I used to ride my old horse in a continental 3 ring fench link snaffle (phew). On snaffle ring for round the farm and moved down a ring when I needed confidence that I would be able to stop! Used plain rains with sticky gloves. Bog standard bridle with nose band (purely for cosmetic reasons).
bits and bridles! What do you use?
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Ordinary bridle with cavasson noseband with a hanging cheek french link snaffle (hanging cheek as just gives a little more poll action than a plain snaffle, french link as gives more flexibility on fat cob tongues)
French link snaffle, change to french link as I think the eggbut action was irritating Ruby. Rubber reins that I love because where the rubber ends and the leather begins is the perfect hand position for Ruby and ensures I have an even hand. Standard bridle (with ruby studded browband I hasten to add!!) No flash or martingale, we're a bit boring lol. Interesting to how different peices of tack affect/improve performance.
Plain hunter bridle with cavesson noseband.
Loose ring french link snaffle.
Half rubber reins.
No martingale, flash etc.
When We were showing she went in a double bridle with loose ring french link and plaited reins.
Loose ring french link snaffle.
Half rubber reins.
No martingale, flash etc.
When We were showing she went in a double bridle with loose ring french link and plaited reins.
Y
Yann
Guest
Plain cavesson bridle with KK ultra loose ring french link for schooling, Dr Cook bitless for all other riding for Tess. Same bridle and bit for Rio when she was in regular work.
Good question! All sorts depending what for... I could open a bit shop!!! 
Slow hack: hanging cheek snaffle.
Fast hack: pelham. breastplate. (double reins)
Schooling: Pelham/double depending what working on. (double reins)
Jumping: Myler bit plus breastplate to stop saddle slips if any - you never know!
All in plain bridle, no flash, no martingale.
I change because I think it's good to teach horse to carry own head rather than rely on me or the tack. He used to lean terribly!!
Either that or I like to spend money!!
Slow hack: hanging cheek snaffle.
Fast hack: pelham. breastplate. (double reins)
Schooling: Pelham/double depending what working on. (double reins)
Jumping: Myler bit plus breastplate to stop saddle slips if any - you never know!
All in plain bridle, no flash, no martingale.
I change because I think it's good to teach horse to carry own head rather than rely on me or the tack. He used to lean terribly!!
Either that or I like to spend money!!
Hunter bridle and flashy new browband. I figure he has such a huge head that only a hunter looks decent on him. Plain snaffle at all times. Am horrified at the lack of photos, people!
My boy's in a loose ring snaffle, no noseband, and dreasage reins, slim but with grip i like them! Not got a nose band for 2 reasons 1) He doesn't need it atm (might change down the line) 2) I hate cleaning tack. Not sure which is my main reason. Used to love cleaning tack untill i started working at a riding school that insist all tack is cleaned every week! 20 saddles a week turned me into a tack cleaning hater!
Hunter bridle and flashy new browband. I figure he has such a huge head that only a hunter looks decent on him. Plain snaffle at all times. Am horrified at the lack of photos, people!
Is that a KV browband? I just got one like it in the post yesterday but haven't got it on yet. Yours looks great.
I ride in a KV bridle with padded and cut back headpiece (he's prone to rubs at the back of his ears!) with a normal wide cavesson noseband and a french link small ring snaffle, oh and a breastplate with running martingage attatchment. Thats for showing/hacking/schooling etc.
I also ride (most of the time at the moment) in a rope halter with rope reins (sometimes one, sometimes two) with no martingale.
Thats for Harvey ^
Piccolo's riding attire is -
normal pony bridle with no noseband (has a pony sized head but a bigger then pony sized noseband requirement even though only 11.3hh???) Has a french link small ring snaffle bit.
I also ride (most of the time at the moment) in a rope halter with rope reins (sometimes one, sometimes two) with no martingale.
Thats for Harvey ^
Piccolo's riding attire is -
normal pony bridle with no noseband (has a pony sized head but a bigger then pony sized noseband requirement even though only 11.3hh???) Has a french link small ring snaffle bit.
It is! I got one for everyday and one for his show bridle. Think she's taking over the world-we won't need tack shops soon! I like that it lies right where his line of black starts, evens it out cos his colour slants a bit!
my my a lot of us ride in french links!!
I ride in a normal cavesson bridle with a full cheek french link snaffle (he is a different horse in the full cheek) with half leather/rubber reins.
