If you’re in the market for a new bridle for your horse, you’ve come to the right place. A bridle is an essential part of your horse’s tack, because it is a key line of communication between you and your horse. So ensuring it fits well is crucial — a poor-fitting bridle will put pressure on sensitive facial areas and can affect the way a horse moves and behaves.
Buying an off-the-peg bridle is the option for most and this brings some potential limitations on fit, as all horses are unique in their head shape — and many aren’t symmetrical. These factors all add to the potential issues of getting a good and comfortable fit.
Horse bridles: how we tested them
Your Horse’s testers used a selection of off-the-peg bridles over three months and assessed them for fit, performance and value for money. Each bridle review its broken down into each of these areas, to help you work out whether it might suit you and your horse before you buy. They have been awarded a mark out of five for each area too. Unless stated otherwise, the bridles in this test have been used on three horses: two Thoroughbreds and a Warmblood.
Felix Bühler Bridle Anatomical Vision Space
Total score: 14.5 JOINT BEST IN TEST!
Felix Bühler Bridle Anatomical Vision Space
How does it fit?
This bridle fits nicely with plenty of adjustment. It’s a little different from other bridles as the height of the noseband is adjusted at the top of the headpiece. The bit is fitted on to straps that hang off the noseband and cut-back cheekpiece, and there’s no throatlash, which took a bit of getting used to. It took time for the noseband to mould to the shape of the horse. The wide, shaped and padded headpiece fits well around the ears. 4.5 stars
Performance?
All three horses that wore this bridle went well in it. Two of our test horses seemed happier and accepted the contact better in this bridle than in their usual one. All the adjustment options, including buckles, are set away from the horse’s face and sensitive areas, especially the headpiece buckles. All areas in contact with the horse’s face are well padded. The leather is good quality and cleans up nicely. 5 stars
Value for money?
I think this is a lovely bridle which is sold at an excellent price. 5 stars
RRP £99.90 Colours: Black or brown Sizes: Cob or full
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Cathedral Equine Ludford Snaffle Bridle
Total score: 14.5 JOINT BEST IN TEST!
Cathedral Equine Ludford Snaffle Bridle
How does it fit?
A great-fitting bridle with plenty of adjustment, it fitted all of our three test horses nicely. The headpiece is nicely shaped so that it fits neatly around the back of your horse’s ears. It’s also padded for additional comfort. The browband is a good size and slightly shaped too. 5 stars
Performance?
This bridle is definitely eye-catching, with a clear crystal browband and a crocodile and patent noseband. It looks really nice on the horse. It did take a few wears for the noseband to mould. I’m not the biggest fan of webbing reins but I think I’m converted. I really like these; they are easy to hold and give good grip too. The bridle cleans up well apart from the leather on the back of the browband, which is a little rough and grease is tricky to remove. 4.5 stars
Value for money?
If you like bling you won’t go wrong with this bridle. Surprised by the price — thought it would be more expensive. 5 stars
RRP £108.99 (including webbed reins) Colour: Black Sizes: Pony, cob, full, x-full
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Luxe of London Badminton Anatomical Flat Double Bridle
Luxe of London Badminton Anatomical Flat Double Bridle
Total score: 14
How does it fit?
This bridle fits beautifully — there’s plenty of adjustment so you can get the best possible fit for each individual horse. The headpiece and noseband are reinforced with a Luxesorb gel that moulds to your horse’s head shape. 5 stars
Performance?
The leather is so soft — no breaking in or moulding required. It sits nicely on all the horses that wore it. The crystal browband and patent noseband are a smart combination. Only two of our test horses work in a double bridle; both seemed comfortable and worked well in this bridle. It takes little cleaning — a quick wipe over and the grease is gone and it looks great. It also arrives in a lovely presentation box. 5 stars
Value for money?
There’s no doubt that this is a quality bridle with features that are designed to add comfort. All this comes at a price. It’s expensive, but if you’re looking for a quality double bridle, you won’t go wrong with this one. 4 stars
Colours: Black or London tan. Sizes: Pony, cob, full, x-full
RRP £395 (US$495) Reins sold separately: £140.40 (US$155) when bought with bridle.
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here
Collegiate Comfort Crown Padded Raised Flash Bridle
Total score: 13.5
Collegiate Comfort Crown Padded Raised Flash Bridle
How does it fit?
This is a good fit and true to size. There’s enough adjustment lengthwise although the height of the noseband is adjustable on only one side. Also, the noseband fastening was a little short for my horse — I could only get it onto the second hole. The browband is a good size and doesn’t pull the headpiece forward onto the horse’s ears. The throatlash is a generous length and is only adjustable on one side – it proved long on the two Thoroughbred testers. 4 stars
Performance?
A smart looking bridle that didn’t take long to soften and mould to the horse’s head shape. It cleans up well. The horses that tested this bridle all went well in it with no signs of discomfort or resistance whether hacking out or schooling. It’s nicely padded on the headpiece and the rubber reins are good quality and are comfortable to use. 5 stars
Value for money?
Good value for a smart quality bridle. 4.5 stars
Colours: Black or brown Sizes: Pony, cob, full, Warmblood
RRP £116.99 (US$129.95) Price includes rubber reins
Buying in the UK? Purchase here
Buying in the USA? Purchase here Europe? RRP €150 (including rubber reins) Purchase here
Equipe Emporio Raised Flash Bridle
Total score: 13.5
Equipe Emporio Raised Flash Bridle
How does it fit?
This bridle is true to size and fitted each test horse well. The leather is soft and supple, so it moulds instantly to the horse. There’s plenty of adjustment so a full-size bridle like the one tested fits a variety of different horses. 5 stars
Performance?
There are no standout special features on this bridle — it’s a classic style. The noseband and browband are well padded but not too bulky, which looked good especially on a lighter framed horse. There is no padding to the headpiece and the noseband strap passes under the headpiece — again a more traditional style, but the headpiece sits neatly over the top of the horse’s head. All three horses who wore this bridle appeared to be happy wearing it — no signs of resistance. The leather is excellent quality and easy to keep clean — it still looks like new. 4.5 stars
Value for money?
Good value for a classic, quality bridle, but it doesn’t come with reins. 4 stars
Colours: Black, brown, Newmarket, red brown. Sizes: Pony, cob, full
RRP £95 (US$120.58) Buying in the UK? Purchase here
What to look for when buying a horse bridle
- Material: do you want a leather horse bridle, or might you prefer one that is synthetic?
- Colour: leather typically comes in brown or black. Synthetic colour choices are vast.
- Price: know what your budget is and search according. The bridles for less than £100, and many that go way above this.
- Changeability: when buying a horse bridle off the peg, you might find your horse needs to wear a mix of two sizes. So make sure the straps can be swapped — the noseband and cheekpieces, for example. Or maybe you want to change a plain leather browband for one with a bit more bling.
- Size: measure your horse’s head so that you know how long the cheekpieces, noseband and brownband needs to be for a comfortable fit.
My first pony, Prudence, was a New Forest with a wide head. She fitted a cob-size bridle, but with a full size noseband. As an adult I’ve mostly owned ex-racehorses, and several have worn a full size bridle with a cob-sized noseband, because their heads are narrow. Bee, who measured 16.1hh but had a short head, wore a full size horse bridle with cob-size cheekpieces.
