Bridles: Stubben? Sabre? Jeffries?

[Stella2]

I'm thinking of buying a really nice new bridle. The Stubben 1000 has taken my eye, partly because it comes in chocolate brown which looks a better match than Havana for my brown Bates Caprilli Saddle.

Any suggestions/reviews will be gratefully received

[Stella2]

Oh, and what is a 'Waymouth bridle'?

[nat17]

Stella2, I have a passion for Sabre.! Love their leather. I have a havana one for Podge, its lovely. It cost £125.00 but is well worth it.

[Bebe]

I've got a Sabre bridle too, I love it. Mine only cost £40 but I bought it in individual pieces as Bebe is an awkward fit and I don't have a noseband for it either.

Stubben bridles are nice but not really to my taste. Jeffries are gorgeous though.

[Wally]

A Weymouth is a double bridle.

I think you are paying well over the odds for a Stübben, If thier saddles are anything to go by all you are paying for is a name.

Sabre and Jeffries are expensive but very good quality indeed. Remember that bridle leather will darken much faster than saddle leather so that Chocolate brown will soon become dark havanna in no time. I made a Newmarket bridle once (newmarket is slighly darker than London tan, London tan is that old fashioned yellow leather) About 5 years down the line with use every day and cleaning it looks like dark havanna.

[diplomaticandtactful]

I have a 9 yo Stubben bridle in chocolate and it is still going strong - the only thing that needed replacing are the reins as the rubber went after a while.

The only problem I have is that often bridles are only offered with a flash noseband (not wanted) and I just want a plain noseband.

You can often get them on Ebay and our local shop, Bizzie Lizzie, stocks them, and you might get them on sale now. They are easy to come by. Seems a nice quality bridle - Sabre is as well.

[Lucy J]

i like my jeffries bridle but it is a bit fine for my horse, although i imagine you can get it in wider fittings,

a horse on my yard has got a new stubben bridle and it is gorgeous, my dentist told me (after commenting on the not so good fit of my cheap bridle (not my jeffries one!) that bridles are all too often overlooked and can cause the horse a lot of discomfort if they are not an exact fit or if the leather is not soft enough and she believes it is really worthwhile investing in a really good bridle!

[katieB]

I love that Stubben 1000 bridle! Unfortunately I couldnt afford it so I ended up getting a Lemetex one but im really pleased with that

[Stella2]

Thank you all for commenting, its really helpful. The Stubben 1000 comes in flash or cavasson versions, I'm after a cavasson, thats one reason I'm attracted to it.

Wally - I've read about your experience of Stubben saddles and that is bad, that they seem not to be well made where you can't see. I had second thoughts about the bridle, because I'd read your experiences, but then I thought they can't hide anything much on a bridle. I don't like to encourage a company who has taken short cuts, but I like the bridle, they do it in a cavasson, I like the colour - I know you are right about the colour - I'm trying to disattend to that info whilst I bask in the pleasure of it matching it up beautifully at 1st

Oh and thanks for educating me about the Waymouth.

[Tootsie4U]

I've only had it for two years, but I love my Courbette Lemetex bridle.

[anuvb]

I had a stubben bridle and found it soon became pretty poor and shabby looking even though it was cleaned after every ride, which I inherited in good nick from a friend. I have to say that I completely agree with Wally on this one. You pay well over the odds for Stubben and don't get much in return. I haven't bothered with them since, after having found the saddles over priced too. I tend to go and buy what I like the look of rather just go for a particular make. Really good quality workmanship is obvious if you look closley enough. Good leather quality Leather feels good to touch and handle and the stitching is perfect.

[clepper]

Sabre and Stuben bridles are both great! i have just bought another sabre bridle (different size to other horse) to show in and i'm so excited to prance around in it! (how sad) i love it!And I ride a horse in a stuben bridle which he's had for 13 years and with regular cleaning it looks as good as new!

Clepper ~x~

[L J M]

I always go for either Jeffries or Sabre - they are the best quality at a reasonable price (they last for years).

The older stubben bridles are often still in great shape, however i have found that new ones don't bear up well to use - not to mention i think the leather is very unyielding - therefore making it difficult to get soft and supple and less likely to crack.

I also own a new Kieffer bridle which i am very pleased with - a genuine one - not a copy and it is excellent quality.

Amerigo and Appaloosa-Prestige are good makes aswell, although with these you do pay more for quality AND a name, Lemetex is also a good make.

However - i will always stand by Jeffries stuff - lasts forever and the quality speaks for itself!!

Incidentally - the Kincade bargain price stuff is deceptively good - i have a 4 year old bridle that is actually very good quality - whether they are still like that or not is another matter!!

[Kanuma]

i have a jefferies bridle and i love it it is beautiful!
lucy j you can get wider ones! i have a custom built one (i got to pick the size of every bit of it! as our saddler doesnt seel them as entire he fits them to the horse! i have a full browband, noseband and cheak peices and cb everything else! it is a double!) cost nearly £150 but is well worth it still looks wonderful and it is cleaned every day, riddenin twice a day, shown in at all levels and more! i went for jefferies after i had several bridles (including a sabre fall apart on me! ive only had one other bridle that has stood up to this work and it was an english leather pony bridle that i bought from alsager saddlery it has no mark on it or any thing but it look like a good bridle and it was!!!
The sabre showpony bridle is very fine and i dont use it for mor than showing and i looked at their heavier one but they havnt got the proportions right and it looks ugly even just hanging up!!!

[GingerLily]

With Stubben you do seem to be paying very much for the name, and the fact that they sell in Harrods does nothing to increase my liking for them! Although I do like the Stubben leather headcollar... Experience with Stubben bridles at the yard is that they break (cleanly but a little too easily) but could just be that the horses at my yard are a little demented and like destroying bridles!
Personally I don't like Sabre either, had a bridle that broke and the noseband was a bit odd...the headpiece on the noseband eventually had a few stitches left on the corners of the leather holding it on to the wide band piece!
I have an old black and brown bridle which looks about 50 years old but is tough as old boots! And my show bridle is an Olympian one, got it from the local saddler, very good, shines up really nicely too!
RachelB

[Stella2]

Okay, taking account of the views here suggests maybe I should have gone with Jeffries, but I couldn't find one with the cavasson noseband and the dimensions of the Stubben 1000, so I've decided to take my chances on it. The leather feels really good and it looks very well made. fingers crossed the quality really is there !

I'll come back with a review if it breaks!