dressage bridle. :https://www.psofsweden.com/en/browbands/browband-go-denmark

[BatCoach]

I think that the "droopy’ browband looks really good on a horse with a larger noggin, but can be overwhelming on a dainty face. There will always be purists out there, but I personally love having options to play with!

[mmeqcenter]

@keysfins

I just put it up for fun. I don’t own anything like that.

I have some bling browbands, most are straight but I have a few shallow-U shaped Otto Schumacher crystal browbands.

With the right shape, like a shallow U, it is almost looks like a straight bb on the horse, you don’t notice the U as much.

Well that’s a mean trick ! :lol:

I have two shallow U ones also, don’t look that much different than straight

[quietann]

I also don’t like them, but it’s possible this is just because of my particular horse. She’s pretty blingy all on her own, and when I was showing I was advised to not add any extra bling that might draw attention to her faults. She looks great in white-padded leather, so that’s what we have. She has a short face and a delicate head with a big forehead (for her big brain!) so I just get bigger browbands for her bridles (most of the time, cob size with WB/oversize browband…)

[KittyinAus]

@keysfins

So then I guess this one probably won’t have many fans?

With the dangly bits taken off, I would use it.

[purplnurpl]

I only like bling on horses with no chrome.
I feel like bling kills the classic beauty of chrome. Same as bonnets. Its a shame to interfere with a beautiful white star.

i bought a very thin bling browband for my mare. Turns out I hate it. Great waste of $100.00.

shape: I dislike shaped browbands. I find That a straight browband will mold to the proper shape as it breaks in. My browbands have the contoured shape just from good ol plain use.