Over recent years, micklem bridles have become very popular. I don’t really remember when micklems came bout, but now I see them everywhere, including at top competitions.
I don’t have a problem in Scottie’s bridle and his noseband is never done up tight. However, recently I stumbled upon several articles about these bridles which made me consider whether Scottie could do with trying one.
After a good ride, or a particularly sweaty one, Scottie gets a very itchy face around his mouth and noseband area. Conventional nosebands can put pressure on the nerves in these areas, causing horses to rub their faces after being ridden. Several people have also commented that they found that after switching to a micklem, their horse worked better into the bridle into a rounder outline. Both these things have made me think it might be worth trying one on Scottie.
Depending on what type of bit attachment you use with the micklem, they are suitable for most competitions. However, I am unsure as to how they would go down in the show ring.
I think once I’ve managed to find a job after finishing university in the next few weeks, I might look into trying/buying one for Scottie and see how we get on with it. If they are not too popular for showing, I can always continue to ride to 2 bridles.
Do any of you have experience with micklem bridles?
Last Updated on 07/08/2018
The horses at the yard I work at all have them. I wasn’t there before they started using them but apparently they are much easier to ride since switching.
I’ve never actually tried one, but I’ve read about them a lot and I love the ergonomic concept. I’m in the market for a new bridle for Shiloh and I’m seriously considering trying one of these. He is so fussy about his face I’m starting to wonder if conventional bridles are hurting his face. I’ve seen these popping up everywhere, even in the dressage ring at times.
I don’t have any personal experience with them and I couldn’t be sure for all showing classes but many showing judges (perhaps not at local level) seem to prefer traditional tack in the show ring so you may be penalised for using a Micklem depending on who is judging. I would imagine this would be particularly true for hunter classes where there is an emphasis on tradition but it may require a little research to be sure.
Other than that though I have heard some very good things about them!