I have a problem, and only you crazy tack people can help me out. This is your moment to shine...
The issue: A few months ago, my new double bridle arrived:
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| New leather! Is there anything better? |
It's a Bobby's monocrown (this is important), and despite being on stupid clearance, must be one of the best quality Bobby's I've ever seen. The leather is buttery and soft, already feeling broken in. It smells divine, and I can't take my hands off of it.
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| Seriously. It's beautiful. |
Just one problem...
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| See it? |
Yeah. The noseband is massive. It's a 2" noseband, and when I was ordering the bridle I thought, "Huh. That noseband is probably going to be ridiculously large on my cob-sized TB. Oh well, I can just buy a replacement noseband and sell that one. People snap up wide nosebands like crazy on TackTrader."
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| It's a good thing it's pretty, or it'd have gone back ... a 3rd time. |
And that's exactly what I would've done... if the bridle hadn't ended up being a monocrown.
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| Maybe it's not so bad from the front? |
In an effort to just try to make the whole thing work, I put it on Guinness and went for a few rides. I tried to convince myself that he looks good with his face completely overwhelmed by noseband. I tried to tell myself that "it fills in the space before his very slightly Romany schnoz." Telling myself these things didn't work, unfortunately. I am unable to keep myself from seeing the truth...
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| The truth? The truth is this thing is so damn big, I'm reasonably certain it was made for elephants. |
I don't like the noseband in the slightest. Besides looking ridiculous, it actually interferes with the way the top shank of my curb lays, and interferes with my bradoon. The cheekpieces have to flair out so much to allow room for it that the whole bridle just doesn't work properly. This is really sad, because everything else about this whole set up is perfection, and Pig actually goes really well in it.
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| These bits. So much love. Large, looming, noseband? Not so much. |
So, my beloved tack hoarding (sorry!
collecting!) friends, I ask you:
Where? How? Do you have? Can I find? ...a monocrown noseband that is more appropriate?
Seriously. I need help.
I have this SAME. EXACT. ISSUE. I actually wrote an entire post dedicated to stupidly large nosebands and am constantly on the lookout for a more refined, delicately made double for my 15 hand Quarter-Almost-Pony.
ReplyDeleteBobby's actually makes one with a very normal sized noseband, but it doesn't have the lovely monocrown features...
DeleteHmmm have you tried contacting Bobby's? When I ordered my snaffle from them, they completely customized it for me. I wanted a noseband with NO FLASH which is IMPOSSIBLE to find on a monocrown. Bobby's did it for me, though :). And they were the only ones, so I would try contacting them!!
ReplyDeleteGood to know!
DeleteYeah, I'd bet Bobby's has an interchangeable noseband you can buy instead. It's not impossible to replace those, it's just a little harder.
ReplyDeleteA little harder?! ;)
Deleteaww what a bummer! i'd echo what the others said about contacting Bobby's... hopefully they can work something out bc aside from that noseband the bridle is lovely!
ReplyDeleteI do sort of drool every time I see the thing... :)
DeleteHATE overly wide padded nonsense bridles. I am sorry, seriously Tack creators are against the refined face horse :(
ReplyDeleteHave you tried JustBridles.com?
They're closed. :-(
DeleteAnd it's so sad!
DeleteContact Bobby's for sure, and if they can't help you, contact Nunn Finer. They were SUPER helpful a few weeks ago when I was hunting down some unusual leather good for a customer. They were willing to make something custom without a lot of extra cost and without any kind of minimum order. I'll keep an eye out with some of the European tack manufacturers for you!
ReplyDeletePlease do keep an eye out! This is probably not something I'm going to get replaced quickly, unless something magical comes along. Question: ever heard of Flexible Fit bridles?
DeleteThere is a place in Ontario that can make one for you, FInchams. Stunning work!
ReplyDeleteGood to know! Thanks! :)
DeleteZipping up my flame suit here... I kind of like it on him. That doesn't really solve your problem though. But I do hear that Bobby's is great so I second calling them.
ReplyDeleteHaha, no worries! I won't be flaming back! :) I tried to like it, but it just overwhelms his face. This coming from a girl who doesn't even mind a drop noseband!
DeleteI think it looks lovely on him but I see where it isn't functioning. Having worked at a tack store and dealt with Bobby's directly, contact them. Make sure to ask for Bobby. They will send you whatever you need. Please let me know if I can help, I worked with them for about a year.
ReplyDeleteYeah, honestly the fact that it doesn't function is what bugs me the most. Are they good at responding to email? I think that's going to be the easiest way to contact them.
DeleteIf you end up not being able to find one, you can always have a noseband you like adjusted to fit a monocrown. It already has the buckle on one side and they can cut down the long piece to add another buckle and the keepers for the other side. If you find someone good at leatherwork, this should be really easy to do and get to turn out nice. Just an extra option to throw out there :)
ReplyDeleteI've actually thought about that. The only problem is matching the dye on the leather at the buckle. Sometimes when they cut black tack, you're left with a bit of undyed leather showing. (I learned this when I had my drop noseband cut down to size. The stitching and work is impeccable, but they couldn't quite hide the undyed bit.)
DeleteAww poor Pig! I usually love love big fat nosebands (I had to replace my double's noseband with a BIGGER ONE), but Rico and TC have enormous faces so the big fat nosebands work well on them.
ReplyDeleteI really like a big noseband on a larger face, and think Rico's bridle looks lovely on him!
DeleteI have a black HDR snaffle bridle that I bought the black HDR bradoon strap for, simply because the strap was $20 or so vs a cheap double for $200. That and I got to keep my regular noseband. I hate those big nosebands, especially on horses with fine faces. The only thing I don't like about the setup are the 3 straps that go behind his ears- the regular crownpiece and noseband strap, plus the bradoon strap. The noseband and bradoon straps, when laid next to each other, are the same width as the crownpiece, so that's a plus at least. Every now and then I think Mikey looks funny with his fine bridle and big boy bits, but whatever!
ReplyDeleteI've never dealt with Bobby's, and agree that calling them might be your best bet, I can only agree that big nosebands don't work so well on fine faces!
DeleteI think Mikey looks just great in his fine bridle! :) My curb is actually really delicate (those NS bits are really works of art), so maybe that's another reason to go small! I do love the monocrown, though. It's so soft and padded, but the curb actually works like it should, unlike those bridles where the bradoon strap goes over the crown.
DeleteI'm planning to call them, but I think I need to let the monetary firestorm of the vet, moving, and the shows settle down!
As usual I'm late to the party and don't have any advice to add to that which has been given above. However I agree with Marissa & Michael a and i think it looks well on him but understand the frustration re:gaping.
ReplyDeleteCommenting on this tack post before I move on to your next update as you mentioned liking the bit i bought for Kika last weekend...i have a loose ring version of the same bit that I never use. If you'd like u can measure it and see if it will work for you & post it out if you would like...we're friends on fb yes?
You do? That would be amazing! I think we are friends... If not, I'm easy to find. :)
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