I am going to be ordering a dark oil headstall to match my new saddle, and I am trying to decide which style I want to get…thicker, or thinner. This would be to show, clinic, and do lessons in.
Sydney in our thinner schooling headstall:
https://goo.gl/photos/8B3MY5bnNp4SDyFu9
https://goo.gl/photos/7vgUkUmmByyXkNyy5
And the thicker one we use to show:
https://goo.gl/photos/BQ5X1RMGhjJKvEXV9
https://goo.gl/photos/Vbt4wm1HRncbYVH17
Personally, I like the thicker one better. It “stands out” more.
Thicker one! It really compliments his face and looks so balanced. :yes::yes:
The thinner one is too thin for his face.
The thinner one. 
The straight line of the cheekpiece looks better IMO than the spreading-out one on the thicker bridle. The thinner one looks cleaner and complements Sydney’s bone structure better, and also complements the clean lines of your new saddle. It looks more feminine, too, for a mare. Not frou-frou, just cleaner lines.
The thinner one, the plain, squarish, thicker ones make a horse look less refined, more coarse.
If that was a tooled or other than plain, may have been ok.
Old timers would use thicker, plainer leather for broncs and the more refined and finished bridles for the finished horses.
I see everything out there today, a veritable hodge-podge of styles, so whatever you like best I expect will be fine anyway.
Well, my new saddle doesn’t have any tooling on it, so I hadn’t really considered tooling. They can do tooling. I opted out of it last time due to my other saddle also being sans tooling.
They do have another style that is somewhat in between the two I have now, try to picture it without the bling :lol::
https://goo.gl/photos/S96pYg7vDgdAamje8
I prefer the thinner one.
The thick one just swallows up her face.
Another thinner vote from me. Looks classically elegant on her face.
Off on a tangent, but I was taught to never use a one ear bridle with a snaffle bit. Am I the only one?
And add me to the “thinner” list.
[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8937271]
Off on a tangent, but I was taught to never use a one ear bridle with a snaffle bit. Am I the only one?
And add me to the “thinner” list.[/QUOTE]
I use one, but I have a curb strap on my snaffle also.
Thinner looks better. The thicker one makes her head look clunky.
Another vote for Neither.
In my opinion, a snaffle bit needs a browband headstall.
When you advance to a curb bit, a one ear type headstall is appropriate. When you use a leverage (curb) bit, engaging the curb action also rotates the bit purchase forward, effectively making the headstall tighter and therefore secure.
When you engage one or both reins on a snaffle bit, the bit rings (and cannons of the bit) move up the bars, more towards the horse’s cheeks, making the poll strap effectively looser. A browband and throatlatch will keep the headstall stable and secure for a snaffle bit.
That said, if there is nothing in your association rules prohibiting the one ear headstall…it’s your own choice.
[QUOTE=NoSuchPerson;8937271]
Off on a tangent, but I was taught to never use a one ear bridle with a snaffle bit. Am I the only one?
And add me to the “thinner” list.[/QUOTE]
You’re not the only one. I love the “less is more” look of a one-ear bridle, but some things I’ve read in recent years have me liking bridles with a throatlatch. I know dressage is not working cattle, but if that ear loop should get caught on something and pulled off … :eek: … my last one-ear bridle had a throatlatch (and a snaffle without a lip strap!)
Sorry, another vote for “browband”. I’ve seen too many one-eared headstalls come off snaffle and hackamore horses.
I agree with Bluey, and think that the thicker one is more in proportion with her head. She is a pretty girl, but not petite!
Pages full of all kinds of bridles to get ideas:
http://www.statelinetack.com/western-saddles-and-tack/western-headstalls-and-curb-chains/1125/
Some light oil, some darker, some fancy, others more plain, one eared or browband, wide, medium wide, narrow and round cheekpieces.
You name it, there are some of those there.
Well, this is timely. This article hit my Facebook news feed today.
What type of showing? I like the thinner, although actually I think the thicker in a darker oil might not contrast as much so might look nice? How’s that for helpful :lol: But I’m in agreement with those saying a snaffle and one ear is not a great choice and recommend looking for a style with a throat latch unless you are moving to a curb- spoken from the experience of someone who used a similar set-up until I had a mare get a little excited/ silly mid horsemanship pattern and I spent the rest of the maneuvers trying to decide if the bridle was hanging on enough to continue. Luckily the mare was pretty spur broke and being a pattern class we didn’t have to worry about traffic, but still not a fun feeling! (And of course older/wiser me realizes the smarter choice would have been to forfeit the class and fix it since the situation could have escalated quickly!)
Draftmare, what do you think of this?–
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/ciryplainhea.html#.WCvmptUrLnA
I don’t know if it comes in draft size; it does come in dark oil and other colors.
[QUOTE=gypsymare;8937590]
Well, this is timely. This article hit my Facebook news feed today.
Thanks! I also think it’s better to buy good quality and take good care of it. I wish the trends did not change so fast, but I know plenty of people who did not go ultra light a few years ago when that was the fad, which now has swung to black. They still have their saddles from before the ultra light years.
That happened to me too - I was showing a mare with a petite head and she did not like the weight of the silver on the ear loops.
[QUOTE=RPM;8937798]Draftmare, what do you think of this?–
http://www.horsesaddleshop.com/ciryplainhea.html#.WCvmptUrLnA
I don’t know if it comes in draft size; it does come in dark oil and other colors.[/QUOTE]
I personally like the chestnut color you linked. My favorite saddle is that color.
I have yet to find a western headstall with a browband or a throatlatch to fit her. She isn’t draft sized, she is warmblood sized, and warmblood sized headstalls don’t seem to be a thing. That is why I went with one ear and sliding ear headstalls. Plus, I don’t like the look of most browband headstalls on her, I feel like a browband has to be either a dutch drop, or just the right style and thickness to not make her forehead look super wide. We primarily arena ride, and I haven’t run into any situation where her headstall has been at risk of coming off. We only trail ride maybe once a year right now.
Here is the saddle I am trying to match: https://goo.gl/photos/xESwVy6X1znKwF549
Oh, and we show western dressage. I will ask my instructor about a curb strap. We have no plans to move to a curb bit. What purpose does it serve? Even before switching to western dressage I frequently rode her without a noseband without issue. She has never been a fan of having much of anything on her face. At least once a week I get to play “where did you lose your fly mask and halter this time around?!” in the pasutre.
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