We all know a good bridle when we see one, but what specific qualities make an eventing bridle good or bad? This simple question left me puzzled for a few minutes when SmartPak, recently asked me to review the Harwich eventing bridle for them. I suppose I am not exactly the Linda Zang of bridles so work with me. The package arrived in the mail a few days later and, after a healthy period of procrastination, I took it out to the barn. I intentionally did not look up the price or other reviews of the bridle before checking it out myself.
The first thing I noticed upon taking the Harwich bridle out of its bag was that it was sturdy. The thick leather gave me the feeling that this bridle is up for the challenges that eventing tack faces every day.
The two best parts of the Harwich bridle are the reins and the crownpiece. The reins are perfect with rubber grips, sturdy leather, and raised leather to hold the martingale stops in place. The only thing for you to add is a second hole for the buckle in case the first hole breaks, which is a good idea for any cross-country bridle. The crownpiece is really smart and has padding and two holes to loop the strap for the noseband above the crownpiece. This leads to maximum comfort on the horse’s poll.
As I continued to put the bridle together, the next thing I noticed is that it has a detachable flash noseband loop and brass buckles. For some, both of those are deal-breakers, which is fine–it is what it is. Personally, I like brass on my tack and I gladly put up with the polishing. The noseband was more of a question for me, but the folded flash loop is at least twice as sturdy as a thin permanent loop. Someone at the barn also pointed out that the brass and detachable flash mean that the bridle would easily convert into an excellent Sunday morning jog bridle. I wouldn’t have thought of that, but it’s definitely true.
The Harwich bridle isn’t a $500 dressage bridle, but you can tell that a lot of intelligent thought went into developing it, and, more importantly that a lot of intelligent thought went into developing it for eventers. It’s a good, solid, smart bridle for eventers at home or at a competition. Check out the link below for more information on the Harwich Bridle:
I’d like to thank SmartPak for giving me a chance to review the Harwich bridle. As always, thanks to SmartPak for their phenomenal support of Eventing Nation. Be sure to always click on the SmartPak banner in the sidebar whenever you need anything for the barn.
Go eventing.
