How you can you be sure you have found the right bridle

 

Materials

The best leather for bridles is Sedgwick English leather.  Sedgwick has produced vegetable tanned leathers since it was foundws in 1900, and uses the highest quality hides from the UK and Ireland.  Meticulously hand-waxed and dyed by skilled curriers for a rich, uniform colour it holds its shape  well with very little stretch.



 Oiling leather loosens the fibres and causes the leather to stretch. Use leather balm instead.

Italian leather has a good finish and is soft but it is not as durable as English leather and it is more inclined to stretch.

 

Comfort and fit


Anatomical headpieces

Anatomical headpieces are designed to relieve pressure on the poll, ears  and the sensitive TNJ  area .To reduce pressure on the poll the headpiece is padded. To reduce pressure on the ears the headpiece us cut back and rests just behind the ear. The throatlash positions the cheek pieces away from the eye, and holds  the bridle behind the ears.


Plain headpiece

Traditional straight headpieces remain preferred in showing and breed classes. It is easier to attach a browband to a plain headpiece and they are easier to clean. Traditional plain leather designs cost significantly less than high-tech ergonomic or patented cutaway crowns.

 

The Noseband

Not only should the noseband fasten neatly around the nose , the noseband buckle cheek strap should not fasten too high. It should be in line with the horse’s eye. At English Bridles when we customise a bridle, we often find that a size bigger or smaller noseband doesn’t work, and we have to shorten or lengthen  the cheek straps.


Firstly, choose the width of noseband that your horse can carry. If the horse has a short distance between the cheekbone and the mouth, a wide noseband will be uncomfortable for the horse.

If your horse evades the bit a grackle or a  flash bridle will be best. English Bridles has detachable flashes, in a range of sizes, and these are great for schooling.



The Browband

Ensure it sits comfortably just below the base of the ears, allows about one finger's width of slack under the front, and does not pinch the sides of the head.


The Cheekpieces.

To check the fit of the cheekpieces on a bridle, ensure the buckles align level with the corner of the horse's eye,  and the bit creates one to two gentle wrinkles at the corners of the mouth.

Style and performance