I will also happily take anyone’s cob that doesn’t fit 
Or I will stalk SmartPak and see if any returns show up. Whatever it takes!
My wide noseband cob came today. I THINK it is going to work. Will be trying it out in the morning. The funny thing is it looks horse size in crown and noseband, but the cheek pieces look short. Fingers crossed it fits the princess!
Am I the only one not extremely impressed with the leather quality? 
I mean maybe it’s just because it’s sitting right next to my Vespucci. :lol: Don’t get me wrong, for $75 I’m absolutely happy with it, but had I paid almost $300 for it, I may be inclined to return it.
Happy to take a full size off of any ones hands that is not working size wise…
Not to thread hijack BUT man did SmartPak screw me over this time. Did you know that even if you put in your credit card information, get a confirmation code, AND a confirmation email- if you have it shipped with your SmartPaks a few days later you’re not guaranteed your bridle!? AND no email canceling order, confirming not available, etc. Found this out after I was upset that my friend who ordered the same bridle (size, style, etc) AFTER me received hers today yet mine is “sold out”.
I had NO idea that this was a now or never type of situation. Even with my confirmation code, “my” bridle was sold because I wanted it shipped with my $200+ worth of Smartpaks and dog food that comes to my house every month not right away because it wasnt needed the next day.
Smartpak tried their best to fix the situation- but I’m still not satisfied. I bought the Wellfleet raised fancy stitched hunter bridle (at sale price), and they gave me a figure 8 caveson that (hopefully better) matches for a decent price (for more than the entire figure 8 bridle sale price). I still spend more on a bridle and a half then I would have for the two bridles. And have no rubber reins =(
Anyone have a horse or O/S figure 8 bridle that doesnt fit, let me know- it will make my day!
I’ve had that happen with Smartpak and it’s very aggravating. They least they could do is NOTIFY you rather than just make the order poof like it never happened.
So I work at a Dover store, and I can tell you that PROBABLY happens because with online sales your card doesn’t get charged until your package is assembled for shipment. So you ordering it is like going “oooh I want one of these if you still have one on monday”. They deal with orders as they need to be shipped so someone who ordered after you but will be shipped before you will receive their bridle like they were before you in line. I can’t justify their lack in customer service though, I agree that you should be notified that you may not get your allotment if you wait until your shipment day.
At Dover we don’t have any monthly shipments but if you order something after the end of day on Friday you will not be charged until Monday when your shipment is put together and sent out. Generally there is a running tally of how much and what we have so we never oversell and have an allotment issue but I can’t say it never happens. Usually if anyone is going to be snubbed on getting the last few of an item it is going to be us in the stores trying to order it for a customer over the weekend as I believe online and phone orders get priority. Anyway, hope that makes sense.
[QUOTE=yourcolorfuladdiction;7701569]
So I work at a Dover store, and I can tell you that PROBABLY happens because with online sales your card doesn’t get charged until your package is assembled for shipment. So you ordering it is like going “oooh I want one of these if you still have one on monday”. They deal with orders as they need to be shipped so someone who ordered after you but will be shipped before you will receive their bridle like they were before you in line. I can’t justify their lack in customer service though, I agree that you should be notified that you may not get your allotment if you wait until your shipment day.
At Dover we don’t have any monthly shipments but if you order something after the end of day on Friday you will not be charged until Monday when your shipment is put together and sent out. Generally there is a running tally of how much and what we have so we never oversell and have an allotment issue but I can’t say it never happens. Usually if anyone is going to be snubbed on getting the last few of an item it is going to be us in the stores trying to order it for a customer over the weekend as I believe online and phone orders get priority. Anyway, hope that makes sense.[/QUOTE]
Completely understand that now. But their warning is “seems like you have a closeout item in your cart, better checkout now because they go fast” not better ship now. They also should specify the “free shipping with your smartpaks on /”. Seems like as a LOYAL customer, I got the short end of the stick. I would have paid the $9 shipping if I had known- but I figured that fuels my Starbucks addiction so why bother if not needed.
I have no idea what will be showing up on my doorstep on Saturday. But I’m just disgruntled as my birthday present to myself didnt work out. =(
[QUOTE=luckeys71;7701399]
My wide noseband cob came today. I THINK it is going to work. Will be trying it out in the morning. The funny thing is it looks horse size in crown and noseband, but the cheek pieces look short. Fingers crossed it fits the princess![/QUOTE]
I ordered the same bridle,same size. How big is the browband?
