I need a hunter bridle for my mare who runs a bit between cob and full size. These brands seem to be comparable as far as price and quality but I haven’t seen them in person.
Which line would you pick out of the three, and are there any reasons to avoid any of them? Thanks y’all.
Aramas then Red Barn then Bobbys
All are fine choices. Red Barn and Bobby’s look and feel like $300 bridles, which is perfectly fine. But Aramas looks and feels like a $500 bridle for the same price point. I also don’t think Bobby’s has a wide noseband hunter bridle if that’s the style you’re looking for.
I agree entirely.
I have an Aramas and a Bobby’s. The Aramas is hands down the nicer bridle.
Aramas by a longshot. Then KL Select (not Red Barn, that’s really junky and I would not bother with it), then Bobby’s (if the higher end line, if not I would not bother).
Aramas all the way. I believe it’s by far the best quality out of the three. It’s extremely nice for the price point, as is almost any Harmohn Kraft product (they also have a nice line called Americana).
With Bobby’s, it depends on the line (they have at least a couple, with their Signature Series being the highest end IIRC). The higher end stuff is decent (I have a couple of older pieces and I would compare it to the older Miller’s Collegiate strap goods from the '90s or so if you’re familiar with those; nothing too fancy, but solid and do the job), but not as nice as Aramas, and the lower end stuff is your typical economy type bridlework.
I haven’t been incredibly impressed with most of what I’ve seen of anything KL Select, but specifically Red Barn. It seems to have a plasticky, painted on finish to me, and I’ve seen a few that seem to wrinkle and look cheap after some use. Just not my cup of tea. As far as KL Select in general, I’ve just found other options in or around that price point I personally like better.
I have a Red Barn bridle that I use as my every day schooling bridle. Just as Equestrian24 said, the leather is plasticky. I kept hoping this weird finish would eventually wear off but no. And the leather on the throat latch is indeed wrinkling. From a distance, the bridle looks decent, but I would never buy one again and I certainly don’t recommend it.
Thank you everyone - seems like there is a consensus, and it’s Aramas all the way!
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