Some of us in the equestrian world are lucky to have a horse that fits within the parameters of standard horse sizing – this means you could just pick up a bridle from the showroom and walk out. You might need to make a few minor adjustments, but overall, it fits well! Others however, aren’t quite so lucky. Maybe you have a small horse with cob or pony sized cheeks but a massive jowl that always requires a longer throatlatch. Or maybe you have a petite horse that needs a smaller browband and noseband, but longer cheeks. It can be an absolute pain to fall in love with a bridle, only to realize you need to spend additional money to replace a piece or several.
Luckily, there is an answer! And it isn’t limited to just horses with unique facial structures – any horse can benefit from a custom mix and match bridle. Schockemohle’s Select & Mix line of bridle pieces offers an array of options, from browbands to nosebands, there is a way to get a custom fit bridle at a reasonable price!
The browband is a simple, yet important part of the bridle. The first step in selecting a browband is to measure your horse from the back edge of it’s ear, around it’s forehead and to the back side of it’s other ear. Schockemohle browbands come in cob, horse and large horse sizes as well as in brown or black leather. If you want to add a little more bling, check out the Diamond Browband options in cob and horse!
Levels: The crown piece is an exceptional addition to this Select & Mix as it features soft padding and reduces pressure. The throat latch adjusts on both sides – which helps with that perfect custom fit! To measure the crown piece, you will need to take into account the cheek pieces, which also take into account the bit you use. To start, measure from the base of the ear, over the poll and to the bottom of the other ear. This is your first measurement. The second measurement will be from the corner of the horse’s mouth, all the way over the poll and down to the other side at the mouth. The final measurement is the throatlatch; start at the back of your horse’s ear, go under the throat and to the back of the other ear. These measurements will help you determine the right size to go with to accommodate both the cheek pieces as well as offer options for bit changes. Schockemohle crown pieces offer variety between cob, horse and large horse. Also available in black and brown leather.
Bridle Cheek Pieces
The cheek pieces come in cob, horse and large horse options to give wiggle room when selecting the other features of your bridle. It helps to know what bit you will be using so you can subtract the bit ring size from the measurement – however, we all know bits can change as a horse progresses in training. This is why measuring from the corner of the horse’s mouth to just level with the outside of their eye, will give you a starting point. From there, you can coordinate the crown piece, noseband and factor in the general size of the bit.
Stanton or Montreal Noseband
The Stanton Noseband is one of my favorites! Not only is the leather supple, its shaped in an anatomic design with slim, attractive flat cheeks. It gives a classy, quality turnout for your horse and offers black or brown leather to complete the overall look of the bridle. The Montreal is a great alternative if the Stanton is too much “bulk” for the shape of your horse’s face or you don’t want a flash. To measure the noseband, start two fingers below the cheekbone and wrap around to meet where you started – make sure you can fit two fingers under the tape, you do not want a super tight noseband! For the cheek hangers, measure from where you started the first measurement, to the outside of your horse’s eye. These measurements will help you in selecting cob, horse or large horse for the noseband.
Reins
Reins are the final part of making a bridle from scratch! While they are not a part of the Select & Mix lineup, Schockemohle does have a large variety of options. Choose between Neo Rubber with clips, Neo Web with clips, Durasoft with buckle ends or any of the other options offered at Big Dee’s!
- Cassie, Marketing Associate,