[QUOTE=maddiehorse;7701593]
I ordered the same bridle,same size. How big is the browband?[/QUOTE]
It looks fairly “normal” sized. I will let you know how it fits tomorrow. I did notice on my quite old Dover bridle, the browband kind of stands out from my horse’s head. She is a 16.2+hh Oldenburg, but has a relatively small head for that size. Her mother’s head is significantly larger and still just a regular horse size.
The cob size browband measures 15.5". (I have basically all the measurements if anyone wants them).
Sizing on these really is a little wonky - the brow and crown seem to be more horse sized (bordering on oversize), the cheeks are definitely cob sized, and the noseband is pretty well cob-sized, as is the throat.
In other words, it should work pretty perfectly for my Franken-bridle-needing gelding! :lol: (His Edgewood is a horse crown, an off-size browband that is between horse and oversize, cob cheeks, and a horse noseband… but of course, even that actually needs modifications!) At any rate, I’m hoping the Nantucket dressage bridle I got will fit better than the Doebert I currently have for him.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7701538]
I’ve had that happen with Smartpak and it’s very aggravating. They least they could do is NOTIFY you rather than just make the order poof like it never happened.[/QUOTE]
I had the same thing happen when I ordered a pair of clearance breeches - I even ended up calling them when my order arrived to say “hey, where are my pants?” - they then told me they were sold out and my card had been refunded - but I agree, an email would be nice!
I just finished putting my bridle together and while I think the cheek pieces can be shortened enough to work, I’m not sure about the noseband. I’m also fairly sure the browband will be pretty loose, but that I can work with. I will try it on my boy this afternoon.
I will say that the leather on mine (double raised) feels like butter.
I have a cob-size large POA with a broad forehead, sounds like the Wellfleets might fit him well, if anyone has a cob that doesn’t work for them, I would be happy to buy! Or I have a Stubben monocrown that I would be willing to trade- brand new, bought at Rolex this year, soft and padded everywhere, love the bridle but the color is a little reddish which doesn’t look right with my pony.
It surprises me that anyone could NOT like the leather. It comes out of the bag pretty nice and then oils up perfectly. I love HK leatherwork!
[QUOTE=vxf111;7702647]
It surprises me that anyone could NOT like the leather. It comes out of the bag pretty nice and then oils up perfectly. I love HK leatherwork![/QUOTE]
Mine is surprisingly stiff coming out of the box, hopefully it will oil up nicely though.
[QUOTE=maddiehorse;7702680]
Mine is surprisingly stiff coming out of the box, hopefully it will oil up nicely though.[/QUOTE]
Mine aren’t. I’ve probably had every make/model that HK makes for Smartpak. I got the wide noseband bridle this go-round and it came out pretty nice. I always oil my tack before I really start using it, and of course it’s better post-oiling-- but I think these bridles come out really nice to start. Curious what brand you’ve seen start off NICER pre-oiling? I’ve had just about every brand out there in my hands at some point-- I don’t know too many I’d put above this quality and the few that i would are $600 price point bridles ;).
[QUOTE=vxf111;7702736]
Mine aren’t. I’ve probably had every make/model that HK makes for Smartpak. I got the wide noseband bridle this go-round and it came out pretty nice. I always oil my tack before I really start using it, and of course it’s better post-oiling-- but I think these bridles come out really nice to start. Curious what brand you’ve seen start off NICER pre-oiling? I’ve had just about every brand out there in my hands at some point-- I don’t know too many I’d put above this quality and the few that i would are $600 price point bridles ;).[/QUOTE]
Have you gotten a SmartPak bridle recently? I ordered one maybe 2 years ago and LOVED it. Ordered 3 in the past year and 2 of them are really not that great. The other 1 had decent leather but a horrible color. Took about 5 coats of oil to make it halfway decent and then it left marks on the grey horse.
I really, really like the original/first SmartPak bridle I got. The other 3, not so much.
[QUOTE=maddiehorse;7702680]
Mine is surprisingly stiff coming out of the box, hopefully it will oil up nicely though.[/QUOTE]
Mine is too. I oiled yesterday and used today and still quite stiff. Hoping with conditioning and cleaning/use, it gets softer.
[QUOTE=inca;7702751]
Have you gotten a SmartPak bridle recently? I ordered one maybe 2 years ago and LOVED it. Ordered 3 in the past year and 2 of them are really not that great. The other 1 had decent leather but a horrible color. Took about 5 coats of oil to make it halfway decent and then it left marks on the grey horse.
I really, really like the original/first SmartPak bridle I got. The other 3, not so much.[/QUOTE]
I noticed this too! I got the Harwich maybe 3 years ago and absolutely loved it, especially for the price. The Wellfleet I just got (which is on the higher end above the Harwich) just doesn’t seem like the same quality.