No flash/martingale
I have a sneaking suspicion that when he is a bit more grown up and we're both a bit more adventurous that we may need to investigate in something which gives us a bit more breaks as we have had a couple of occasions out in the fields having a bit of a canter when breaking did not seem likely!
I ride in a normal cavesson bridle with a full cheek french link snaffle (he is a different horse in the full cheek) with half leather/rubber reins.
No flash/martingale
I have a sneaking suspicion that when he is a bit more grown up and we're both a bit more adventurous that we may need to investigate in something which gives us a bit more breaks as we have had a couple of occasions out in the fields having a bit of a canter when breaking did not seem likely!
Rosie is predominantly in a NS cartwheel lozenge snaffle thing, but will swap round every now and again with a myler L2 snaffle - both are with a plain cavesson. When hacking we are in a myler short shank combination bit so that we can actually stop at the end of the field, rahter than the next county
Nugz is currently in a rubber mullen snaffle as he is teething at the moment and so is chewing on everything. He will be going into a fulmer (with t he bit keepers!) with a drop soon, but haven't decided which mouth piece to start with as so far he's not really shown a preference other than not a myler!!!
Neither are in/will be in a martingale, and I have a grackle for R that I put on every now and again if I feel it's necessary. R has a double bridle for showing, which has a loosering single joint bridoon and a shallow port mullen curb...
As for needing the standing martingale - there is a strong chance that the head is being thrown up becasue of the bit, so theoretically you're correcting a correction (the gag is to slow up, but the standing is to stop the head coming up...).
Nugz is currently in a rubber mullen snaffle as he is teething at the moment and so is chewing on everything. He will be going into a fulmer (with t he bit keepers!) with a drop soon, but haven't decided which mouth piece to start with as so far he's not really shown a preference other than not a myler!!!
Neither are in/will be in a martingale, and I have a grackle for R that I put on every now and again if I feel it's necessary. R has a double bridle for showing, which has a loosering single joint bridoon and a shallow port mullen curb...
As for needing the standing martingale - there is a strong chance that the head is being thrown up becasue of the bit, so theoretically you're correcting a correction (the gag is to slow up, but the standing is to stop the head coming up...).
Kis Vihar
Nutty Saddlers !
Paul rides his mare in her bridle he made, which has a raised noseband with flash (only horse we have who loves her flash noseband!) and a browband containing a real gold chain. (That's a one-off! ) If you look closely, there are no buckle holes in her bridle except in the exact place that everything buckles. She has a sweet-iron full cheek snaffle.
Kicsi has a bridle which Paul made for me, from my favourite true havana colour (almost burgundy) leather. Her browband contains Paul's grandmother's pearls. She has a 'lozenge' cyprium loose-ring snaffle at the moment, but as her schooling progresses, she might end up with a change of bit - I've tried a French-link hanging cheek snaffle a couple of times, which she liked - seemed to help her get into a better 'shape' too.
Fella and Dora both have simple English bridles which they have had for years. (We didn't make them!) but I tend to hack them both in a NH halter and rope. If they are bitted, Fella has a port-mouth pelham and double reins for anything 'exciting' (he's psychotic!) or a french-link loose-ring snaffle for dressage/schooling. Dora has a happy-mouth straight snaffle for dressage.
) If you look closely, there are no buckle holes in her bridle except in the exact place that everything buckles. She has a sweet-iron full cheek snaffle.
Kicsi has a bridle which Paul made for me, from my favourite true havana colour (almost burgundy) leather. Her browband contains Paul's grandmother's pearls.
She has a 'lozenge' cyprium loose-ring snaffle at the moment, but as her schooling progresses, she might end up with a change of bit - I've tried a French-link hanging cheek snaffle a couple of times, which she liked - seemed to help her get into a better 'shape' too.
Fella and Dora both have simple English bridles which they have had for years. (We didn't make them!) but I tend to hack them both in a NH halter and rope.
If they are bitted, Fella has a port-mouth pelham and double reins for anything 'exciting' (he's psychotic!) or a french-link loose-ring snaffle for dressage/schooling. Dora has a happy-mouth straight snaffle for dressage. 
2 of mine are in standard bridles, no flash and no martingale, Spring has a hanging cheek frenchlink and Shakira has a happy mouth snaffle with the little centre piece. I do try to keep things as simple as possible and not a fan of gadgets. Luckily both mares are not strong so it doesn't matter what reins I use on them. one has rubber reins that came with the bridle, the other I use dressage reins.
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