[SportPonyCrayzi]

The title says it all! I got a Treadstone snaffle dressage bridle to try out and at least I think it's really nice. It has a padded crown, browband, and crank noseband with a flash. The reins have those "caps" or w/e you call em (to help you hang on) and rubber on the inside.

However, I was wondering about the durability and leather quality. I know that Otto Schumaucher bridles last FOREVER...well not literally but my instructor has some that have lasted and worked well for at least 10 years. So, I'm wondering if I'm getting my money's worth seeing as it's a $250 bridle. I figure it would be better to buy a $300 (that works better for training/competition than a gimpy one!) every 10 years than a $100 every couple of years.

Has anyone encountered one? What were your opinions?

[Lindsayanne]

I don't have any experience with that brand but I do own 2 $50-$75ish bridles and 2 $200-$300 bridles and I can tell you which I prefer hands down, no contest. Money on a good bridle definitely isn't wasted. One cold morning I spent 15 minutes trying to get a bit off a cheap, but well cared for/oiled bridle, and once off it took two minutes to attach it and do up the same type buckles on the bridle with nicer leather.

I love the courbette bridles. They wear like steel and even bought used they're still show quality.

[Heavenly Jumper]

I have a regular snaffle bridle by them and I think it is just wonderful. The leather feels great, and I paid about 100 for it.

[Xena_n_joss]

I've owned cheap bridles... And I bought a Stubben a couple years ago... It is the best quality bridle you could get... Well maybe not the best... but they are really good usually and usually last.. I have an old stubben saddle that is really old... Its still in great shape though.

I now would always save to buy the Stubben type brand over anything anything else

[harli36]

I have a treadstone bridle and it's nice. I'm not 100% thrilled with it because I've only had it for one year and you can definetly see the wear, even though it hasn't been used all that much. The stiches are fine and everything but the leather is getting all wrinkly and worn out if you know what I mean. I also don't like the padded crown. The padding on it makes it rub into the horses ears, smaller sized crowns are much better IMO. But over all I bought it for 80 or 90$ I think??? Somewhere around there. But for the price I have yet to find a bridle so nice. The leather is very supple, which is the most important thing for me.

I know there are going to be people that disagree with me but I absolutely hate Courbette bridles. They are an expensive bridle so you would think that the quality is pretty good but for their money they are not a good quality and they should not be selling them for that much. The stiching on that bridle isn't that nice and the leather quality for the price is horrible. I have a $40 bridle which is very comparable in quality to the courbette. Usually at least IME the more money you spend on a bridle, at least to a certain extent(IMO there is no $400 bridle worth the money) the better the bridle. But that simply is not the case with courbette.

Stubben is the best bridle that I have come by so far. They are expensive but more then worth the money. I have a 9 year old stubben that is used for everyday work, I was just going to save it for show but I love the bridle so much I hate not using it. The bridle hasn't worn at all and the leather just keeps getting more supple. As it ages it just keeps getting better. There is not one bad thing I can say about this bridle.

[Lindsayanne]

Everyone's got their preferences. I don't like stubben bridles at all. Love the saddles, not the bridles though. I've owned one of their bridles and they wear more visibly than comparable brands, IMO. The cavesson on mine ripped. Before buying a stubben bridle read this.

[luvs2ride79]

Yes! I have one and I LOVE it... I bought it off eBay. It's the padded Flash bridle that comes with the fancy browband. Most of their bridles come with rubber reins, which I do not prefer. They changed them for laced reins for only $5 more.

~Barbara

[luvs2ride79]

Originally Posted by Lindsayanne

Everyone's got their preferences. I don't like stubben bridles at all. Love the saddles, not the bridles though. I've owned one of their bridles and they wear more visibly than comparable brands, IMO. The cavesson on mine ripped. Before buying a stubben bridle read this.

One thing the first poster on your thread above is doing wrong with her bridle is oiling it every week... Over oiling your tack can make the leather weak, break down stitching, and make it fall apart. A good quality bridle or saddle should only need to be oiled 2 to 4 times a year. Proper cleaning with non-drying products is all you need when it actually gets dirty. If tack gets dusty, just whipe it down with a barely damp cloth. I whipe my bridle down everytime I use it, and rinse the bit. Using this routine, I only have to actually take apart and clean the bridle once every 30 to 60 days.

~Barbara

[harli36]

I don't see why a Stubben would need to be oiled every week and I can definetly understand how 8 months worth of oiling every week would make the leather give. I have soaped my bridle as needed but would only oil it about once a year and even then it didn't really need it.

Everyone does have their preferences of course so I'm sure that I can find comments like that for every brand of bridle there is.

[MyY0Y0]

Originally Posted by Lindsayanne

I love the courbette bridles. They wear like steel and even bought used they're still show quality.

I have a Courbette bridle, I love it. It was in the $100 dollar price range, and it's great!