The importance of a well fitting bridle is all too often overlooked and little thought is given to the fact that a poorly fitting bridle can have a great effect on your horses' comfort & well being. The size of a horse does not always relate to the size of his head!
A correctly fitted bridle should have:
- the edges of the bit just wrinkling the corners of the lips
- a browband that isn't tight & sits below the base of the ears without impeding them
- a (regular) cavesson that lies clear of the jaw bones and has reasonable clearance
- the throat lash should also have sufficient clearance (2-3 fingers) so as not to over tighten when the horse drops his nose & engages on the bit.
A well fitting bridle will have all of these basic elements, plus the aesthetic ones:
- all the buckles should be aligned as equally as possible & lie on a line with the top corner of the eye - buckles shouldn't be by the horses ears or below the eye!
- the browband should cover the top of the splits
- the cavesson strap should be the correct length & not stick out from behind the nose
We understand the importance of a well made, well fitting bridle - we're horse owners & riders ourselves and our Company has been making bridles & accessories for customers all over the world for over 40 years. Most of our bridle ranges are available with a 'Mix N Match' option which allows you to mix sizes to get the best possible fit for the individual horse; check the individual bridle description. Please check your existing bridle against our measurement chart & do not hesitate to contact our sales team for advice. (See "How to measure a bridle")
Each part of a Sabre bridle goes through the following hand processes:
- Our bridle butts are carefully selected from premium English leathers supplied by John White & Sons of Bingley, England.
- The butt is then hand cut into individual strips of raw leather & each piece is hand prepared by our master craftsmen; edging, burnishing & veining the individual parts.
- Our experienced stitchers then hand stitch each part of the bridle that is stress related (hooksuds & buckles), they are double hand stitched with waxed thread meaning that the individual stitches interlock & can't unravel like a machine thread does.
- Parts that are not subjected to stress - browbands & the raised sections of cavessons are machine stitched for a perfect finish
- Finally, each individual piece is hand finished; the edges rubbed & burnished to a high shine. the loops blocked & creased to give the distinctive Sabre finish
We take great care to manufacture our products from the finest materials available and we stand behind them as long as they are properly cared for.
Initial Oiling: ALL items MUST be treated before use to condition the leather & protect the water based dyes used in the tanning process. Apply 2 - 3 light coats of blended neatsfoot oil sparingly with a brush on a ratio of 2 coats to the flesh (underside) of the leather to 1 coat on the topside of the leather.
Maintenance Care: You should treat your leather products as you do your own skin, keeping them clean, supple & moisturised. After each use, wipe off with a damp cloth to remove sweat and dirt build up. Depending upon the frequency of use, you should regularly clean & condition your leather; clean items with a little glycerine saddle soap & using a clean, damp sponge, wipe the dirt and soap off. Allow to dry and then apply a light coat of neatsfoot oil to all surfaces to replenish the fibres We only recommend using the above cleaning products on our goods.
General Advice: Do not use excessive amounts of oil as this can be as damaging as using none at all! Wet leather must always be allowed to dry naturally at room temperature. Check leather & stitching regularly for signs of stress and replace if necessary - always consider that for safety reasons, no piece of leather will restrain an "in-flight" horse secured to a fixed object.
Leather is a natural, organic material; the skin of an animal, the original and still the best material used for saddlery for very good reason - the safety of you & your horse. Whilst we take great care to ensure that the leathers are selected appropriately for the specific bridle components, the leather is only as good as the initial & ongoing treatment it receives once in use.