[ellebeaux]

Can someone please explain this to me - what discipline is this commonly for?

Is it to demonstrate how clean one can keep their tack?

How does one clean it?

thanks?

[netg]

What kind of bridles?

Style, interest, it can be pretty.


I don't believe any discipline does something "to demonstrate how clean one can keep their tack" except perhaps for showmanship in hand.


It's very common on dressage bridles, though some people would say it's now out of style, and I say it depends if it's flattering on the horse or not.

[Beam Me Up]

The white padded dressage bridles? Those were popular in the 90s.

[RedmondDressage]

Yeah, I used to have one back in the day. Usually seen in dressage but not much anymore. Kinda passé these days

[jenm]

My old dressage bridle was black with white trim, and I liked the way it looked on my bay horse. (You can see it in the first picture in my signature line).

It was a nice bridle that I got from a tack store in Sweden. It was super easy to keep clean, I cleaned it the same way I clean all of my tack. The white was never a problem.

I really don't care about what tack is currently "in style". I just liked the way it looked on my mare. The only reason I switched is because I got a really nice $375.00 bridle for $100 at a a silent auction!

[JenEM]

Do you mean white padding, like on my dressage bridle here? I've only ever seen white padding on dressage bridles, but I've seen colored padding on bridles for jumpers/eventing as well as dressage.

I didn't set out to buy white padding; my mare has enough white on her face that it's unnecessary, but I loved the pearl browband and the bridle was on sale. Somehow I missed that it was white padded until it arrived at my door!

It doesn't get cleaned any differently than the leather on the rest of the bridle, other than being scrubbed a bit more thoroughly, as the dirt tends to show up a bit more on the underside. A spritz of Belvoir directly on the leather and letting it sit for a couple seconds while I wipe down some other part of it is usually all it takes.

[Angelico]

*Not tasteful on chestnut horses IMO*

[Superminion]

Do you mean white padding, like on my dressage bridle here? I've only ever seen white padding on dressage bridles, but I've seen colored padding on bridles for jumpers/eventing as well as dressage.

I didn't set out to buy white padding; my mare has enough white on her face that it's unnecessary, but I loved the pearl browband and the bridle was on sale. Somehow I missed that it was white padded until it arrived at my door!

It doesn't get cleaned any differently than the leather on the rest of the bridle, other than being scrubbed a bit more thoroughly, as the dirt tends to show up a bit more on the underside. A spritz of Belvoir directly on the leather and letting it sit for a couple seconds while I wipe down some other part of it is usually all it takes.

Doesn't listen to Angelico... That looks lovely!

[amm2cd]

I've only seen the white padding on dressage horses.
It looks best on those with *ahm* noble heads, as it tends to break up that long expanse of face

JenEM, your horse is adorable!

[BuddyRoo]

I have a lovely dressage headstall like that. Hand made, German. Way nicer than I deserve to have. (was a gift). Anyway, not hard to clean at all. It's still leather (at least mine is) so it gets the same treatment as the rest. Looked really sharp on my bay mare.

[ReSomething]

Just fashion. I have one and apart from needing a little boot blacking to touch up the black it's easy to clean. For all people talk about timeless and tradition we have plenty of fashion trends in the equine world.

[ellebeaux]

Ah! That explains it, I was riding reiners in the 90's. Totally missed this fad. I'm just starting to think about taking up dressage.

For some reason, I thought white nosebands went with Tennessee Walkers, but couldn't imagine why there were so many for sale.

JenEM - love your pic!

[SendenHorse]

Its now back in fashion in a lot of places for dressage. I would not hesitate to use one but I already have a horse with a LOT of white......I like them much better then bling browbands and patent leather.

Course I came into dressage around 1995 when they were first out, as were brown saddles, so I have a good nostalgia about them.

I had a silver lined bridle for my dark bay horse. I was going to use it for schooling, not sure if I would have pulled it out for recognized but it was very pretty. Not that flashy but enough.

[Alagirl]

I have a lovely dressage headstall like that. Hand made, German. Way nicer than I deserve to have. (was a gift). Anyway, not hard to clean at all. It's still leather (at least mine is) so it gets the same treatment as the rest. Looked really sharp on my bay mare.

Nah, you are worth it.

[sophie]

I had one, that I got as a wedding gift (!) in the 90ies. Not a "dressage" bridle per se tho. Made in France, very nice leather, easy to clean, looked great on my liver chestnut mare , and best of all, it was a "Tb" size and fit her great.

I'd use it on my current mare, but 1) she has a lot of white on her face and 2) I got her one with padded crown and nose band that I think is more comfy for her.

Otherwise I've always liked the look of it, whether it's "in style" or not.

[Wayside]

Its now back in fashion in a lot of places for dressage. I would not hesitate to use one but I already have a horse with a LOT of white......I like them much better then bling browbands and patent leather.

Course I came into dressage around 1995 when they were first out, as were brown saddles, so I have a good nostalgia about them.

I still have the brown bridle with white padding that I got in the 90's. And an old brown dressage saddle. Both of them are still in use. Generally if I need to replace an item, I'm somewhat willing to go with what's fashionable at the time, but if it's still in good working order, I won't replace it just for the sake of style. Heck, if I take good care of my stuff and wait long enough, it'll be fashionable again, even if it takes 20 years

[SaturdayNightLive]

*Not tasteful on chestnut horses IMO*

Well that was incredibly rude. Too bad they took away the thumbs down - this definitely qualifies as asshat behavior. Just IMO, of course.

[spaceagevalkyrie]

Totally threadjacking here, but does anyone have any tips for cleaning the white padding once its been left to get filthy? A barnmate gave me an old brown bridle with white padding and try as I might, the padding just won't come clean

[gaitedincali]

Totally threadjacking here, but does anyone have any tips for cleaning the white padding once its been left to get filthy? A barnmate gave me an old brown bridle with white padding and try as I might, the padding just won't come clean

The white is often painted leather. Repaint it.

http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/10144517-AA.shtml

[JenEM]

Thanks for those who had kind words for my mare. SHE quite obviously thinks she looks smashing in it, because she will admire herself in the arena mirrors when she wears it, which she doesn't do when wearing her plain old square-raised jumping bridle Much more important to keep the chestnut TB mares happy than the DQ stylistas!

As to the cleaning, of the white leather, as I mentioned in my post above, I've had the best luck spraying a good cleaner directly on the grime and letting it sit for a little bit. Belvoir does a pretty good job breaking down dirt if you apply directly and let it sit a few minutes--put it on and then clean your bit or whatever, then apply a bit of elbow grease.

The white padding is most definitely a fashion choice, and can be very complimentary to some heads.