schooling bridles

[FuManSlew]

Okay too many horses and not enough bridles. Looking to add some everday bridles so each horse has his own and I'm not swapping out bits. Any recommendations on a decent bridle without breaking the bank.

Thanks!

[*Liz*]

Suffolk makes awesome schooling bridles for about $35 including reins, available with or without a flash. The leather is actually pretty decent and holds up well for the low price and they're perfect for everyday schooling.

[cute_lil_fancy_pants_pony]

I like Delfina bridles (www.delfinasaddlery.com) , they are super nice quality and normally expensive, but the store clears out their inventory often on ebay. So search Delfina bridle on ebay and you can find a hell of a deal.

[JumpWithPanache]

I second the Suffolk bridle. For the money you can't really beat it, and ti's cheap enough to mix and match parts if horses have funky shaped heads (like mine). Smartpak has their new line around the $50 price point, haven't tried that yet, but there's a long thread about them. Crown had good bridles when I bought a few several years ago. They are around the $100 mark with thick supple leather; they look much more expensive than they actually are.

[SarahandSam]

I third the Suffolk... pretty darn decent for the price. I also was one who bought two and switched out parts to fit my QH... broke in nicely.

[Riley0522]

I fourth the Suffolk. Just cleaned up my 3 year-old bridle last night for the...second time ever, looks good as new. It gets used 4-5 days a week, too.

[trinityhill]

Well this saves me a thread... I was just looking for some really inexpensive bridles for my schoolies so I dont have to cry everytime I see my favorite Vespuccis being dragged across the ground by the munchkins anymore :eek:, but that would still hold up to use, and was just going to ask how everyone liked the Suffolks for every day bridles... but seems like some good news on those! :)

[forestergirl99]

I have an HDR Event bridle, and it was around $110. I also have a Crown dressage bridle, and it's really nice too. Got it on sale for about $80. Both bridles are very high quality.

[SkipChange]

No experience with Suffolk but have always wanted to get one as an everyday bridle.

If you're going to go in the $100 range I would suggest Collegiate over Crown, I have owned both and I think the collegiate looks a lot nicer. The stitching on my Crown did not hold up after a few years--particularly on the cheek pieces...which is a bit frightening and became a safety issue. My Collegiate is in its 6th year of (ab)use and still looks amazing.

[chawley]

I have a Bobby bridle for schooling, and I really like it. The quality is very good and the leather is nice for a bridle priced under $150. A couple people in the barn have Ovation bridles for schooling and have been very happy w/ them.

[findeight]

Got an HDR for just under 100. It is not stylish, has a big old fashioned flat noseband and came in a dreadful orange color that bled. Had to soak and strip it and reoil but that was no biggie.

About 6 years old now...one of the assistant trainers bought several like it for her personal horses. They are all lasting well. Also not something anybody would "borrow" either. Not ugly, exactly, but not the fancy and fashionable stitched and raised/rolled either.

Wearing well, not too much stretch and has mellowed color wise to a nice nut brown. Nice and soft too.

[forestergirl99]

Got an HDR for just under 100. It is not stylish, has a big old fashioned flat noseband and came in a dreadful orange color that bled. Had to soak and strip it and reoil but that was no biggie.

About 6 years old now...one of the assistant trainers bought several like it for her personal horses. They are all lasting well. Also not something anybody would "borrow" either. Not ugly, exactly, but not the fancy and fashionable stitched and raised/rolled either.

Wearing well, not too much stretch and has mellowed color wise to a nice nut brown. Nice and soft too.

This person must have gotten a faulty one. I have had mine for almost 2 years, and it is holding up really nicely. No stitching problems, cracking, bleeding, etc. I don't take good care of it either.:uhoh: It gets a good cleaning.....i don't even know. haha. It gets wiped off with a damp towel after most rides, and that's it. The color is a deep chocolate brown. It also looks really nice on my horse, pretty plain, but I still like how it looks.

http://www.crazyhorsetack.com/hdrevbrflweb.html

[billiebob]

I got my Gatsby bridle on Ebay for $16 and I love it. I've had it about a year, used it 4-5 times a week, clean it MAYBE once a month (probably less) and it still looks pretty good. See?

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=6811690&id=751565037&ref=nf#/photo.php?pid=6811688&id=751565037

The Suffolk bridles are pretty nice for the money, too.

[tBHj]

I have a Vespucci jumper bridle w/flash attachment for schooling. I paid around $200 for it. It has a padded single crown & buckles for the bit so it's easy to swap bits, and clean.

HDR's are great for what they cost. I find they usually get better with wear as where some other brands in the same price point break down with wear.

[Wizard of Oz's]

I bought a used HDR from another rider at my barn and I really like it for a schooling bridle. I also like the Suffolk ones, but if you never clean it, no matter what brand, it will dry rot;)

[savvy9]

Bobby's Bridles are really nice looking and reasonably priced!