Buying a bridle can be a testing experience thanks to the difficulty associated with choosing from the huge variety available on the market. Before you set out to actually purchase a bridle that bests suits you and your horse, you’ve got to have it clear in your mind what your specific requirements are and what sits well with your pony.

Begin by taking into consideration the uses you will put your bridle to. Clearly, that will depend to a significant extent on what the uses are that you put your horse to. Do you have a competition horse that looks exceedingly good with smart leather bridles? Are you into endurance, where the lightness of the bridle is more important than its stylishness? Are you the sort of person who is particular about buying products that give quality service over lengthy periods, like leather does? Or is your number one criteria the comfort of your horse?

When your bridle’s purposes are decisively entrenched in your mind, give some consideration to the style of bridle that you would like. Think over the personality and abilities of your horse. Does a snaffle bridle of the standard type, with nose band or without, suit you better or would you be happier with a double bridle? What sort of nose band will you use: the flash type or the grackle type? Or perhaps a simple cavesson? Perhaps your style is a little more showy, and you need something like a special occasion diamante design or a bitless bridle? Come to mention it, do you really need a nose band in the first place?

Then there is the important aspect of your budget. How much are you able to afford to pay for a new bridle? What about maintenance? Are you wanting something that is straightforward to clean off sweat and dirt after a tough day’s work? Or are you ready to spend time on cleaning and maintaining, but you have no desire to compromise on quality, and so you prefer leather? A good leather bridle is definitely more expensive than a good synthetic one, but the leather product will give you years of service and still look good with minimum upkeep, while the synthetic one may begin to show its age and get tarnished after a while. Leather is a way better choice for competition or showing, while synthetic material is the superior option when light weight is the critical criteria.

When you have made up your mind on the factors that decide your selection of bridle, go and start choosing. Tack shops in your vicinity may suggest bridles that suit your particular needs and your finances. You may also try shopping online. The web world hosts many tack shops that you can look thru. The Net lets you take your time not solely in finding what you want, but also in finding the best spots to get it for a bargain.

Horses are Heather Toms passion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers, like all things about mini chaps