Bridle Fail

So, remember those super awesome pictures I promised of Stella in her first real I'm a Big Girl bridle?

Yeah, not gonna happen.

Apparently, I am either a far worse judge of bridle size than I thought I was, OR bridle sizes have significantly changed since the last time I bought one. OR Stella's head is a lot bigger than I thought.

I had bought a cob sized dressage bridle for her from Smartpak. It's made by Plymouth and was their baseline bridle, simple cavesson and a flash, which I plan on removing since Stella doesn't need it. I thought for SURE the cob would be a little big: the dressage bridle I had for Ernie was a cob and was way too big. There was an inch of space between his forehead and the browband, it had a crank (which I really didn't know anything about until after I bought it, and I won't buy a crank again) which also was too big and needed to be buckled on the tightest hole to even come close to doing its job...even the flash was too long. Stella also has a very refined, very chiseled face, so I assumed a horse size wouldn't work.

But this bridle, I swear to God it was made for a freaking pony. A mini, even. As soon as I put it on her I knew it was the wrong size. I dropped it to the lowest hole on the cheekpieces, which held the bit just high enough, but the browband was clearly pinching, the headstall didn't rest where it needed to (it was literally laying over the articular process of the occipital condyle, the bony point that sticks out just above and to the side of the horse's eye), and the noseband, forget even trying to shut it. I couldn't even get it to wrap all the way around under her jaw.

Thus, pictures were not going to happen. I promptly took it off and swapped it for the very, very old Corbette headstall I've been using...

I'll be calling Smartpak tomorrow to see if I can return it and get a horse size. I'm surprised, to say the least, and a little bummed (I was REALLY excited for this bridle!) but hopefully I'll have a better fitting one shortly.